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Texts -- Job 30:1-31 (NET)

Context
Job’s Present Misery
30:1 “But now they mock me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I disdained too much to put with my sheep dogs . 30:2 Moreover , the strength of their hands – what use was it to me? Men whose strength had perished ; 30:3 gaunt with want and hunger , they would gnaw the parched land , in former time desolate and waste . 30:4 By the brush they would gather herbs from the salt marshes , and the root of the broom tree was their food . 30:5 They were banished from the community – people shouted at them like they would shout at thieves – 30:6 so that they had to live in the dry stream beds , in the holes of the ground , and among the rocks . 30:7 They brayed like animals among the bushes and were huddled together under the nettles . 30:8 Sons of senseless and nameless people , they were driven out of the land with whips.
Job’s Indignities
30:9 “And now I have become their taunt song ; I have become a byword among them . 30:10 They detest me and maintain their distance ; they do not hesitate to spit in my face . 30:11 Because God has untied my tent cord and afflicted me, people throw off all restraint in my presence . 30:12 On my right the young rabble rise up ; they drive me from place to place , and build up siege ramps against me. 30:13 They destroy my path ; they succeed in destroying me without anyone assisting them. 30:14 They come in as through a wide breach ; amid the crash they come rolling in. 30:15 Terrors are turned loose on me; they drive away my honor like the wind , and like a cloud my deliverance has passed away .
Job’s Despondency
30:16 “And now my soul pours itself out within me; days of suffering take hold of me. 30:17 Night pierces my bones ; my gnawing pains never cease . 30:18 With great power God grasps my clothing ; he binds me like the collar of my tunic . 30:19 He has flung me into the mud , and I have come to resemble dust and ashes . 30:20 I cry out to you, but you do not answer me; I stand up, and you only look at me. 30:21 You have become cruel to me; with the strength of your hand you attack me. 30:22 You pick me up on the wind and make me ride on it; you toss me about in the storm . 30:23 I know that you are bringing me to death , to the meeting place for all the living .
The Contrast With the Past
30:24 “Surely one does not stretch out his hand against a broken man when he cries for help in his distress . 30:25 Have I not wept for the unfortunate ? Was not my soul grieved for the poor ? 30:26 But when I hoped for good , trouble came; when I expected light , then darkness came . 30:27 My heart is in turmoil unceasingly ; the days of my affliction confront me. 30:28 I go about blackened , but not by the sun ; in the assembly I stand up and cry for help . 30:29 I have become a brother to jackals and a companion of ostriches . 30:30 My skin has turned dark on me; my body is hot with fever . 30:31 My harp is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Job

    [nave] JOB 1. A man who dwelt in Uz, Job 1:1. Righteousness of, Job 1:1, 5, 8; 2:3; Ezek. 14:14, 20. Riches of, Job 1:3. Trial of, by affliction of Satan, Job 1:13-19; 2:7-10. Fortitude of, Job 1:20-22; 2:10; Jas. 5:11. Visite...

  • Complaint

    [nave] COMPLAINT of Israelites against Moses, Ex. 5:21; 15:24; 16:2, 3; Num. 16:2, 3, 13, 14, 41; 20:2-4. Against God Ex. 5:22, 23; Ex. 16:8, 12; Num. 14:26-37 Num. 17:10, 11. Job 15:11-13; Job 33:12, 13; Job 34:37; Psa. 37:1; Ps...

  • JOB, BOOK OF

    [isbe] JOB, BOOK OF - || I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Place in the Canon 2. Rank and Readers II. THE LITERARY FRAMEWORK 1. Setting of Time, Place and Scene 2. Characters and Personality 3. Form and Style III. THE COURSE OF THE STORY A) To Jo...

