complete verse (Job 7:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 7:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “You see me now but you will not see me again.
    Even if you look for me, you will not find me.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Your eyes which have now seen me will never see me again,
    you will look for me, but I will not exist.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (sing.) still can see me now but sometime later no more. If you (sing.) will-look for me you (sing.) no-longer will-find me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Honorary "rare" construct denoting God ("keep")

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, todome-rare-ru (留められる) or “keep” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Job 7:8

This verse is omitted in the Septuagint, but there are no grounds for omitting it in translation. In verse 7 it was Job’s eye that would never again see good; now he shifts to The eye of him who sees me. In verse 20 God is called “watcher of men,” and it would seem that God is the one who sees in verse 8. Good News Translation has made this clear by use of the second person, “You see me now.” In some languages it may be necessary to make clear that “you” refers to God, and say accordingly “God, you see me now….” Will behold me no more: in Hebrew this clause comes first. The word translated behold, meaning to gaze at or look at intently, occurs six times in the Book of Job.

While thy eyes are upon me, I shall be gone: according to Habel, Job reaches a state of defiance here. The idea is “You will look for me, but I won’t be there.” Job’s absence will frustrate the scrutinizing eyes of God in his search for the Job that was. In some languages the expression “I won’t be” or “I won’t be there” would be unclear, and we must say, for example, “but I will no longer exist,” “I will not be where you look,” “I’ll be dead and gone away,” or “I’ll be gone because I will be dead.”

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 .