King James Version
Job 30
31 verses with commentary
Job Continues: But Now They Mock Me
But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock. younger: Heb. of fewer days than I
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KJV Study Commentary
Job's contrast: 'But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.' The social reversal is complete - those Job once scorned now mock him. Suffering inverts social order.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXX.
(1) **Whose fathers I would have disdained.**—Rather, *whose fathers I disdained to set. *The complaint is that the children of those who were so inferior to him should treat him thus.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-6. Dost Thou see as feebly as man? that is, with the same uncharitable eye, as, for instance, Job's friends? Is Thy time as short? Impossible! Yet one might think, from the rapid succession of Thy strokes, that Thou hadst no time to spare in overwhelming me.
Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me</strong> (גַּם־כֹּחַ יְדֵיהֶם לָמָּה לִּי)—Job describes outcasts so degraded that even their labor (כֹּחַ, koach, strength) was worthless. The rhetorical question expresses contempt. <strong>In whom old age was perished</strong> (עָלֵימוֹ אָבַד כָּלַח)—The <em>kalach</em> (כָּלַח, vigor of old age, ripeness) had 'perished' (אָבַד, a...
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(2) **Whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, **is the description of the fathers; Job 30:3 *seqq. *describes their children. The people here spoken of seem to have been somewhat similar to those known to the ancients as Troglodytes (Herod. iv. 183, &c.), the inhabitants of caves, who lived an outcast life and had manners and customs of their own. They are desolate with want and famin...
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7. "Although Thou (the Omniscient) knowest," &c. (connected with Job 10:6), "Thou searchest after my sin."
**and ... that none that can deliver out of thine hand--**Therefore Thou hast no need to deal with me with the rapid violence which man would use (see Job 10:6).
For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste. solitary: or, dark as the night in: Heb. yesternight
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For want and famine they were solitary</strong> (בְּחֶסֶר וּבְכָפָן גַּלְמוּד)—The triple Hebrew nouns intensify their desperate condition: <em>cheser</em> (חֶסֶר, lack/want), <em>kafan</em> (כָפָן, famine/hunger), and <em>galmud</em> (גַּלְמוּד, desolate/solitary). The word <em>galmud</em> conveys barrenness and abandonment. <strong>Fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and ...
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**8. Made--**with pains; implying a work of difficulty and art; applying to God language applicable only to man.
**together round about--**implying that the human body is a complete unity, the parts of which on all sides will bear the closest scrutiny.
Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Who cut up mallows by the bushes</strong> (הַקֹּטְפִים מַלּוּחַ עֲלֵי־שִׂיחַ)—The participle describes ongoing action: 'plucking' (קֹּטְפִים, qotfim) <em>maluach</em> (מַלּוּחַ, saltbush or orache), a bitter shrub eaten only in desperate hunger. These grew among <em>siach</em> (שִׂיחַ, bushes/scrub). <strong>And juniper roots for their meat</strong> (וְשֹׁרֶשׁ רְתָמִים לַחְמָם)—The roots o...
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**9. clay--**Job 10:10 proves that the reference here is, not so much to the perishable nature of the materials, as to their wonderful fashioning by the divine potter.
They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They were driven forth from among men</strong> (מִן־הַגֵּו יְגֹרָשׁוּ)—The verb גָרַשׁ (garash) means to expel violently, used of Adam's expulsion from Eden (Genesis 3:24) and Israel's enemies from Canaan. This is forced exile, not voluntary withdrawal. <strong>(They cried after them as after a thief;)</strong> (יָרִיעוּ עֲלֵימוֹ כַּגַּנָּב)—The community 'shouted' (יָרִיעוּ, yariu, raised...
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10. In the organization of the body from its rude commencements, the original liquid gradually assumes a more solid consistency, like milk curdling into cheese (Psa 139:15, 16). Science reveals that the chyle circulated by the lacteal vessels is the supply to every organ.
