His breath kindles coals: Kindles means “to light, set on fire, to cause something to start burning.” Coals refers to charcoal made from wood. “His breath ignites coals.” This line is an example of what his flaming mouth does in verse 19a. Verse 21b repeats the thought of verse 19a.

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 .