complete verse (Job 20:10)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 20:10:

  • Kupsabiny: “Weak/powerless people shall go to their children
    and reclaim the things their fathers robbed.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “His sons will establish good relationships with the poor,
    and they will give them back their own wealth and property.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “His children are the ones-who-pay the poor-ones what he has-stolen from them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Their children will be forced to return the valuable things that those children stole from poor people.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Job 20:10

His children will seek the favor of the poor: some interpreters believe verse 11, which speaks of the father, should come before verse 10, and so New English Bible and Moffatt transpose them. This is not necessary. Scholars disagree on the origin of the verb root translated seek the favor of. Dhorme gives the verb the sense as in Good News Translation “His sons will compensate the poor.” Dhorme also transfers verse 10 to follow verse 19. The Septuagint and others derive the meaning from the root of the verb “crush” found in verse 19 and translate “The poor shall oppress his children.” Tur-Sinai suggests “will indemnify,” and Pope “must redress.” The thought of Zophar is that the sons will be forced to return the ill-gotten wealth the wicked father has taken from the poor, and so something similar to Good News Translation is recommended. This line may also be expressed, for example, “and his children will give back the wealth he stole from the poor” or “The sons of the wicked father will have to return to the poor what their father took from them.”

And his hands will give back his wealth: his hands translates the Hebrew. New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and others make a change to get “his children.” His hands would refer to the father, who has disappeared from the scene in the previous line. Gordis argues that his hands has the extended meaning of “offspring” and should be translated “his children” without any change. Since line b of the verse is parallel to line a, Good News Translation does not repeat the subject in line b, and thus makes “his sons” the subject of the main clause covering the whole verse. The recommended translation is “his sons” or “his children.” If line a is understood as recommended, line b is almost a repetition, and so some translators will prefer to reduce the two lines to one, as does Good News Translation. His hands is the poetic use of a figure in the second line which gives a degree of intensification over line a.

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 .