His confidence breaks in sunder: breaks in sunder translates a word (uncertain whether noun or verb) that occurs only here. Assuming that its meaning matches spider’s web in the next line, interpreters have deduced a wide range of meanings. It is impossible with the evidence available to say with any degree of certainty what the meaning is. The apparent reference is to something fragile, and modern translators use “thread, feather,” or “gossamer.” New International Version says “fragile,” and the use of such a general description may be better than the more specific objects that symbolize it. Note also that the occurrence of “hope” in verse 13, which in Hebrew sounds like “thread,” may mean the author is using a wordplay here, to show that hope is fragile as thread, or even as a spider’s web. For confidence see 4.6. In some languages this idea is expressed idiomatically; for example, “He places his heart on something that is easily broken.”

His trust is a spider’s web: Revised Standard Version has a note “Hebrew house.” In Hebrew, as in Arabic, a spider’s web is literally “spider’s house.” The word translated trust means “security” and occurs in 18.14, and also in 31.24, where the same parallelism is found again. This series of images highlights the inevitable failure of the godless, according to Bildad’s understanding. From a general statement in the first line, the thought moves to something much more specific with the use of spider’s web here. This line means that his security or safety is as fragile as a spider’s web, and it may be appropriate to translate with a simile making clear the fragile aspect: “His safety is as fragile as a spider’s web” or “He cannot be protected more than a spider’s web would protect him.”

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 .