Job 29:5

29:5 when the Almighty ¹  was still with me

and my children were ²  around me;

Job 29:8

29:8 the young men would see me and step aside, ³ 

and the old men would get up and remain standing;

[29:5]  ¹ tn Heb “Shaddai.”

[29:5]  ² tc Some commentators suggest that עִמָּדִי (’immadi, “with me”) of the second colon of v. 6 (which is too long) belongs to the second colon of v. 5, and should be pointed as the verb עָמָדוּ (’amadu, “they stood”), meaning the boys stood around him (see, e.g., E. Dhorme, Job, 417). But as R. Gordis (Job, 319) notes, there is a purpose for the imbalance of the metric pattern at the end of a section.

[29:8]  ³ 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.