  • Persecution

    [nave] PERSECUTION See also Intolerance; Bigotry. Of Jesus Gen. 3:15; Psa. 2:1-5; Psa. 22:1, 2, 6-8, 11-21; Psa. 69:7-9, 20, 21, 26 vs. 1-21.; Psa. 109:25; Isa. 49:7; Isa. 50:6; Isa. 52:14; Isa. 53:2-5, 7-10; Mic. 5:1; Matt. 2:13...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

  • Juniper

    [ebd] (Heb. rothem), called by the Arabs retem, and known as Spanish broom; ranked under the genus genista. It is a desert shrub, and abounds in many parts of Palestine. In the account of his journey from Akabah to Jerusalem, Dr. ...
    [isbe] JUNIPER - joo'-ni-per (rothem; rhathmen, 1 Ki 19:4 f, margin "broom"; Ps 120:4, m "broom"; Job 30:4 translated "broom"): This is quite certainly the Arabic ratam (Retama retem, Natural Order, Leguminosae), a variety of broom...
    [smith] (1 Kings 19:4,5; Job 30:4; Psalms 120:4) a sort of broom, Genista monosperma, G. raetam of Forskal, answering to the Arabic rethem . It is very abundant in the desert of Sinai, and affords shade and protection, in both hea...
    [nave] JUNIPER, a tree, 1 Kin. 19:4, 5; Job 30:4; Psa. 120:4.

  • Dog

    [ebd] frequently mentioned both in the Old and New Testaments. Dogs were used by the Hebrews as a watch for their houses (Isa. 56:10), and for guarding their flocks (Job 30:1). There were also then as now troops of semi-wild dogs ...
    [isbe] DOG - kelebh; (compare Arabic kelb, "dog"); kuon; and diminutive kunarion): References to the dog, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, are usually of a contemptuous character. A dog, and especially a dead dog...
    [smith] an animal frequently mentioned in Scripture. It was used by the hebrews as a watch for their houses, (Isaiah 56:10) and for guarding their flocks. (Job 30:1) Then also, as now troops of hungry and semi-wild dogs used to wande...
    [nave] DOG Price of, not to be brought into the sanctuary, Deut. 23:18. Shepherd dogs, Job 30:1. Habits of: Licking blood, 1 Kin. 21:19; 22:38; licking sores, Luke 16:21; returns to his vomit, Prov. 26:11; 2 Pet. 2:22; lapping of...

  • CRY, CRYING

    [isbe] CRY, CRYING - kri'-ing (zaaq, tsa`aq (and forms), qara', shawa`, rinnah; boao, krazo, phoneo): Various words are translated "cry," "crying," etc., the chief of which are those above given; za'aq and tsa`aq denote especially ...

  • Owl

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. bath-haya'anah, "daughter of greediness" or of "shouting." In the list of unclean birds (Lev. 11:16; Deut. 14:15); also mentioned in Job 30:29; Isa. 13:21; 34:13; 43:20; Jer. 50:39; Micah 1:8. In all these passages...
    [smith] A number of species of the owl are mentioned in the Bible, (Leviticus 11:17; 14:16; Isaiah 14:23; 34:15; Zephaniah 2:14) and in several other places the same Hebrew word is used where it is translated ostrich. (Job 30:29; Jer...
    [nave] OWL, a carnivorous bird. Unclean, Lev. 11:16, 17; Deut. 14:15, 16; Job 30:29; Isa. 13:21; 34:11, 13; 43:20; Jer. 50:39; Mic. 1:8.

  • Music

    [isbe] MUSIC - mu'-zik: I. IMPORTANCE 1. The Sole Art Cultivated 2. A Wide Vocabulary of Musical Terms 3. Place in Social and Personal Life 4. Universal Language of Emotions 5. Use in Divine Service 6. Part at Religious Reformation...
    [nave] MUSIC Teachers of, 1 Chr. 15:22; 25:7, 8; 2 Chr. 23:13. Physical effect of, on people, 1 Sam. 16:15, 16, 23. Discoursed during the offering of sacrifices, 2 Chr. 29:27, 28. Precentor, Neh. 12:42. Chief musician, Neh. 12:...

