^2:12But when they gazed intently⁴⁴ from a distance but did not recognize⁴⁵ him, they began to weep loudly. Each of them tore his robes, and they threw dust into the air over their heads.⁴⁶^2:13Then they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, yet no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain⁴⁷ was very great.⁴⁸

⁴⁹

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Footnotes

44 Heb “they lifted up their eyes.” The idiom “to lift up the eyes” (or “to lift up the voice”) is intended to show a special intensity in the effort. Here it would indicate that they were trying to see Job from a great distance away.
45 The Hiphil perfect here should take the nuance of potential perfect—they were not able to recognize him. In other words, this does not mean that they did not know it was Job, only that he did not look anything like the Job they knew.
46 Heb “they tossed dust skyward over their heads.”
47 The word כְּאֵב (ké’ev) means “pain”—both mental and physical pain. The translation of “grief” captures only part of its emphasis.
48 The three friends went into a more severe form of mourning, one that is usually reserved for a death. E. Dhorme says it is a display of grief in its most intense form (Job, 23); for one of them to speak before the sufferer spoke would have been wrong.
49 The previous chapters (1–2) were prose narrative, this chapter, however, commences the poetic section of the book (chs. 3–41) containing the cycles of speeches.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

When they looked from a distance, they could barely recognize him. They wept aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust into the air and on his head. Then they sat on the ground with him seven days and nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very intense.

NLTNew Living Translation

When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Thus they lifted up their eyes from afar, but they did not recognize him, so they raised their voice, and they wept, and each man tore his outer garment and threw dust on their heads toward the sky. Then they sat with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw that his suffering was very great.

KJV 1900King James Version

And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

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