ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Job 4.12-16

Book: Job · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"10. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11. The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad."

"12. Now a thing was secretly brought to me, And mine ear received a whisper thereof. 13. In thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falleth on men, 14. Fear came upon me, and trembling, Which made all my bones to shake. 15. Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair of my flesh stood up. 16. It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; A form was before mine eyes: There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,"

"17. Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? 18. Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants; And his angels he chargeth with folly:" (Job 4:10-18, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"10. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11. The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad."

"12. “Now a thing was secretly brought to me. My ear received a whisper of it. 13. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, 14. fear came on me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. 15. Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up. 16. It stood still, but I couldn’t discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying,"

"17. ‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? 18. Behold, he puts no trust in his servants. He charges his angels with error." (Job 4:10-18, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"10. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11. The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad."

"12. Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. secretly: Heb. by stealth 13. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14. Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. came: Heb. met all: Heb. the multitude of 15. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, there: or, I heard a still voice"

"17. Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? 18. Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: and his: or, nor in his angels, in whom he put light" (Job 4:10-18, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"10. The roaring of a lion, And the voice of a fierce lion, And teeth of young lions have been broken. 11. An old lion is perishing without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate."

"12. And unto me a thing is secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it. 13. In thoughts from visions of the night, In the falling of deep sleep on men, 14. Fear hath met me, and trembling, And the multitude of my bones caused to fear. 15. And a spirit before my face doth pass, Stand up doth the hair of my flesh; 16. It standeth, and I discern not its aspect, A similitude [is] over-against mine eyes, Silence! and a voice I hear:"

"17. 'Is mortal man than God more righteous? Than his Maker is a man cleaner? 18. Lo, in His servants He putteth no credence, Nor in His messengers setteth praise.'" (Job 4:10-18, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: narrator + Job + friends + LORD (multi-voiced dialogue)
  • Audience: wisdom-tradition Israel
  • Location: land of Uz (Edomite region)
  • Time period: events possibly patriarchal-era; composed unclear, likely c. 1500-500 BC

Theological reading

Key words

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.