Job: A New Translation

by Edward L. Greenstein

Overview

This "bold new English translation” (Adam Kirsch, Wall Street Journal) of Job by one of the world’s leading biblical scholars will reshape the way we read this canonical text

“A work of erudition with . . . a revolutionary twist.”—James Parker, Atlantic 

The book of Job has often been called the greatest poem ever written. The book, in Edward Greenstein’s characterization, is “a Wunderkind, a genius emerging out of the confluence of two literary streams” which “dazzles like Shakespeare with unrivaled vocabulary and a penchant for linguistic innovation.” Despite the text’s literary prestige and cultural prominence, no English translation has come close to conveying the proper sense of the original. The book has consequently been misunderstood in innumerable details and in its main themes.
 
Edward Greenstein’s new translation of Job is the culmination of decades of intensive research and painstaking philological and literary analysis, offering a major reinterpretation of this canonical text. Through his beautifully rendered translation and insightful introduction and commentary, Greenstein presents a new perspective: Job, he shows, was defiant of God until the end. The book is more about speaking truth to power than the problem of unjust suffering.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300255249
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Edward L. Greenstein is professor emeritus of Bible at Bar-Ilan University and a prolific, world-renowned scholar in many areas of biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

A Note on the Transcription of Hebrew and Other Semitic Languages xiii

A Note on (Not) Translating the Names of God xv

Introduction xvii

Job

Prologue (1:1-2:13) 3

Job's Opening Discourse (3:1-26; 4:12-21) 12

Eliphaz's First Discourse (4:1-11; 5:1-27) 19

Jobs Response to Eliphaz (6:1-7:21) 26

Bildad's First Discourse (8:1-22) 34

Job's Response to Bildad (9:1-10:22) 38

Zophar's First Discourse (11:1-20) 47

Job's Response to Zophar (12:1-14:22) 51

Eliphaz's Second Discourse (15:1-35) 64

Job's Response to Eliphaz (16:1-17:16) 70

Bildad's Second Discourse (18:1-21) 77

Job's Response to Bildad (19:1-29) 82

Zophar's Second Discourse (20:1-29) 88

Job's Response to Zophar (21:1-34) 93

Eliphaz's Third Discourse (22:1-30) 99

Job's Response to Eliphaz (23:1-24:17, 24:25) 104

A Secondary Response to Job (24:18-24) 110

Bildad's Third Discourse (25:1-26:14) 113

Job's Response to Bildad (27:1-23) 117

Job's Closing Discourse (29:1-31:40) 121

Elihu's First Discourse (32:1-33:33) 134

Elihu's Second Discourse (34:1-37) 143

Elihu's Third Discourse (35:1-16) 149

Elihu's Fourth Discourse (36:1-37:24; 28:1-28) 152

The Deity's First Discourse (38:1-39:30) 165

Job's Response to the Deity (40:1-5) 175

The Deity's Second Discourse (40:6-41:26) 177

Job's Response to the Deity (42:1-6) 184

Epilogue (42:7-17) 186

References and Select Bibliography 189

Index 201

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/08/2019

Greenstein (Essays on Biblical Method and Translation), a bible professor at Bar-Ilan University who has spent decades studying the Book of Job, shares the fruits of his labors in this excellent, accessible translation that supports his new interpretation of the famous text. Rather than portraying Job as an exemplar of patient suffering in the face of injustice, Greenstein believes this section of the Bible is “more subversive” than it’s widely believed to be. His take is that Job, to the very end, challenges God over the suffering of innocents and expresses “disdain towards the deity,” not acquiescence to a higher and unknowable power. For Greenstein, the theme of the book of Job is “the importance of proper speech—honesty in general and truth in God-talk in particular.” While some will debate some of his interpretations and translations (for example, whether Job stated at the end that he was “fed up” rather than “I abhor myself,” which is found in the King James Version), others will find the proposed new meaning stimulating. A helpful introduction lays out the basis for Greenstein’s approach, including his method of translation, and his view of the historical context of its authorship. For both scholars and general readers of the Bible, Greenstein’s novel interpretation of Job’s significance and keen analysis of the Bible’s own discussion of theodicy will be eye-opening. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

A bold new English translation”—Adam Kirsch, Wall Street Journal

“Provocative . . . intriguing . . . Taken as a work of literature in its own right, Greenstein’s translation is engaging and unusual, at times even strangely sublime.”—Nathan Goldman, Bookforum 

