Over Translation
I was sitting in a Bible study the other day, my trusty KJV open in front of me and, as usual, there were various differences in translation between what I was reading and what the pastor was teaching out of. One particular difference rather shocked me, particularly as the teacher camped on it for a minute or two. It was a difference in one of those niggling little words: conjunctions. Almost as annoying as prepositions to the language learner… and translator.
The word was ‘if’… in the King James. In his translation it was ‘since’. Which can make a rather startling difference, eh? I mean, “If your father isn’t coming for dinner, we will go out to Denny’s” vs “Since your father isn’t coming for dinner, we will go out to Danny’s.” A trip to Denny’s might hinge on this difference.
Accusation and Humility
Job 8:1-4
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
If thy children have sinned against him,
and he have cast them away for their transgression;
Or, in this case, the difference between an accusation and a suggestion. The context here is clear to any student of Scripture. Job has suffered incredible destruction. His herds have been destroyed, his slaves killed, he is suffering with awful boils… and his children have died. And in that context Bildad comes along and mentions the sin of those children.
But how does he mention them? Well, to paraphrase the bard, ‘since’ or ‘if’… that is the question. Does Bildad accuse the children of sin, and put their death in that context? Or does he say that if they sinned, their death fits his thesis? What does the text actually say?
Moving On
Job 8:5-7
If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
Though thy beginning was small,
yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
One thing to notice about the rest of the passage is… the kids aren’t there. No, seriously, they drop completely out of the picture… to the modern mind. Or ‘of the modern mind’. Or whatever conjunction goes with the modern mind.
Let’s look at this from a patriarchal view. Let’s take a whole step back (or several). Let’s see this whole thing from the lens of one patriarch talking to another. Because I have a suggestion. I am going to suggest that verse 4 is not about Job’s children, but about Job.
If we do that then Job becomes the subject of the entire text from verse two to verse ten. (You can even throw in verse one if you like. It would become something like, “Then Job was answered by Bildad”, which fits into the meaning well.) If we see verse four as being about Job… if we read ‘thy children’ to emphasise the ‘thy’ not the ‘children’, and if we read Job’s sin into it…
But how do we do that? We do it by bringing in a verse from the beginning, and a couple of other Bible Characters.
Sacrifices
Job 1:5
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about,
that Job sent and sanctified them,
and rose up early in the morning,
and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all:
for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.
Thus did Job continually.
There’s a passage that is mysterious to modern ears, eh? What on Earth is this crazed patriarch doing? These people are ‘adults’! They are on their own. Their are all grown up. What business is it of Job’s if they have sinned?
that Job sent and sanctified them; not that he did or could make them holy, by imparting grace, or infusing holiness into them; at most he could only pray for their sanctification, and give them rules, precepts, and instructions about holiness, and exhortations to it; but here it signifies, that being at some distance from them he sent messengers or letters to them to sanctify and prepare themselves for the sacrifices he was about to offer for them; either by some rites and ceremonies, as by washing themselves, and abstinence from their wives, which were sometimes used as preparatory to divine service, Gen 35:2, or by fasting and prayer; or, perhaps, no more is intended by it than an invitation of them to come and attend the solemn sacrifice which he, as the head of the family, would offer for them; so, to sanctify people, is sometimes to invite, to call and gather them to holy service, see Jol 2:15and so the Targum renders it. “Job sent and invited them:”
John Gill
So this passage is quickly forgotten and hardly stays in our mind until we get to chapter eight verse four! But if we keep it in mind, if we remember that Job felt he had responsibility to take care of his children’s sin, to sancify them and offer sacrifices for them.
And…
Bad Examples
I Samuel 3:11-14
And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.
For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli,
that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice
nor offering
for ever.
… And if we combine that remembering with our knowledge of the sons of Eli (and not Eli only, but the link is clearest here). If we remember that Eli had a curse pronounced upon him, a curse upon his whole house which would include the death of his sons, and that the curse was because his sons sinned… and Eli failed to restrain them…
… and that the sin was so egregious that it could not be purged with sacrifice (remember the beginning of Job!!)…
… then we see a very real possibility of the accusation of Bildad, as being a accusation on Job, not a parenthetical about his children. Is it possible he is saying, “Job, you failed to lead your children correctly, and thus they sinned. You failed to restrain them, and they continued sinning. You called them to your sacrifices, but their sin was to great for that.”
And, in the context of this particular translation controversy, he was either saying ‘if’ or ‘since’.
