The two lines of this verse are in sharp contrast, with small in line a and great in line b. Bildad’s promise seems to overlook the fact that Job began, not with small things, but as “the greatest man in the east.” However that may be, the words are probably taken from a wise saying that assures the upright of great prosperity. His future wealth will far exceed what he has known in the past, as is seen in 42.12.

Though your beginning was small refers to Job’s past life, before his tragedy, not to the time of his birth. Small translates “trifle, little thing, something of little importance.” In Genesis 19.20 the same term is used, where Lot pleads with the destroying angels at Sodom to allow him to flee to a neighboring city, which he calls a “little one.” Your latter days will be very great: your latter days translates the Hebrew “your end,” and when applied to a person, according to Dhorme, it refers to a person’s new condition in contrast to his former state. It does not mean “at the end of your life.” Be very great translates “grow greatly.” The term is used in Psalm 92.12, where it refers to physical growth and is parallel to “flourish”: “The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” If the translator wishes to maintain the contrast of a small beginning with greatness in latter days, it may be necessary to restructure the first clause by saying, for example, “What you had before was small compared with all the wealth you will have later.”

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 .