richmahn_en_tn/job/17/13.md

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General Information:

Job continues to speak.

If the only home ... and if I have spread ... and if I have said

All instances of "if" here have the meaning of "since"; Job is speaking as if all these things were true. "Since the only home ... and since I have spread ... and since I have said" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo)

have spread my couch in the darkness

Here Job speaks of being prepared to die as having laid his bed in the darkness. AT: "have prepared myself to go and sleep among the dead" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

have spread my couch

"have made my bed"

I have said to the pit ... and to the worm

These two lines are a variation to each other and are used together to emphasize how desperate Job is. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism)

the pit

"the grave"

You are my father

Job speaks of the closeness he will soon have with his grave by comparing it to the closeness a man has with his father. AT: "You are as close to me as my father" or "When I am buried, you will be as close to me as a father" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

the worm

"the maggot." Worms are the small creatures that eat dead bodies.

You are my mother or my sister

Job speaks of the closeness he will soon have with the worms in his grave by comparing it to the closeness a man has with his mother and sisters. AT: "You are as close to me as my mother or my sister" or "You will be as close to me as a mother or sister" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

where then is my hope?

The implicit answer is "nowhere," because he has no hope. This rhetorical question can be written as a statement. AT: "I have no hope." (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion)

As for my hope, who can see any?

This rhetorical question is used to emphasize that that no one expects him to have any hope. This question can be written as a statement. AT: "No one can see any hope for me." or "No one expects me to have any more hope." (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion)

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