  • CLOUD

    [ebd] The Hebrew so rendered means "a covering," because clouds cover the sky. The word is used as a symbol of the Divine presence, as indicating the splendour of that glory which it conceals (Ex. 16:10; 33:9; Num. 11:25; 12:5; Jo...
    [isbe] CLOUD - kloud (`anan, `abh; nephele, nephos): I. Clouds in Palestine. In the Bible few references are found of particular clouds or of clouds in connection with the phenomena of the weather conditions. The weather in Palesti...
    [smith] The shelter given, and refreshment of rain promised, by clouds give them their peculiar prominence in Oriental imagery. When a cloud appears rain is ordinarily apprehended, and thus the "cloud without rain" becomes a proverb ...

  • Shepherd

    [isbe] SHEPHERD - shep'-erd (ro`eh, ro`i; poimen, "a feeder"): The sheep owner frequently tends the flocks himself (Gen 4:4; 30:40; compare Ezek 34:12), but more often he delegates the work to his children (Gen 29:9; 1 Sam 16:19; 1...
    [smith] In a nomadic state of society every man, from the sheikh down to the slave, is more or less a shepherd. The progenitors of the Jews in the patriarchal age were nomads, and their history is rich in scenes of pastoral life. The...
    [nave] SHEPHERD One who cares for flocks, Gen. 31:38-40; Psa. 78:52, 53; Jer. 31:10; Amos 3:12; Luke 2:8. David the, defends his flock against a lion and a bear, 1 Sam. 17:34, 35. Causes the flock to rest, Psa. 23:2; Song 1:7; Je...

  • DRAGON

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. tannim, plural of tan. The name of some unknown creature inhabiting desert places and ruins (Job 30:29; Ps. 44:19; Isa. 13:22; 34:13; 43:20; Jer. 10:22; Micah 1:8; Mal. 1:3); probably, as translated in the Revised ...
    [isbe] DRAGON - drag'-un (tannin, plural tannim, tannoth; drakon): Tannin and the plural tanninim occur 14 t, and in English Versions of the Bible are variously rendered "dragon," "whale," "serpent" or "sea-monster"; but Lam 4:3, t...
    [smith] The translators of the Authorized Version, apparently following the Vulgate, have rendered by the same word "dragon" the two Hebrew words tan and tannin , which appear to be quite distinct in meaning. The former is used, alw...

  • Mallows

    [ebd] occurs only in Job 30:4 (R.V., "saltwort"). The word so rendered (malluah, from melah, "salt") most probably denotes the Atriplex halimus of Linnaeus, a species of sea purslane found on the shores of the Dead Sea, as also of...
    [smith] (Job 30:4)
    [nave] MALLOWS, a plant, Job 30:4.

  • Nettles

    [isbe] NETTLES - net'-'lz: (1) charul, (Job 30:7; Prov 24:31; Zeph 2:9 margin, in all, "wild vetches"); the translation "nettles" is due to the supposed derivations of charul from an (obsolete) charal, meaning "to be sharp" or "sti...
    [nave] NETTLES, an obnoxious plant, Prov. 24:31; Isa. 34:13. Figurative Job 30:7; Hos. 9:6; Zeph. 2:9. See: Briers.

  • BUSH

    [isbe] BUSH - boosh: (1) (ceneh, Ex 3:2-4; Dt 33:16; batos, Mk 12:26; Lk 6:44, "bramble bush"; 20:37; Acts 7:30,35. All the Old Testament references and the New Testament references, except Lk 6:44, are to the same "bush," namely, ...

  • OSTRICH

    [isbe] OSTRICH - os'-trich (ya`anah; strouthos; Latin Struthio camelus): The largest bird now living. The Hebrew words ya`anah, which means "greediness," and bath ha-ya`anah, "daughter of greediness," are made to refer to the indis...
    [smith] a large bird, native of African and Arabia, nearly ten feet high, having s long neck and short wings. It seeks retired places, (Job 30:29; Lamentations 4:13) and has a peculiar mournful cry that is sometimes mistaken by the A...