OverTranslation
Which brings me to the main, but easily addressed, point of this post. I include various references below, while asking the question ‘Is ‘if’ or ‘since’ a better translation in Job 8:4’. And in deciding for ‘if’, I accuse (gently) the other side of ‘over translating’.
I believe that the job of a translator should never be to remove information, including ambiguity, from the original text. When Bildad spoke the words in Job 8:4 he could have meant, “It is possible that your children sinned and God punished them for it.” or he could have meant “God punished your children because they sinned.” But the Hebrew conjunction ‘eem’ does not tell us which it was.
And so we are faced with a choice. We can say, “I think that Bildad meant that they had sinned, so I will put in the English word ‘since’. Or we can say, “I think that Bildad meant that he thought it was possible, and so I am going to put in the English word ‘if’.” But those two choices are not equal. They do not give the same responsibility to their audience.
The pastor or father who reads the word ‘since’, and does not cross check this, will easily and clearly accuse Bildad of accusing Job’s children of sin. The pastor or father who reads the word ‘if’ may very well say that Bildad was hedging his bets.
But the word ‘if’ does not force him to do so. Because we crazy English speakers use the word ‘if’ to means ‘since’ occasionally. (But I do not believe we ever use the word ‘since’ to mean ‘if’.) The father who says, “If you are going to talk to your mother like that, you are not going to the party on Friday.” is not casting much doubt on the way the child has spoken to their mother. The subjunctive nature of ‘if’ can merely mean that the child had a choice of how to speak in the past (and they exercised it wrongly).
We can see this difficulty very clearly in the way the following verses translate ‘eem’. Let’s try a translation experiment. Wherever that same conjunction is used, let us translate it in the same way. (The following base text is the NIV, which uses ‘when’. It has been changed to make the translation parallel for all the uses of ‘eem’.)
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind.3 Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?4 If your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.5 But if you will seek God earnestly and plead with the Almighty,6 if you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your prosperous state.7 Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.
versus
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “How long will you say such things? Your words are a blustering wind.3 Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?4 Since your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.5 But since you will seek God earnestly and plead with the Almighty,6 since you are pure and upright, even now he will rouse himself on your behalf and restore you to your prosperous state.7 Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.
Feel free to make whatever changes you make to the translations below, making the various uses of the conjunction parallel. I would be interested in hearing if (pun intended) you can come up with a word that would fit better every time than ‘if’.
Conclusion
Let me be very clear: I do not know what Bildad meant to say. But let me be clear again: Neither do you. Nor did the translators of any of these versions. I firmly believe that the role of a pastor and teacher is to teach what they believe the text means… while being clear about what the text actually says.
But the role of the translator is not thus. It is to make it clear what the text says… or doesn’t say. To provide the father, pastor, teacher, and individual Christian with the facts of the matter, not his interpretation. If we wants to communicate his interpretation, he should write a commentary, not a translation.
Yes, he needs to put the one text clearly into the other text. If the text says, “Il n’y’a pas…” he shouldn’t translate this as ‘He not to it has not’. But neither should he translate it ‘God hasn’t given them any.” However theologically accurate that might be, and however that might fit into the text, those words are not present in the original, either directly or indirectly… they should not be in the translation.
Since, then, it is not clear that ‘eem’ is a certain accusation, ‘if’ is the best translation. If the same conjunction was used several times in the following text and clearly meant since, that might be a better translation… but since is is not…
Job 8:4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he hath cast them away for their transgression;
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Von
References
H518
אִם
‘im
eem
A primitive particle; used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogitive, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence as a negative, not: - (and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), + but, either, + except, + more (-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, + save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, + surely (no more, none, not), though, + of a truth, + unless, + verily, when, whereas, whether, while, + yet.
KJV
Job 8:1 Then answered H6030 Bildad H1085 the Shuhite, H7747 and said, H559
Job 8:2 How long H5704 H575 wilt thou speak H4448 these H428 things? and how long shall the words H561 of thy mouth H6310 be like a strong H3524 wind? H7307
Job 8:3 Doth God H410 pervert H5791 judgment? H4941 or H518 doth the Almighty H7706 pervert H5791 justice? H6664
Job 8:4 If H518 thy children H1121 have sinned H2398 against him, and he have cast them away H7971 for H3027 their transgression; H6588
Job 8:5 If H518 thou H859 wouldest seek unto God betimes, H7836 H413 H410 and make thy supplication H2603 to H413 the Almighty; H7706
Job 8:6 If H518 thou H859 wert pure H2134 and upright; H3477 surely H3588 now H6258 he would awake H5782 for H5921 thee, and make the habitation H5116 of thy righteousness H6664 prosperous. H7999
Job 8:7 Though thy beginning H7225 was H1961 small, H4705 yet thy latter end H319 should greatly H3966 increase. H7685
Expanded Bible
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:
2 “How long will you [L continue to] say such things?