To dwell in the clifts of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks. caves: Heb. holes
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>To dwell in the clifts of the valleys</strong> (בַּעֲרוּץ נְחָלִים לִשְׁכֹּן)—The verb שָׁכַן (shakan, to dwell/settle) ironically describes non-settlement—living in <em>arutz</em> (עֲרוּץ, gorges/ravines), dry stream beds (נְחָלִים, nechalim) that become death traps in flash floods. <strong>In caves of the earth, and in the rocks</strong> (חֹרֵי עָפָר וְכֵפִים)—They shelter in <em>chorei<...
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**11. fenced--**or "inlaid" (Psa 139:15); "curiously wrought" [Umbreit]. In the foetus the skin appears first, then the flesh, then the harder parts.
Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Among the bushes they brayed</strong> (בֵּין־שִׂיחִים יִנְהָקוּ)—The verb נָהַק (nahaq) means to 'bray like a donkey'—these humans make animal sounds rather than articulate speech. This occurs 'among bushes' (שִׂיחִים, sichim), the scrubland habitat of wild beasts. <strong>Under the nettles they were gathered together</strong> (תַּחַת חָרוּל יְסֻפָּחוּ)—The verb סָפַח (safach, gathered/hud...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Among the bushes they brayed.**—Herodotus says their language was like the screeching of bats, others say it was like the whistling of birds. This whole description is of the mockers of Job, and therefore should be in the present tense in Job 30:5; Job 30:7-8, as it may be in the Authorised Version of Job 30:4.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. visitation--**Thy watchful Providence.
**spirit--**breath.
They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth. base: Heb. men of no name
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They were children of fools, yea, children of base men</strong> (בְּנֵי־נָבָל גַּם־בְּנֵי בְלִי־שֵׁם)—Job describes his mockers' ancestry using devastating Hebrew terms. <em>Nabal</em> (נָבָל) means not merely foolish but morally degenerate, the same word describing the churlish Nabal in 1 Samuel 25. <em>Beli-shem</em> (בְלִי־שֵׁם) literally means 'without name'—men of no reputation, namel...
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(8) **They were viler than the earth.**—Rather, *They are scourged out of the land, *or *are outcasts from the land.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. is with thee--**was Thy purpose. All God's dealings with Job in his creation, preservation, and present afflictions were part of His secret counsel (Psa 139:16; Ac 15:18; Ec 3:11).
And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And now am I their song</strong> (וְעַתָּה הָיִיתִי נְגִינָתָם)—The Hebrew <em>neginah</em> (נְגִינָה) means a mocking song or taunt, used of enemies' ridicule in Lamentations 3:14, 63. Job has become street entertainment, the subject of satirical ballads. <strong>I am their byword</strong> (אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לְמִלָּה)—<em>Millah</em> (מִלָּה) means proverb or byword, suggesting Job's name has...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **And now am I their song.**—See the references in the margin, which show that it is quite appropriate to give to the complaints of Job a Messianic interpretation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
14-15. Job is perplexed because God "marks" every sin of his with such ceaseless rigor. Whether "wicked" (godless and a hypocrite) or "righteous" (comparatively sincere), God condemns and punishes alike.
They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face. and: Heb. and withhold not spittle from
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They abhor me</strong> (תִּעֲבוּנִי)—The Hebrew <em>ta'av</em> (תָּעַב) expresses visceral disgust, ritual uncleanness, the same term for abominations God hates. Former admirers now treat Job as contaminated. <strong>They flee far from me</strong> (רָחֲקוּ מִמֶּנִּי)—Physical distance accompanies emotional rejection; they won't risk proximity to one cursed. This isolates Job completely—the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
14-15. Job is perplexed because God "marks" every sin of his with such ceaseless rigor. Whether "wicked" (godless and a hypocrite) or "righteous" (comparatively sincere), God condemns and punishes alike.
Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Because he hath loosed my cord</strong> (כִּי־יִתְרִי פִתַּח)—The Hebrew <em>yether</em> (יֶתֶר) means tent cord or bowstring, either image suggesting structural collapse. God has loosened what held Job's life taut and functional—the tent of his prosperity has collapsed, or his strength is unbent like a slack bow. The verb <em>pitach</em> (פָּתַח) means to open, loose, or untie. Job recogn...
