Job 30:3

← Job 30:2 Job 30:4 →

Job 30:3 in Multiple Translations

Berean Standard Bible BSB

Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night.

King James Version KJV

For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

American Standard Version ASV

They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.

Bible in Basic English BBE

They are wasted for need of food, biting the dry earth; their only hope of life is in the waste land.

Free Bible Version FBV

Thin through hunger and want, they try to eat the dry ground in the dark, desolate wilderness.

Geneva Bible 1599 GNV

For pouertie and famine they were solitary, fleeing into the wildernes, which is darke, desolate and waste.

Young's Literal Translation YLT

With want and with famine gloomy, Those fleeing to a dry place, Formerly a desolation and waste,

World English Bible WEB

They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation.

Noah Webster Bible WBS

For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

Douay-Rheims 1899 DRV

Barren with want and hunger, who gnawed in the wilderness, disfigured with calamity and misery.

Translation for Translators T4T

They were very poor and hungry, with the result that they chewed on roots at night in dry and desolate places.

Study Highlights

Key words in the translations above are automatically highlighted. Names of God and Jesus are marked in purple, the Holy Spirit in orange, divine action verbs are underlined, and repeated key words are highlighted in yellow.

Enable Study Highlights

God & Jesus

Holy Spirit

Divine Actions

Repeated Words

Berean Amplified Bible — Job 30:3

BAB

Word Study

Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.

Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.

Job 30:3 Interlinear (Deep Study)

BIB

HEB בְּ/חֶ֥סֶר וּ/בְ/כָפָ֗ן גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד הַֽ/עֹרְקִ֥ים צִיָּ֑ה אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ שׁוֹאָ֥ה וּ/מְשֹׁאָֽה

בְּ/חֶ֥סֶר cheçer H2639 poverty Prep | N-ms

וּ/בְ/כָפָ֗ן kâphân H3720 famine Conj | Prep | N-ms

גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד galmûwd H1565 solitary Adj

הַֽ/עֹרְקִ֥ים ʻâraq H6207 to gnaw Art | V-Qal

צִיָּ֑ה tsîyâh H6723 dryness N-fs

אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ ʼemesh H570 last night Adv

שׁוֹאָ֥ה shôwʼ H7722 ravage N-fs

וּ/מְשֹׁאָֽה mᵉshôwʼâh H4875 desolation Conj | N-fs

Hebrew Word Study

Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate between words.

Hebrew Word Reference — Job 30:3

בְּ/חֶ֥סֶר cheçer H2639 "poverty" Prep | N-ms

This Hebrew word means poverty or lack, describing a state of need or destitution, as seen in the KJV translations of poverty and want.

Definition: poverty, want

Usage: Occurs in 2 OT verses. KJV: poverty, want. See also: Job 30:3; Proverbs 28:22.

וּ/בְ/כָפָ֗ן kâphân H3720 "famine" Conj | Prep | N-ms

Famine refers to a time of severe hunger and lack of food, causing people to stoop with emptiness and pain. This word is used in the Bible to describe times of food scarcity.

Definition: hunger, famine, painful hunger

Usage: Occurs in 2 OT verses. KJV: famine. See also: Job 5:22; Job 30:3.

גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד galmûwd H1565 "solitary" Adj

A desolate or barren place, or a person who is sterile, is described with this word. It can also mean harsh or bleak, like a lonely landscape. This concept is found in the Bible's descriptions of wilderness areas.

Definition: 1) hard, barren, harsh, bleak 1a) harsh, bleak (of a company of wicked men) 1b) barren (of women)

Usage: Occurs in 4 OT verses. KJV: desolate, solitary. See also: Job 3:7; Job 30:3; Isaiah 49:21.

הַֽ/עֹרְקִ֥ים ʻâraq H6207 "to gnaw" Art | V-Qal

This Hebrew word means to gnaw or chew, and is also used to describe a sharp pain. It is used figuratively to convey intense emotion. In the Bible, it appears in descriptions of strong feelings.

Definition: (Qal) to gnaw, chew

Usage: Occurs in 2 OT verses. KJV: fleeing, sinew. See also: Job 30:3; Job 30:17.

