There are those who rebel against the light: this verse serves as an introduction and title to verses 14-17. There are those does not translate the same expression as in verse 9a, where Revised Standard Version uses the same wording. Dhorme says the pronominal form used here refers back, not forward. It is clearer to avoid a pronoun and say “These are people who,” “These are the kind of people who,” or “Evil people are among those who….” Rebel against the light is a literal translation of the Hebrew. It means they “hate, reject, avoid” the light. In view of the contrast between light and darkness, light must be understood, not as a spiritual or moral symbol, but as the opposite of night. The line may be rendered “Evil people are among those who hate the daylight,” or “Wicked people hate to see daylight come,” or “… to see the day dawn.”

Who are not acquainted with its ways: lines b and c of this verse are closely parallel in meaning and are reduced to one by Good News Translation. Revised Standard Version ways gives the impression that the light is animate and operates like a person. Ways translates “roads,” which is parallel with paths in the next line. These people are “unfamiliar with,” “do not recognize” the roads that are clearly seen in the daytime, because they only use them in the dark of night. Bible en français courant translates “They do not frequent lighted roads”; or the line may be rendered “they do not travel on lighted roads” or “they refuse to walk the roads in the daylight.”

And do not stay in its paths: it is not always necessary to repeat paths just to get another parallelism. The thought is that these people “wander off, stray away” by not keeping on the visible and well marked paths.

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 .