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(11) **Because he hath loosed my cord.**—Better, *his: i.e.*, “God hath loosed the cord of his bow and they have cast off all restraint before me.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. increaseth--**rather, "(if) I lift up (my head) Thou wouldest hunt me," &c. [Umbreit].
**and again--**as if a lion should not kill his prey at once, but come back and torture it again.
Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Upon my right hand rise the youth</strong> (עַל־יָמִין פִּרְחַח יָקוּמוּ)—The <em>pirchach</em> (פִּרְחַח) are young shoots, immature men, mere boys. The right hand was the place of honor and authority (Psalm 110:1)—but these upstarts dare rise against Job's authority. The verb <em>qum</em> (קוּם) means to stand up, rise in opposition, or make legal accusation. Youth who should defer to Jo...
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(12) **The youth**—*i.e.*, the young brood, rabble.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. witnesses--**His accumulated trials were like a succession of witnesses brought up in proof of his guilt, to wear out the accused.
**changes and war--**rather, "(thou settest in array) against me host after host" (literally, "changes and a host," that is, a succession of hosts); namely, his afflictions, and then reproach upon reproach from his friends.
They mar my path, they set forward my calamity , they have no helper.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They mar my path</strong> (נָתְסוּ נְתִיבָתִי)—The verb <em>nathats</em> (נָתַץ) means to tear down, break down, or destroy; <em>netivah</em> (נְתִיבָה) means pathway or track. Job's enemies don't just block his way—they demolish the road entirely, ensuring no escape or recovery. This continues the military siege metaphor: cutting off all supply lines and escape routes.<br><br><strong>They...
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(13) **They have no helper**—*i.e.,* probably without deriving therefrom any help or advantage themselves.
They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters</strong> (כְּפֶרֶץ רָחָב יֶאֱתָיוּ)—<em>Perets</em> (פֶּרֶץ) means a breach or break, particularly in city walls or dams; <em>rachav</em> (רָחָב) means wide or broad. Job likens his attackers to flood waters bursting through a broken dam—unstoppable, overwhelming, destructive. The verb <em>athah</em> (אָתָה) means to come, arrive, or advanc...
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(14) **As a wide breaking in of waters.**—Or, *as through a wide breach they come. *“In the midst of the crash they roll themselves upon me;” or, “instead of **a **tempest” (***i.e., ***like a tempest) “they roll themselves upon me.”
Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud. my soul: Heb. my principal one
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Terrors are turned upon me</strong> (הָפַךְ עָלַי בַּלָּהוֹת)—The verb <em>haphak</em> (הָפַךְ) means to turn, overturn, or transform; <em>ballahot</em> (בַּלָּהוֹת) means terrors, sudden frights, or things that cause dismay. What Job once knew as blessing has been turned into horror. The same hand that gave has taken (1:21), but the psychological effect is terrifying uncertainty—if God ca...
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(15) **They pursue**—*i.e.*, “the terrors chase or pursue
my honour:” *i.e.*, *my soul;* or it may be, “Thou (*i.e.,* God) chasest.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
20. But, since I was destined from my birth to these ills, at least give me a little breathing time during the few days left me (Job 9:34; 13:21; Psa 39:13).
And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And now my soul is poured out upon me</strong> (וְעַתָּה עָלַי תִּשְׁתַּפֵּךְ נַפְשִׁי)—The verb <em>shapak</em> (שָׁפַךְ) means to pour out, spill, or shed—the same word for pouring out drink offerings or shedding blood. <em>Nephesh</em> (נֶפֶשׁ) means soul, life, or inner being. Job's very self is liquefying, poured out like water. Hannah prayed 'I have poured out my soul before the LORD...
Read full commentary →My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My bones are pierced in me in the night season</strong> (לַיְלָה עֲצָמַי נִקַּר מֵעָלָי)—The verb <em>naqar</em> (נָקַר) means to pierce, bore through, or dig out; <em>atsam</em> (עֶצֶם) means bones, the body's structural framework. Job's skeletal system—what gives him shape and support—is being hollowed out, pierced through. Night intensifies suffering when darkness amplifies pain and pre...
