richmahn_en_tn/job/33/18.md

# God keeps man's life back from the pit ... his life from crossing over to death

Both of these statements mean the same thing. Alternate translation: "God saves people from the grave and from death" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])

# the pit

The place where people go when they die is referred to here as "the pit." Alternate translation: "the place where dead people are" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# man's life back ... his life

This is an idiom. Alternate translation: "man from dying and ... he keeps him" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])

# from crossing over to death

Here "death" represents the place where people go when they die, that is, sheol. Alternate translation: "from going to sheol" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])