Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 40:17:
Kupsabiny: “The tail of this animal is dry/hard like a cedar, and the tendons in its hind legs are knitted/twisted to become strong.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “His tail is hard like a cedar tree, the sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “His tail is like a cedar tree, and his feet are full-of-muscles.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Long ago the majestic cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) completely covered the upper slopes of the Lebanon Mountains on the western and northern sides. Now only a few pockets of these mighty cedars remain. At that time they were mixed, as they are today, with other trees such as Cilician fir, Grecian juniper, cypress, and Calabrian pine.
We know from 1 Kings that Solomon used cedar wood in his palace and in the Temple. Cedar was used for beams, boards, pillars, and ceilings. Historians tell us that the Assyrians also hauled cedars to their land for use in buildings. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon also imported cedars from Lebanon. In some versions of Isaiah we read that people made idols of cedar and oak (44:14-20). Finally, when the Temple was rebuilt by the returning exiles (Ezra 3:7), they again cut down cedar trees to grace the house of God.
In 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles and Ezra, when Lebanon is specifically mentioned, there can be no doubt that ’erez is Cedrus libani, the “cedar of Lebanon,” although it is possible that sometimes the word was used loosely to include various evergreen trees.
In the description of the purification rituals (Leviticus 14:4 at al.), the word ’erez probably refers to the Phoenician juniper tree, since that was the only cedar-like tree in the Sinai Desert.
Description Cedar trees can reach 30 meters (100 feet) high with a trunk more than 2 meters (7 feet) in diameter. The leaves of true cedars are not flat like those of most trees, but consist of tufts of dark green, shiny spines. (The cedars in North America have a flatter type of spine than the biblical cedar.) The wood is fragrant and resistant to insects. Cedars bear cones and can live to be two or three thousand years old.
The cedar of Lebanon is famous for its large size (see Isaiah 2:13 et al.), and for the fragrance of its wood. Psalm 92:12 links the cedar to righteousness, that is, presumably, to its straightness and height above other trees. The cedar is the national emblem of Lebanon.
Cedrus species are found in the mountains of North Africa, in the Himalayas, in India, and in North America. Translators in these places, should, of course, use the local name in nonfigurative references. In sub Saharan Africa, translators can transliterate from Hebrew (’erez), Greek (kedar), English (sedar), or another major language, or they can take a generic solution such as “large, beautiful tree.” In poetic passages (wisdom literature and prophecy), some translators may wish to use a cultural equivalent with these traits. In Africa, according to Burkhill (The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa, volume 4. Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, 1985), the Pink Mahogany Guarea cedrata is also called the pink African cedar because of the cedar-like scent of its timber. Likewise, some people in India and Australia use “cedar” to refer to the toon because of its reddish wood. I do not recommend such substitutes in historical passages, since the ’erez is not related to these trees. In some figurative passages, however, the substitution could be effective, since all are large trees with reddish wood. However, each passage has to be evaluated to determine the intended effect of the image.
He makes his tail stiff like a cedar: stiff translates a word found only here, and so the meaning is uncertain. Another verb root that gives the same form as used here means to make stiff, and this is followed by Revised Standard Version. This has sometimes been taken to mean “make erect,” and so Good News Translation “stands up like a cedar.” BDB and K-B suggest “bend down.” This may refer to the long branches of the cedar tree extending out and downward, in which case the beast may be thought of as having a long, sloping tail. Cedar refers to a type of evergreen tree known from Lebanon as a majestic tree with durable wood. Any large tree whose wood is used for construction may be used. If the translator has chosen to translate “Behemoth” as “hippopotamus,” the translation of verse 17a should be suitable for that animal. If “Behemoth” is rendered by a descriptive phrase or by transliteration, it will not matter greatly which of the comparisons with the cedar tree are chosen. In the first case one may say, for example, “His tail is stiff as…” or “His tail is hard as….”
Sinews are tendons that join the muscles to the bone, but these are not visible as are the muscles. Therefore it is better to follow Good News Translation and to translate “muscles.”
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 .
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