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22. The ideas of order and light, disorder and darkness, harmonize (Ge 1:2). Three Hebrew words are used for darkness; in Job 10:21 (1) the common word "darkness"; here (2) "a land of gloom" (from a Hebrew root, "to cover up"); (3) as "thick darkness" or blackness (from a root, expressing sunset). "Where the light thereof is like blackness." Its only sunshine is thick darkness. A bold figure of po...
Read full commentary →By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>By the great force of my disease is my garment changed</strong> (בְּרָב־כֹּחַ יִתְחַפֵּשׂ לְבוּשִׁי)—The phrase <em>rav-koach</em> (רָב־כֹּחַ) means great force or violence; <em>chaphash</em> (חָפַשׂ) means to disguise, change, or search for; <em>levush</em> (לְבוּשׁ) means garment or clothing. Job's disease has so disfigured him that his very clothing no longer fits—swelling, lesions, or ...
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(18) **My garment changed.**—Some render “By His (*i.e.,* God’s) great power the garment (of my skin) is disfigured;” and others, “With great effort must my garment be changed because of the sores to which it clings? It bindeth me about as closely as the collar of my coat.”
He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job laments his condition: "He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes." The verb <em>yarah</em> (יָרָה, "cast") means to throw or hurl forcefully. The noun <em>chomer</em> (חֹמֶר, "mire") denotes clay or mud. Job describes himself as reduced to "dust and ashes" (<em>aphar va'epher</em>, עָפָר וָאֵפֶר)—the very phrase he'll use confessing human frailty before God (42:6). Fr...
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(19) **He hath cast me into the mire.**—He now turns more directly to God, having in Job 30:16 turned from man to his own condition—*dust and ashes. *This latter phrase is used but three times in Scripture: twice by Job (here and Job 42:6), and once by Abraham (Genesis 18:27).
I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job addresses God: 'I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.' This describes prayer's apparent futility - crying without answer, standing without divine regard. The silence of heaven intensifies suffering.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Thou regardest me not.**—The Authorised Version understands that the negative of the first clause must be supplied in the second, as is the case in Psalm 9:18 : “The needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall *not *perish for ever.” Others understand it, “I stand up (*i.e.*, to pray) in the attitude of prayer, and Thou lookest at me,” *i.e.*, and doest no more wi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 11
FIRST SERIES.
Job 11:1-20. First Speech of Zophar.
2. Zophar assails Job for his empty words, and indirectly, the two friends, for their weak reply. Taciturnity is highly prized among Orientals (Pr 10:8, 19).
Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me. become: Heb. turned to be cruel thy: Heb. the strength of thy hand
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou art become cruel to me</strong> (נֶהְפַּכְתָּ לְאַכְזָר לִי, nehpakhta le-akhzar li)—The verb <em>haphak</em> (הָפַךְ) means 'to turn' or 'transform,' suggesting God has reversed His character toward Job. The adjective <em>akhzar</em> (אַכְזָר) means 'cruel' or 'fierce,' language startling in its directness. Job perceives divine hostility where he once knew tenderness.<br><br><strong>...
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**3. lies--**rather, "vain boasting" (Is 16:6; Jr 48:30). The "men" is emphatic; men of sense; in antithesis to "vain boasting."
**mockest--**upbraidest God by complaints, "shall no man make thee ashamed?"
Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance . substance: or, wisdom
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou liftest me up to the wind</strong> (תִּשָּׂאֵנִי אֶל־רוּחַ, tissaeini el-ruach)—The verb <em>nasa</em> (נָשָׂא) means 'to lift, carry, or raise up.' Job describes being caught in a divine whirlwind, suspended helplessly in forces beyond control. <strong>Thou causest me to ride upon it</strong> (תַּרְכִּיבֵנִי, tarkiveini)—from <em>rakav</em> (רָכַב), 'to mount' or 'ride,' but with vio...
