complete verse (Job 37:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 37:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “The animals of the bush return to where they live
    and go to be quiet in their houses.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Wild beasts go to their own caves,
    and hide in their own caves.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The animals hide in their place-of-hiding and they remain there in times of storm.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “When it rains, animals go into their hiding places,
    and they remain there until the rain stops.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Job 37:8

Then the beasts go into their lairs explains that resting from work applies also to the wild animals. Beasts refers to wild animals in general, as in 5.23; 39.15; 40.20. Lairs is a noun based on a verb meaning “to ambush.” It implies a hidden place where the animal stays concealed from view.

And remain in their dens depicts the animals as staying for a period of time inside and protected from the stormy weather. Dens translates the plural of a word meaning “abode,” a more general term than the one used in line a. Good News Translation reduces these two lines to one with no significant loss of meaning or poetic effect. Verse 8 may also be rendered, for example, “The wild animals go into their dens and stay there through the storm.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .