He ranges the mountains as his pasture depicts the wild donkey searching over great distances for his food, which is scarce in the deserts. Ranges translates a word meaning “to scour, search intensely, look everywhere for.” Where the donkey searches is in the desert mountains. Revised Standard Version as his pasture translates the words for “his pasture,” which is in apposition with mountains.

He searches after every green thing represents a focusing of the animal’s search for food. In line a he searches the mountains which are his pasture, barren as they are. In line b he tracks down every green thing that grows. Verse 8 may be rendered, for example, “He looks everywhere in the mountains for his food, and searches out every green blade of grass to eat.”

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 .