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(22) **Thou liftest me up to the wind.**—Some render this verse, “Thou liftest me up to the wind, and causest me to ride upon it; Thou dissolvest me in thy blast;” others understand him to express the contrast between his former prosperous state and his present low condition: “Thou usedst to raise me and make me ride upon the wind, and now Thou dissolvest my substance, my very being.” (Comp. Psalm...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. doctrine--**purposely used of Job's speeches, which sounded like lessons of doctrine (De 32:2; Pr 4:2).
**thine--**addressed to God. Job had maintained his sincerity against his friends suspicions, not faultlessness.
For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job acknowledges death's certainty: "For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living." The verb <em>yada</em> (יָדַע, "know") expresses certainty, not mere opinion. The phrase "house appointed" (<em>bet mo'ed</em>, בֵּית מוֹעֵד) means the designated meeting place—Sheol, the grave. The universal scope ("for all living") democratizes death: rich and poor, right...
Read full commentary →Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction. grave: Heb. heap
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave</strong>—This verse presents textual difficulties; the Hebrew is obscure. One reading: 'Yet does He not stretch out a hand in a disaster when one cries in His destruction?' The term <em>be-i</em> (בְּעִי) can mean 'ruin' or 'disaster.' Job may be suggesting that even in calamity (<em>pid</em>, פִּיד), God doesn't extend help when the af...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Though they cry in his destruction.**—This is a very obscure verse. Some render it, “Surely against a ruinous heap he will not put forth his hand; though it be in his destruction *one may utter *a cry because of these things.” Others, understanding the word rendered “ruinous heap” otherwise, render “Howbeit, God will not put forth His hand to bring man to death and the grave when there is e...
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**6. to that which is!--**Rather, "they are double to [man's] wisdom" [Michaelis]. So the Hebrew is rendered (Pr 2:7). God's ways, which you arraign, if you were shown their secret wisdom, would be seen vastly to exceed that of men, including yours (1Co 1:25).
**exacteth--**Rather, "God consigns to oblivion in thy favor much of thy guilt."
Did not I weep for him that was in trouble ? was not my soul grieved for the poor? in trouble: Heb. hard of day?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Did not I weep for him that was in trouble?</strong> (הֲלֹא־בָכִיתִי לִקְשֵׁה־יוֹם, halo-vakhiti liqsheh-yom)—The verb <em>bakah</em> (בָּכָה) means 'to weep' or 'lament.' <em>Qasheh-yom</em> (קְשֵׁה־יוֹם) literally means 'hard of day,' referring to one experiencing difficult times. Job appeals to his track record of compassion, having wept with the afflicted.<br><br><strong>Was not my sou...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **Did not I weep for him?**—Job declares that he has not withheld that sympathy with sorrow and suffering for which he himself has asked in vain.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. Rather, "Penetrate to the perfections of the Almighty" (Job 9:10; Psa 139:6).
When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job's disappointed expectation: 'When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.' This captures the inversion of expected blessing. Righteous behavior should bring reward, but Job experiences the opposite.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **When I looked for good.**—Before, in Job 3:25-26, he had spoken as one who did not wish to be the *fool *of prosperity, and so overtaken unawares by calamity, and who therefore looked at things on the darker side; now he speaks as one who hoped for the best, and yet, notwithstanding that hope, was disappointed and deceived.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. It--**the "wisdom" of God (Job 11:6). The abruptness of the Hebrew is forcible: "The heights of heaven! What canst thou do" (as to attaining to them with thy gaze, Psa 139:8)?
**know--**namely, of His perfections.
My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My bowels boiled, and rested not</strong> (מֵעַי רֻתְּחוּ וְלֹא־דָמּוּ, <em>me'ay rutachu velo-dammu</em>)—The noun <em>me'im</em> (מֵעִים, bowels/intestines) represents the seat of emotions in Hebrew anthropology. The verb <em>ratach</em> (רָתַח) means "to boil, seethe" (Ezekiel 24:5), conveying intense inner turmoil. The negative <em>lo dammu</em> ("did not rest") uses <em>damah</em> (דָ...
