Job 20:4

“Surely you know ¹  that it has been from old, ever since humankind was placed ²  on the earth,

"Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since man was placed on the earth,

"Do you know this from of old, From the establishment of man on earth,

"Don’t you realize that ever since people were first placed on the earth,

"Don't you even know the basics, how things have been since the earliest days, when Adam and Eve were first placed on earth?

Have you knowledge of this from early times, when man was placed on the earth,

Do you not know this from of old, ever since mortals were placed on earth,

"Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth,

“Surely you know ¹  that it has been from old, ever since humankind was placed ²  on the earth,

¹ tn The MT has “Do you not know?” The question can be interpreted as a rhetorical question affirming that Job must know this. The question serves to express the conviction that the contents are well-known to the audience (see GKC 474 §150.e).

² tn Heb “from the putting of man on earth.” The infinitive is the object of the preposition, which is here temporal. If “man” is taken as the subjective genitive, then the verb would be given a passive translation. Here “man” is a generic, referring to “mankind” or “the human race.”