OET interlinear JOB 5:5

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

אֲשֶׁ֤ר קְצִיר֨⁠וֹ ׀ רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל

which/who harvest,his hungry consume

The pronoun whose refers to the “foolish person” whom Eliphaz describes in verses 2 and 3. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Hungry people devour the harvest of the foolish person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אֲשֶׁ֤ר קְצִיר֨⁠וֹ ׀ רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל

which/who harvest,his hungry consume

Eliphaz assumes that Job will understand that by devours the harvest he is referring to the practice of gleaning, which the law of Moses commanded the Israelites to allow. Poor people could come into harvested fields and pick up the leftover grain to feed themselves. Eliphaz means that the foolish person and his family will not be able to harvest the grain they have planted and so gleaners will come and take all the grain. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation, as a new sentence: “The foolish person has to abandon the grain that he plants in his fields, and gleaners come and take all of it”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֲשֶׁ֤ר קְצִיר֨⁠וֹ ׀ רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל

which/who harvest,his hungry consume

While hungry people eventually will devour or eat up all of the grain from the foolish person’s harvest, Eliphaz means in this context that they will take all of the grain from the fields. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as a new sentence: “Hungry people will come and glean his entire harvest”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

רָ֘עֵ֤ב & צַמִּ֣ים

hungry & thirsty

Eliphaz is using the adjectives hungry and thirsty as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. The ULT adds the words one and ones to show that. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “the hungry person … thirsty people”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

רָ֘עֵ֤ב & צַמִּ֣ים

hungry & thirsty

Eliphaz is describing poor people by association with the way that they may be hungry and thirsty because they cannot afford to buy food and drink. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use equivalent expressions or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, using a poetic parallel: “the poor one … the impoverished ones”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל

hungry consume

This phrase does not refer to a specific person. It refers to anyone who has the quality that it names. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. It may be helpful to make this term plural, like the thirsty ones, for consistency. Alternate translation: “hungry people devour” or “poor people devour”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠אֶֽל־מִ⁠צִּנִּ֥ים יִקָּחֵ֑⁠הוּ

and,from out_of,thorns take,it

The implications are that if gleaners even collect the grain that is growing among the thorns in the foolish person’s field, then they will take all of the grain in the entire field. The further implication is that nothing will be left for the foolish person and his family. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “they take every last bit of grain, leaving nothing for him and his family”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠שָׁאַ֖ף צַמִּ֣ים חֵילָֽ⁠ם

and,pant_after thirsty wealth,their

Eliphaz is speaking as if thirsty ones, that is, impoverished people, literally pant for the wealth of foolish people, as if wealth were something they could drink to satisfy their thirst. He means that they desire the wealth. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and impoverished people desire their wealth”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠שָׁאַ֖ף צַמִּ֣ים חֵילָֽ⁠ם

and,pant_after thirsty wealth,their

Eliphaz is saying by implication that the thirsty ones who desire the wealth of foolish people actually do obtain it. They do so by gleaning their entire harvests and perhaps by other means that Eliphaz does not mention specifically. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and impoverished people take away their wealth”