“[An] excellent, accessible translation . . . For both scholars and general readers of the Bible, Greenstein’s novel interpretation of Job’s significance and keen analysis of the Bible’s own discussion of theodicy will be eye-opening.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Edward L. Greenstein’s new translation of the Book of Job is a work of erudition with . . . a revolutionary twist.”—James Parker, Atlantic 

“Careful readers who want to explore the mined depths of this Hebrew work will have to make choices. Greenstein's version should be among those considered for many reasons . . . As for me, I find Greenstein's Job more appealing than the traditional Job.”—Bill Tammeus, Faith Matters blog

“[A] diligent and elegant translation”—C. Christopher Smith, Englewood Review of Books

“A major reinterpretation of one of the greatest, most challenging poems ever written . . . A beautifully rendered translation.”—John R. Barker, The Bible Today 

“Masterful”—Ed Simon, The Millions

“Greenstein provides a distilled magnum opus that should serve as an exemplar of a neglected school of thought in biblical interpretation.”—Library Journal

“Reading Greenstein’s rendering of Job is like encountering a powerful text for the first time all over again, at once familiar and fresh. . . . An invaluable resource for the study and enjoyment of the Book of Job.”—Bradley C. Gregory, Catholic Biblical Quarterly

‘’A major reinterpretation of this canonical text. Through his beautifully rendered translation and insightful introduction and commentary, Greenstein presents a new perspective. . . . In conclusion, Greenstein, through his prodigious knowledge of Job, of the Hebrew language, and of cognate languages and cultures, has challenged many previous notions about the meaning of the book.”—David Penchansky, Review of Biblical Literature

“A vibrant and flowing translation . . . a pleasure to read.”—David M. Stec, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament

“A most accomplished translation of the biblical book of Job . . . an excellent literary accomplishment, an event in the English language, that puts forward a bold and novel way of understanding Job, his God, and the message of the book of Job.”—Paul K.-K. Cho, Harvard Theological Review
 

Finalist for the Jordan Schnitzer Book Award, Bible and Rabbinics category, sponsored by The Association for Jewish Studies

Winner of the 2020 EMET Prize in the Humanities, in the area of Biblical research, sponsored by the A.M.N. Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Art, and Culture in Israel
 

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles, 2020

"Greenstein's Job offers the rarest combination of talents: a philologist's determination to hunt down the meaning of every word and a poetic delight in language and making the text sing."—James Kugel

“A masterful translation, new, bold, and often startling, by one of the great masters of this masterpiece of world literature. Greenstein's Job offers authoritative guidance to a book whose profundities and conundrums continue to challenge.”—Peter Machinist, Harvard University

“Grounded in deep literary sensitivity and decades of meticulous philological scholarship, Greenstein’s translation of Job brings us closer to the sublime text and uncompromising spirit of this great and challenging biblical book than anyone has previously done.”—Everett Fox, Clark University

“A singular achievement by one of the foremost Biblical linguists, who deftly renders the rhetorical and verbal genius of 'Job'. The translation speaks to the contemporary ear while retaining the original's sinewy structure.”—Michael Fishbane, University of Chicago

“An immense pleasure for the reader, this novel translation recreates the flavor of the ancient Hebrew poetical text in its original setting. It is perhaps the first Job translation to free itself from traditional interpretations and it reflects the author’s decades of thorough research.”—Emanuel Tov, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

From the Publisher

08/01/2019

Translating Job is a difficult affair. The current state of the text shows various additions, deletions, and transpositions. To complicate matters, the Hebrew also contains a number of words found nowhere else in the Bible or terms that are used in idiosyncratic ways. In this poetic indictment of power, Greenstein (emeritus, Bible, Bar-Ilan Univ.; Essays on Biblical Method and Translation) portrays the deity as an ancient despot unconcerned with the lot of humanity. Unlike most translations, this Job defiantly concedes nothing to the Almighty. Greenstein's Job is more reconstruction than simple translation. Splitting the difference between scholarly rigor and general accessibility, the author provides a good feel for the Hebrew rather than a dynamic equivalence into English. Extensive notes, while not overwhelming the text, provide ample justifications for various decisions. These include citing previous mistranslations, transmission errors, and some major reshuffling. For instance, Job 4:12–21 is typically seen as part of Eliphaz's first discourse. But Greenstein moves it to the conclusion of Job's opening discourse. Along with the introduction, these notes are vital to understanding the text. VERDICT This translation is a distilled magnum opus that should serve as an exemplar of a neglected school of thought in interpreting Job.—James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC

Library Journal