Job 18:15

Fire resides in his tent; ¹  over his residence burning sulfur is scattered.

Fire resides in his tent; burning sulphur is scattered over his dwelling.

"There dwells in his tent nothing of his; Brimstone is scattered on his habitation.

The home of the wicked will disappear beneath a fiery barrage of burning sulfur.

Their lives go up in smoke; acid rain soaks their ruins.

In his tent will be seen that which is not his, burning stone is dropped on his house.

In their tents nothing remains; sulfur is scattered upon their habitations.

They dwell in his tent who are none of his; Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.

Fire resides in his tent; ¹  over his residence burning sulfur is scattered.

¹ tn This line is difficult as well. The verb, again a third feminine form, says “it dwells in his tent.” But the next part (מִבְּלִי לוֹ, mibbÿli lo) means something like “things of what are not his.” The best that can be made of the MT is “There shall live in his tent they that are not his” (referring to persons and animals; see J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 279). G. R. Driver and G. B. Gray (Job [ICC], 2:161) refer “that which is naught of his” to weeds and wild animals. M. Dahood suggested a reading מַבֶּל (mabbel) and a connection to Akkadian nablu, “fire” (cf. Ugaritic nbl). The interchange of m and n is not a problem, and the parallelism with the next line makes good sense (“Some Northwest Semitic words in Job,” Bib 38 [1957]: 312ff.). Others suggest an emendation to get “night-hag” or vampire. This suggestion, as well as Driver’s “mixed herbs,” are linked to the idea of exorcism. But if a change is to be made, Dahood’s is the most compelling.