Discovery BoxJob 29:8 
Context29:8 the young men would see me and step aside, 1
and the old men would get up and remain standing;
Job 38:3
Context38:3 Get ready for a difficult task 2 like a man;
I will question you
and you will inform me!
Job 40:7
Context40:7 “Get ready for a difficult task 3 like a man.
I will question you and you will inform me!
1 tn The verb means “to hide; to withdraw.” The young men out of respect would withdraw or yield the place of leadership to Job (thus the translation “step aside”). The old men would rise and remain standing until Job took his seat – a sign of respect.
2 tn Heb “Gird up your loins.” This idiom basically describes taking the hem of the long garment or robe and pulling it up between the legs and tucking it into the front of the belt, allowing easier and freer movement of the legs. “Girding the loins” meant the preparation for some difficult task (Jer 1:17), or for battle (Isa 5:27), or for running (1 Kgs 18:46). C. Gordon suggests that it includes belt-wrestling, a form of hand-to-hand mortal combat (“Belt-wrestling in the Bible World,” HUCA 23 [1950/51]: 136).
