Job 11 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

In this chapter, Job’s friend Zophar responds to what Job said in chapters 9 and 10.

The ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Zophar answering Job with his own words

• In 9:12, Job asked about God, when suggesting that God might act cruelly, “Who will turn him back?” Zophar says in his response in 11:10, answering Job in his own words to insist that God actually acts justly, “Who will turn him back?”
• In 10:15, Job says that he will not lift his head, he will continue to act ashamed, because God is punishing him even though he is innocent. Zophar says in response in 11:15 that if Job repents and prays for forgiveness, he will be able to lift up his face without any shame.
• In 10:22, Job says that he will die and go to a place of complete darkness. Zophar says in response in 11:17 that Job’s life may seem like darkness now, but it will become bright and happy if he turns to God.

To help your readers appreciate how Zophar is answering Job with his own words, you may wish to translate Zophar’s expressions in these places in the same way that you translated Job’s similar expressions earlier. Notes will suggest ways to do this.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Rhetorical questions

In many places in this chapter, Zophar uses the question form in order to challenge Job. Your language might not use the question form for that purpose. Notes will suggest other ways to translate these questions. (See: figs-rquestion)