צִיָּ֑ה tsîyâh H6723 "dryness" N-fs

This word describes a dry and barren place, like a desert or wilderness, often used in the Bible to depict a lack of water or fertility in a land.

Definition: dryness, drought, desert

Usage: Occurs in 16 OT verses. KJV: barren, drought, dry (land, place), solitary place, wilderness. See also: Job 24:19; Isaiah 53:2; Psalms 63:2.

אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ ʼemesh H570 "last night" Adv

This word refers to yesterday or last night, and can also mean a recent time. It is used in the Bible to talk about past events. The KJV translates it as yesterday or former time.

Definition: 1) yesterday, last night 2) recently (fig.)

Usage: Occurs in 5 OT verses. KJV: former time, yesterday(-night) See also: Genesis 19:34; Genesis 31:42; Job 30:3.

שׁוֹאָ֥ה shôwʼ H7722 "ravage" N-fs

Devastation or destruction, this word describes a place or thing that has been ruined or laid waste, like the desolate land described in Jeremiah 4:23, or the destruction caused by a storm, as in Psalm 107:25.

Definition: ravage

Usage: Occurs in 12 OT verses. KJV: desolate(-ion), destroy, destruction, storm, wasteness. See also: Job 30:3; Proverbs 1:27; Psalms 35:8.

וּ/מְשֹׁאָֽה mᵉshôwʼâh H4875 "desolation" Conj | N-fs

Desolation or ruin, like a destroyed city or a wasteland, as seen in Isaiah's prophecies. It describes a state of devastation or emptiness, often resulting from war or disaster. Desolation is a theme in many biblical books.

Definition: desolation, ruin

Usage: Occurs in 3 OT verses. KJV: desolation, waste. See also: Job 30:3; Job 38:27; Zephaniah 1:15.

Study Notes — Job 30:3

Show Verse Quote Highlights

Context
Cross References
Job 30:3 Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Reflection Questions
Gill's Exposition on Job 30:3
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 30:3
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 30:3
Trapp's Commentary on Job 30:3
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 30:3
Cambridge Bible on Job 30:3
Barnes' Notes on Job 30:3
Whedon's Commentary on Job 30:3
Sermons on Job 30:3

Context — Job’s Honor Turned to Contempt

1“But now they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I would have refused to put with my sheep dogs. 2What use to me was the strength of their hands, since their vigor had left them?

3Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night.

4They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food. 5They were banished from among men, shouted at like thieves,

Cross References

	Reference	Text (BSB)
1	Job 24:5	Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is food for their children.
2	Hebrews 11:38	The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.
3	Job 24:13–16	Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths. When daylight is gone, the murderer rises to kill the poor and needy; in the night he is like a thief. The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face. In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.

Job 30:3 Summary

Job 30:3 describes a group of people who are so poor and hungry that they are forced to eat whatever they can find, even if it's not nutritious. This is a powerful image of desperation and poverty, and it highlights the contrast between Job's former life of prosperity and his current state of suffering. As we read this verse, we can remember that God is sovereign over all things, including our circumstances, and that He promises to provide for us even in the midst of hardship (Philippians 4:19, Psalm 23:1). By trusting in God's goodness and provision, we can find hope and comfort even in the darkest of times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to be 'gaunt from poverty and hunger' in Job 30:3?

This phrase describes a state of extreme poverty and hunger, where people are so desperate for food that they are forced to eat whatever they can find, much like the Israelites who ate manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4).

Why did the people in Job 30:3 'gnaw the dry land'?

The people in this verse were so desperate for food that they were eating plants and roots that were not typically considered food, highlighting the severity of their poverty and hunger, similar to the situation in Jeremiah 30:13 where the prophet describes a time of great distress.

Is Job 30:3 describing a real event or a metaphorical one?

While the passage is descriptive of a real event, it also has metaphorical implications, highlighting the contrast between Job's former life and his current state of poverty and rejection, as seen in Job 29:1-25 where Job describes his former prosperity.

How does Job 30:3 relate to the rest of the book of Job?

Job 30:3 is part of Job's lament, where he describes his current state of suffering and poverty, which is a contrast to his former life of prosperity, and is a key part of the book's exploration of the nature of suffering and God's sovereignty, as seen in Job 1:1-3 and Job 42:1-6.