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(27) **My bowels boiled.**—The sense is better expressed by the present, “My bowels boil, and rest not. Days of affliction have overtaken me unawares.” (See last verse.)
I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I went mourning without the sun</strong> (קֹדֵר הִלַּכְתִּי בְּלֹא חַמָּה, <em>qoder hilakhti belo chammah</em>)—The adjective <em>qoder</em> (קֹדֵר) means "dark, blackened, mourning" (used of sackcloth in Psalm 35:14). The phrase "without the sun" means not from solar deprivation but inner darkness—mourning unrelated to external circumstances. The verb <em>halakh</em> (הָלַךְ, "to walk") ...
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(28) **I went mourning without the sun.**—Rather, *I go mourning without the sun; *or, according to some, “blackened, but not by the sun.” We give the preference to the other.
**I stood up, and I cried in the congregation**—*i.e., *not merely in secret, but in the face of all men.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. cut off--**Rather, as in Job 9:11, "pass over," as a storm; namely, rush upon in anger.
**shut up--**in prison, with a view to trial.
**gather together--**the parties for judgment: hold a judicial assembly; to pass sentence on the prisoners.
I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls . owls: or, ostriches
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I am a brother to dragons</strong> (אָח הָיִיתִי לְתַנִּים, <em>ach hayiti le-tannim</em>)—The noun <em>tannim</em> (תַּנִּים) likely refers to jackals (so ESV, NIV), desert scavengers, though some interpret as sea dragons/serpents. The word <em>ach</em> (אָח, brother) indicates kinship or companionship. Job identifies with wild, mournful creatures of desolate places. The phrase <strong>co...
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(29) **Dragons **and **owls **are, according to some moderns, *jackals *and *ostriches.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11. (Psa 94:11).
**consider--**so as to punish it. Rather, from the connection, Job 11:6, "He seeth wickedness also, which man does not perceive"; literally, "But no (other, save He) perceiveth it" [Umbreit]. God's "wisdom" (Job 11:6), detects sin where Job's human eye cannot reach (Job 11:8), so as to see any.
My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My skin is black upon me</strong> (עוֹרִי שָׁחַר מֵעָלָי, <em>ori shachar me'alay</em>)—The verb <em>shachar</em> (שָׁחַר) means "to be or become black," likely from disease, sunburn, or mourning (Lamentations 4:8, 5:10). Job's physical appearance reflects internal suffering. The phrase <strong>my bones are burned with heat</strong> (וְעַצְמִי־חָרָה מִנִּי־חֹרֶב) uses <em>charah</em> (חָרָ...
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**12. vain--**hollow.
**would be--**"wants to consider himself wise"; opposed to God's "wisdom" (see on Job 11:11); refuses to see sin, where God sees it (Ro 1:22).
**wild ass's colt--**a proverb for untamed wildness (Job 39:5, 8; Jr 2:24; Ge 16:12; Hebrew, "a wild-ass man"). Man wishes to appear wisely obedient to his Lord, whereas he is, from his birth, unsubdued in spirit.
My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My harp also is turned to mourning</strong> (וַתְּהִי לְאֵבֶל כִּנֹּרִי, <em>vatehi le-evel kinnori</em>)—The noun <em>kinnor</em> (כִּנּוֹר) is a stringed instrument, symbol of joy and celebration (Genesis 4:21, Psalm 33:2). The noun <em>evel</em> (אֵבֶל) means mourning, grief. Job's music, once joyful, now laments. The phrase <strong>my organ into the voice of them that weep</strong> (וְ...
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(31) **My harp also is turned to mourning.**—Or, *Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of them that weep. *The musical instruments here named, like those of Genesis 4:21, are respectively the stringed and wind instruments.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. The apodosis to the "If" is at Job 11:15. The preparation of the heart is to be obtained (Pr 16:1) by stretching out the hands in prayer for it (Psa 10:17; 1Ch 29:18).