Verse 34 marks the conclusion of the second round of arguments, in which Job shifts his attention back to the friends. He sums up all of their efforts to prove that he is guilty of wrong, stating that they are nothing more than empty nothings. Their mission to comfort Job has proven to be a miserable failure. The friends and their arguments are untrustworthy. Verse 34 marks not only a conclusion to the second round of speeches, but also a transition to the final round. Accordingly translators will want to watch for ways in which the concluding and transitional features may need to be marked.

Finally Job asks How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? In view of his observations and experience, the words of his comforters are lies. In 21.2 Job suggested that the consolation the friends wanted to give him would be accomplished by listening to his words. The word Job uses to describe their consolations is the Hebrew hebel “breath,” that is, “whatever is vain, worthless.” Good News Translation translates this line with two exclamations: “And you! You try to comfort me with nonsense!” This line may also be rendered, for example, “How can you hope to comfort me with your foolish words?” or “It is foolish of you to think you can help me with your nonsense.”

There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood: falsehood translates a word meaning “treachery” or “faithlessness” in regard to a person’s relation to God or to his neighbor. Here the friends are unfaithful, disloyal to the truth, which Bible en français courant translates “Your arguments are nothing more than a pretense of a reply.” New English Bible has “How false your answers ring.” This line can also be expressed “All you have said is a lie” or “There is no truth in anything you have said to me.”

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 .