Reflection Questions

What are some ways that I can identify with the desperation and poverty described in Job 30:3, and how can I respond to those in need around me?
How does the image of people 'gnawing the dry land' challenge my own attitudes towards wealth and material possessions, and what changes can I make in my life to live more simply?
In what ways can I, like Job, trust in God's sovereignty even in the midst of poverty and rejection, and what promises from Scripture can I hold onto in those times?
How can I balance the desire for comfort and security with the call to live a life of simplicity and sacrifice, as seen in Matthew 19:21 and Luke 12:15?

Gill's Exposition on Job 30:3

For want and famine [they were] solitary,.... The Targum interprets it, without children; but then this cannot be understood of the fathers; rather through famine and want they were reduced to the

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 30:3

For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste. For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 30:3

Want and famine, brought upon them either by their own sloth or wickedness, or by God’ s just judgment. Heb. In want and famine, which aggravates their following solitude. Although want commonly drives persons to places of resort and company for relief, yet they were so conscious of their own guilt, and contemptibleness, and hatefulness to all persons, that they shunned all company, and for fear or shame fled into and lived in desolate places.

Trapp's Commentary on Job 30:3

Job 30:3 For want and famine [they were] solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.Ver. 3. For want and famine they were solitary] Miserably poor they were, and nittily needy; scarce having a rag to their backs, and, therefore, ashamed to show themselves in company of others, propter penuriam, et propter esuriem, they lurked in bycorners, and seldom came abroad, unless when hard hunger drove the wolf out of the wood. Slow bellies they had ever been, and evil beasts, fitter, therefore, to live in the wilderness, in former time desolate and waste, than in a civil society; or, if in any place, at Poneropolis, a city built by Philip, king of Macedonia, for varlets and vagrants, and with such kind of persons peopled; that they might not pester other places. Job would have none such about him; and was, therefore, haply, now in this low condition, so much hated and affronted by them. In former time desolate and waste] And so perhaps haunted by the devil, as Isaiah 13:20-21. Brentius rendereth it, Hesternam pressuram et consternationem, yesterday’ s pressures and fright; that is, saith he, The creditor’ s eagerness to be satisfied, which frighteth these wretches, and putteth them to their work.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 30:3

Verse 3. Fleeing into the wilderness] Seeking something to sustain life even in the barren desert. This shows the extreme of want, when the desert is supposed to be the only place where any thing to sustain life can possibly be found.

Cambridge Bible on Job 30:3

3–8. Description of this wretched class of outcasts. The tenses should all be put in the present. The race of people referred to appears to be the same as that in ch. 24.

Barnes' Notes on Job 30:3

For want and famine - By hunger and poverty their strength is wholly exhausted, and they are among the miserable outcasts of society.

Whedon's Commentary on Job 30:3

3. Solitary — Similar to Job 3:7, (which see;) barren, emaciated, hard like the rock. Fleeing into — Literally, gnawing the wilderness. The scantness of their livelihood appears from Job 30:4.

Sermons on Job 30:3

	Sermon	Description
	The Life of c.t. Studd by George Stevenson	In this sermon, the preacher discusses the life and ministry of C.T. Studd, a missionary who dedicated his life to spreading the gospel. Studd's conviction to go to China was solid
	Who for the Joy by Leonard Ravenhill	In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the lack of depth and spiritual focus in many church meetings. He emphasizes the importance of looking to Jesus as the ultimate source of de
	The Certainty of Our Faith by Cornelius Van Til	In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the contrast between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. He highlights how the world's wisdom is considered foolishness by God. T
	Tears of the Saints by Paul Hattaway	This sermon emphasizes the ongoing mission of reaching unreached people groups with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It highlights the urgent need to penetrate cultures, plant churches,
	Revival Stories: John Wesley by E.A. Johnston	In this sermon transcript, John Wesley recounts a powerful experience he had while preaching in May 1739. As he was preaching on the words "be still and know that I am God," God be
	Under His Wings by Jenny Daniel	In this sermon, the preacher shares stories and illustrations to emphasize the importance of accepting God's invitation for protection and salvation. He describes a scene where a c
	Homily 4 on Matthew by St. John Chrysostom	John Chrysostom preaches about the importance of imitating the faith and courage of the three young men in the fiery furnace, who chose to remain faithful to God even in the face o