The proud beasts have not trodden it: verse 8, like verse 7, has the generic animal in line a and the specific one in line b, which is one of the poetic techniques in parallelism for heightening the poetic effect. Proud beasts translates the Hebrew “sons of pride” and is found in 41.34, which describes Leviathan or the crocodile. Proud beast is a wild or fierce beast or animal. Beast is a more poetic term in English than “animal” and in this context suggests an untamed animal. This line may be rendered “Wild animals do not go along these roads.”

The lion has not passed over it: lion translates the same word used in 4.10 and 10.16. Pope, following Mowinckel, argues for “serpent” here, and New English Bible translates “And no serpent comes that way.” Although Dhorme translates “leopard,” most translations keep lion. Because verse 8 moves from a general animal in line a to the specific one in line b, this line may be rendered “Not even the lion has passed over it.” In some languages lion must be replaced by another wild animal that prowls.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .