OET interlinear JOB 16:15

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שַׂ֣ק תָּ֭פַרְתִּי עֲלֵ֣י גִלְדִּ֑⁠י

sackcloth sewed over skin,my

Job is speaking as if he had literally sewn sackcloth onto his skin. He could mean: (1) that he is continually in mourning, as if he wore sackcloth (a sign of mourning) so frequently that it seemed to be sewn onto his skin. Alternate translation: “I am continually in mourning” (2) that he actually has been wearing sackcloth (although the narrative at the beginning of the book does not say so) and it has stuck to his skin because of his boils, as if it were sewn to his skin. Alternate translation: “The sackcloth I have been wearing in grief has stuck to my skin”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠עֹלַ֖לְתִּי בֶ⁠עָפָ֣ר קַרְנִֽ⁠י

and,buried in/on/at/with, ,my

People in the biblical culture used the horn of an animal to represent strength and honor. When they did, they would speak of humans as if they had horns like animals. For example, Psalm 112:9 says of the person who fears Yahweh, “His horn rises high in honor.” Job is using the image in the opposite way to say that he is suffering disgrace. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and I am suffering great disgrace”