The Wisdom Books: Job, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes translation, By Robert Alter
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After Genesis, Moses and Psalms, Alter tackles hard-core Old Testament in supple prose: "And to me came a word in secret, And my ear caught a tag-end of it."
Job's rebuke of his "comforters", Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, varies between plain-spoken ("wretched consolers are you all") and vivid metaphor: "like cheese you curdled me".
Alter's excellent footnotes point out problems such as "four different Hebrew terms for gold" that emerge as "fine gold" and "pure gold" etc.
It may be blasphemy in the 400th year of the King James Bible - but this Californian professor brings Job's ancient bickering more vividly to life.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments