OET interlinear JOB 28:4

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

פָּ֤רַץ נַ֨חַל ׀ מֵֽ⁠עִם־גָּ֗ר

cuts shaft from, human_habitation

The pronoun He refers once again to a person who is mining for precious metals. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Since Job uses plural forms in the rest of this verse, you may wish to use a plural form here. Alternate translation: “Miners open shafts”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

מֵֽ⁠עִם־גָּ֗ר

from, human_habitation

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of habitation, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “far from where people live”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

הַֽ⁠נִּשְׁכָּחִ֥ים מִנִּי־רָ֑גֶל

the,forgotten by travelers

Job is not referring to a specific foot. He means feet in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “the ones forgotten by feet”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

הַֽ⁠נִּשְׁכָּחִ֥ים מִנִּי־רָ֑גֶל

the,forgotten by travelers

Job is speaking of a foot as if it were a living thing that could be unaware of something. (That is what the term forgotten indicates here.) This could be describing: (1) the location of the mines. Job would be saying that they are in remote places where people do not go. In that case the word foot would represent people traveling. Alternate translation: “in places where people do not go”(2) the way that people walk on the ground above mines without realizing that miners are at work deep below them. Alternate translation, beginning a new sentence: “The people walking on the ground high above miners do not realize that they are there”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

מֵ⁠אֱנ֣וֹשׁ

from,people

Here the masculine term man has a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use language in your translation that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “Away from other people”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

דַּ֖לּוּ & נָֽעוּ

suspended & swing_to_and_fro

Job means implicitly that these miners dangle and swing from ropes in order to get down into the mines. He is emphasizing the risks that people will take in order to find precious metals. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “they dangle and swing dangerously from ropes in order to get down into their mines”