Your words are ·no more than [L a strong] wind [C he accuses Job of passion without substance].
3 God does not ·twist [pervert] justice;
·the Almighty [Shaddai] does not ·make wrong [twist; pervert] ·what is right [righteousness].
4 [L If] Your children sinned against God,
and he ·punished them for their sins [L sent them into the power of their transgression].
5 ·But [L If] you ·should ask God for help [L look for God]
and ·pray [plead] to ·the Almighty [Shaddai] for ·mercy [grace].
6 If you are ·good [pure] and ·honest [virtuous; 1:1, 8; 2:3],
he will ·stand up [L immediately rouse himself] for you
and ·bring you back [restore you] ·where you belong [to your right/righteous pasture/place/home].
7 ·Where you began will seem unimportant [L Though your start was small],
·because your future will be so successful [L your end will be exalted].
LITV
Job 8:1 And Bildad the Shuhite answered, saying:
Job 8:2 Until when will you speak these things, since the words of your mouth are like a mighty wind?
Job 8:3 Or does God pervert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
Job 8:4 If your sons have sinned against Him, and if He has sent them away in the hand of their transgression,
Job 8:5 if you would seek earnestly to God, and make your prayer to the Almighty,
Job 8:6 if you were pure and upright, surely now He would rise for you, and make whole the abode of your righteousness.
Job 8:7 And your beginning was small, yet your end would greatly increase.
Webster
Job 8:1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
Job 8:2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
Job 8:3 Doth God pervert judgment; or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
Job 8:4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he hath cast them away for their transgression;
Job 8:5 If thou wouldst seek to God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
Job 8:6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
Job 8:7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end would greatly increase.
Louis Segond
Job 8:1 Bildad de Schuach prit la parole et dit:
Job 8:2 Jusqu’à quand veux-tu discourir de la sorte, Et les paroles de ta bouche seront-elles un vent impétueux?
Job 8:3 Dieu renverserait-il le droit? Le Tout Puissant renverserait-il la justice?
Job 8:4 Si tes fils ont péché contre lui, Il les a livrés à leur péché.
Job 8:5 Mais toi, si tu as recours à Dieu, Si tu implores le Tout Puissant;
Job 8:6 Si tu es juste et droit, Certainement alors il veillera sur toi, Et rendra le bonheur à ton innocente demeure;
Job 8:7 Ton ancienne prospérité semblera peu de chose, Celle qui t’est réservée sera bien plus grande.
Luther
Job 8:1 Da antwortete Bildad von Suah und sprach:
Job 8:2 Wie lange willst du solches reden und sollen die Reden deines Mundes so einen stolzen Mut haben?
Job 8:3 Meinst du, daß Gott unrecht richte oder der Allmächtige das Recht verkehre?
Job 8:4 Haben deine Söhne vor ihm gesündigt, so hat er sie verstoßen um ihrer Missetat willen.
Job 8:5 So du aber dich beizeiten zu Gott tust und zu dem Allmächtigen flehst,
Job 8:6 und so du rein und fromm bist, so wird er aufwachen zu dir und wird wieder aufrichten deine Wohnung um deiner Gerechtigkeit willen;
Job 8:7 und was du zuerst wenig gehabt hast, wird hernach gar sehr zunehmen.
JPS
Job 8:1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said:
Job 8:2 How long wilt thou speak these things, seeing that the words of thy mouth are as a mighty wind?
Job 8:3 Doth God pervert judgment? Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
Job 8:4 If thy children sinned against Him, He delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
Job 8:5 If thou wouldest seek earnestly unto God, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
Job 8:6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now He would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
Job 8:7 And though thy beginning was small, yet thy end should greatly increase.
BBE
Job 8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite made answer and said,
Job 8:2 How long will you say these things, and how long will the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?
Job 8:3 Does God give wrong decisions? or is the Ruler of all not upright in his judging?
Job 8:4 If your children have done evil against him, then their punishment is from his hand.