  • Doubting

    [nave] DOUBTING. Job 4:3-6; Job 9:16-23; Job 30:20, 21 Job 3; 16; 17; 23:15-17. Psa. 22:2; Psa. 31:22; Psa. 42:5, 6; Psa. 49:5; Psa. 73:13-17; Psa. 77:3, 7-9; Prov. 24:10; Isa. 40:27, 28 Isa. 50:2. Isa. 49:14, 15; Jer. 8:18; Jer. ...

  • COLOR; COLORS

    [isbe] COLOR; COLORS - kul'-er, kul'-erz: The word translated "color" in the King James Version is `ayin, which literally means "eye" or "appearance," and has been so translated in the Revised Version (British and American). In the...

  • BROTHER

    [isbe] BROTHER - bruth'-er ('ach; adelphos = kin by birth, from the same parents or parent): Used extensively in both Old Testament and New Testament of other relations and relationships, and expanding under Christ's teaching to in...
    [smith] The Hebrew word is used in various senses in the Old Testament, as, Any kinsman, and not a mere brother; e.g. nephew, (Genesis 13:8; 14:16) husband, (Solomon 4:9) One of the same tribe. (2 Samuel 19:13) Of the same people...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Perhaps it was God's exaltation of Moses by bestowing the gift of prophecy on the elders that provoked the envy of Miriam and Aaron. God reminded the people of Moses' special endowment with the Spirit when He blessed the elde...
  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • Satan again claimed that Job served God only because God had made it advantageous for Job to do so. Job still had his own life. Satan insinuated that Job had been willing to part with his own children and his animals (wealth)...
  • The poetic body to the book begins with a soliloquy in which Job cursed the day of his birth. This introductory soliloquy corresponds to another one Job gave at the end of his dialogue with his three friends (chs. 29-31), esp...
  • The two soliloquies of Job (chs. 3 and 29-31) enclose three cycles of dialogue between Job and his three friends. Each cycle consists of speeches by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in that order interspersed with Job's reply to e...
  • Because the speech in this chapter is more soliloquy than dialogue some scholars have concluded that someone other than Job spoke it: Zophar, Bildad, or God. One writer argued for its being a speech by none of the characters,...
  • Job gave a soliloquy before his dialogue with his three friends began (ch. 3). Now he concluded that dialogue with another soliloquy (chs. 29-31). In this one, Job longed for his past state of blessedness (ch. 29), lamented h...
  • "Chapter 29 speaks of what the Lord gave to Job and chapter 30 speaks of what the Lord took away (cf. 1:21)."123He was presently without respect (vv. 1-15), disregarded (vv. 16-23), and despondent (vv. 24-31). He had formerly...
  • As was common in ancient Near Eastern judicial cases, Job concluded his summary defense with an oath of innocence. He did so in the form of a negative confession complete with self-imprecations.127He concluded with a challeng...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
  • 3:1 Jeremiah claimed to have seen much affliction because Yahweh had struck Jerusalem in His anger (cf. Job 9:34; 21:9; Ps. 89:32; Isa. 10:5)."The two preceding poems ended with sorrowful complaint. This third poem begins wit...
  • 14:53 The high priest in view here was Caiaphas. Interestingly Mark never mentioned him by name. He was the high priest that the Romans had appointed in 18 A.D., and he served in this capacity until 36 A.D.This was an unoffic...
  • 5:6 God's almighty hand had permitted affliction to touch Peter's readers. The apostle urged them to submit to God's working in their lives as to the skillful hand of a surgeon. He assured them that God would raise them up ev...
  • Jesus Christ held out blessings for the faithful few in the congregation to stimulate the rest to repent. White garments symbolic of one's works (19:8) are pure and free of defilement (cf. 7:9, 13; 19:14; Matt. 22:11-12). Sar...
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