OET interlinear JOB 42:6

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אֶמְאַ֣ס

despise

By the word despise, Job does not mean that he hates something. He means that he thinks little of something. He could mean: (1) that he thinks little of himself, that is, he no longer believes that he can credibly declare whether God is treating anyone fairly or unfairly. Alternate translation: “I no longer believe that I understand as much as I thought I did” (2) that he now thinks little of what he said in all of his speeches. Alternate translation: “I recognize that what I said was wrong”

Note 2 topic: translate-symaction

עַל־עָפָ֥ר וָ⁠אֵֽפֶר

on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in dust and,ashes

In this culture, people would sprinkle dust and ashes on themselves as a symbolic action to show that they were greatly distressed. This is what Job’s friends were doing in 2:12 when they threw dust into the air so that it would land on their heads. Job was doing something similar in 2:8 when he sat down in a pile of ashes. Job could be sprinkling dust and ashes from the pile on himself as he speaks these words, or he could be speaking as if he were doing that in order to describe how sincerely he is repenting. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “by sprinkling dust and ashes on myself to show how distressed I am by what I did” or “very sincerely, as if I were sprinkling dust and ashes on myself to show how distressed I am by what I did”