The caravans of Tema look: Tema is believed to be an oasis southeast of the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. (See also Isaiah 21.14; Jeremiah 25.23.) Eliphaz is said in 4.1 to be a Temanite. The travelers of Sheba hope: this line emphasizes the deception of failure to find water.

In translation it may be necessary to relate these caravans to the preceding verse by saying, for example, “Some of these caravans (travelers) come from the place called Tema, and they search in the desert for water. Others who come from the place called Sheba hope they will find water.”

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 .