Job 8:5 If you will make search for God with care, and put your request before the Ruler of all;
Job 8:6 If you are clean and upright; then he will certainly be moved to take up your cause, and will make clear your righteousness by building up your house again.
Job 8:7 And though your start was small, your end will be very great.
Young’s Literal
Job 8:1 And Bildad the Shuhite answereth and saith: —
Job 8:2 Till when dost thou speak these things? And a strong wind—sayings of thy mouth?
Job 8:3 Doth God pervert judgment? And doth the Mighty One pervert justice?
Job 8:4 If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,
Job 8:5 If thou dost seek early unto God, And unto the Mighty makest supplication,
Job 8:6 If pure and upright thou art , Surely now He waketh for thee, And hath completed The habitation of thy righteousness.
Job 8:7 And thy beginning hath been small, And thy latter end is very great.
NIV
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “How long will you say such things?
Your words are a blustering wind.
3 Does God pervert justice?
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 When your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.
5 But if you will seek God earnestly
and plead with the Almighty,
6 if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf
and restore you to your prosperous state.
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous will your future be.
Bible Gateway: ‘All English Translations’
If thy children have sinned against Him and He have cast them away for their transgression,
If thy children have sinned against him, And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression;
“If your children have sinned against Him, Then He has handed them over to the power of their transgression and punished them.
If your children have sinned against Him, then He has delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
Since your children sinned against him, he gave them over to their rebellion.
Since your children sinned against him, he gave them over to their rebellion.
If your children sinned against him, then he delivered them into the power of their rebellion.
If your children sinned against him, he left them to be victims of their own offense.
He made your children pay for their sins.
If thy children have sinned against him, he hath also given them over into the hand of their transgression.
Although thy children have sinned against him, and he hath left them in the hand of their iniquity:
If your children sinned against God, he punished them. They paid for their sins.
Your children did things that were wrong. That is why God punished them.
When your children sinned against him, he handed them over to the consequences of their rebellion.
If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
[L If] Your children sinned against God, and he ·punished them for their sins [L sent them into the power of their transgression].
If thy sons have sinned against him, and he hath sent them into the place of their iniquity,
If your children sinned against him, he allowed them to suffer the consequences of their sinfulness.
Your children must have sinned against God, and so he punished them as they deserved.
Since your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion.
Your children sinned against God. And he punished them for their sins.
“If your children sin against him, he’ll make them a prisoner of their sins.
Because thy sons sinned against him, he cast them away in the place of their rebellion;
If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;
If your sons sinned against Him, Then He sent them into the power of their transgression.
If your children sinned against him, then he sent them into the power of their transgression.
If your children sinned against him, and he punished them,
Bildad from Shuhah was next to speak: “How can you keep on talking like this? You’re talking nonsense, and noisy nonsense at that. Does God mess up? Does God Almighty ever get things backward? It’s plain that your children sinned against him— otherwise, why would God have punished them? Here’s what you must do—and don’t put it off any longer: Get down on your knees before God Almighty. If you’re as innocent and upright as you say, it’s not too late—he’ll come running; he’ll set everything right again, reestablish your fortunes. Even though you’re not much right now, you’ll end up better than ever.
If your children sinned against Him, He cast them away for their transgression.
If your children sinned against him, he allowed them to suffer the consequences of their sinfulness.
If your children have sinned against him and he has left them in the grip of their guilt,
If your sons sinned against Him, Then He turned them over to the power of their wrongdoing.
“If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If your children sinned against him, he has delivered them into the power of their transgressions.
Your children sinned against God, and he punished them for their sins.
If your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.
Your children sinned against him. So he punished them for their sin.
When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.
When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.
If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression.
If your children have sinned against Him, He has given them over to the power of their sin.
Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved.
If your children sinned against him, he delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If your children sinned against him, he delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If your children sinned against him, he delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If your children sinned against him, he delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If thy banim have sinned against Him, and He have cast them away for their peysha (transgression);
“If your sons have sinned against Him, and He has sent them into the place of their iniquity,
If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the power of their transgression.
If your children sinned against Him, He handed them over to their rebellion.
If your children sinned against Him, He merely administered the punishment due them for those sins.
If your children have sinned against him, he has delivered them into the hand of their disobedience.
Yea, though thy sons sinned against him, and he left them in the hand of their wickedness;
If thy sons have sinned before Him, And He doth send them away, By the hand of their transgression,