The three lines of verse 4 are so arranged that lines a and c are parallel, with arrows of the Almighty in line a matched by terrors of God in line c. Line b has two functions: it depicts the effects of line a, and it adds something to arrows, saying they are poisoned. The arrows of the Almighty are in me: the image of God as an archer is common in the Old Testament (Deut 32.23; Ezek 5.16; Lam 3.12-13; Psa 7.13). In 4.8 Eliphaz asserted that disaster is the harvest of evil that a person has sown or, in 5.17, the result of discipline from Almighty God. Obviously Job does not accept these theories. From Job’s perspective, God has chosen without purpose to shoot him down like a wild animal. The arrows represent Job’s suffering. In 16.12 Job says, as Good News Translation puts it, “God uses me for target practice.” The Almighty translates the Hebrew Shaddai. See 5.17 for discussion of this name. This is the first time Job accuses God of attacking him.

The expression arrows of the Almighty are in me implies that the arrows were shot into Job by God, and for this reason it may be necessary to translate, for example, “God has shot his arrows into me (into my body)” or “God has shot me with his arrows.” If the picture is not clear, it may be necessary to use a word explaining the metaphor of the arrows. For example, “God has shot me with arrows of suffering.” Or we may shift to a simile; for example, “God has made me suffer, like a person shot by arrows.” If none of this is possible, a less poetic effort can be made by saying, for example, “God has made me suffer.” This last rendering requires a further adjustment for line b, such as “and I am dying from it” or “and it is killing me.”

My spirit drinks their poison: the arrows are tipped with poison to bring death, and the author speaks of Job’s spirit drinking that poison. Poisoned arrows are not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament. Good News Translation and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy say “my body….” The poetic meaning, however, is more than Job’s physical body absorbing the poison. It is his innermost, his center of being. Many translations follow Revised Standard Version. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible has “My breath breathes the poison.” Bible de Jérusalem says “My mood drinks the poison.” Bible en français courant avoids saying that a part of the person takes in the poison: “I have absorbed the terrible poison.”

Line b in verse 4 implies that the arrows from line a are poisoned. This information may have to be built into line a. In some languages, therefore, line a will have to say something like “God has shot me with poisoned arrows” before line b can go on to say, for example, “and my spirit (soul, innermost, I) is drinking (absorbing) it.” Instead of the figure of something drinking the poison, it may be necessary to use a different figure or to use a nonfigure such as “it enters all of me,” “goes in to me,” or “soaks into me.”

The terrors of God are arrayed against me: the verb “terrify” occurs frequently in Job, but the plural noun form is found only here and in Psalm 88.15, where Good News Translation translates it “punishments.” In the present context it is associated with fear, fright, awesomeness that goes with God when he overwhelms the enemy. The expression terrors of God means “the terror which God causes others to experience.” It is the latter sense which must be understood here. Arrayed against me depicts a line of troops in battle formation ready for the attack. This is well expressed by Good News Translation: “God has lined up his terrors against me.” The terrors of God must often be restructured in translation to say, as in Biblia Dios Habla Hoy for example, “God has filled me with terror with his attacks.” New English Bible has “God’s onslaughts wear me away.” Or we may say “God has prepared to attack me, and I am full of fear.”

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 .