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Job 2:8 — Word Study

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WLCוַיִּֽקַּֽח־ ל֣וֹ חֶ֔רֶשׂ לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד בּ֑וֹ וְה֖וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב בְּתוֹךְ־ הָאֵֽפֶר׃

BSAAnd Job tooklâqach [picked up, grasped] a piece of broken potterycheres [shattered, fragmented, earthenware, clay vessel] to scrapegârad [scratch, rub] as hehûwʼ satyâshab [dwelled, remained] amongtâvek [in the midst of, surrounded by] the ashesʼêpher [worthless remains, dust]

Word
Listen & take awayJob 2
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 8 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (ha.'E.fer) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Job 2:8quick helps
In a sentenceJob uses a piece of broken pottery to relieve his suffering while sitting in ashes.
Who is speakingJob, in a moment of deep distress.
Where we areJob is in a state of mourning and physical agony.
The hard wordחֶ֔רֶשׂ
Take awayJob's actions reflect his physical and emotional pain.
7 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectהוּא verbלָקַח The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

1 of 9 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Job 2:8

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Job's Sufferinggenerated

7So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
8And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.
9Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Job 2:8 describes a moment of profound suffering for Job, who has been afflicted by painful sores. In this state, he resorts to using a piece of broken pottery to scrape his skin while sitting among the ashes, symbolizing his grief and loss. This scene follows the devastating news of his losses and the physical torment he endures, illustrating the depths of his despair.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Job 19:14–17My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.
2Psalm 38:5–7My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly.
3Luke 16:20–21And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores
4Job 42:6Therefore I retract my words, and I repent in dust and ashes.”
52 Samuel 13:19And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying bitterly.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word חֶ֔רֶשׂ, Che.resgenerated

The noun חֶ֔רֶשׂ (*cheres*) refers to a piece of earthenware or pottery, often a shard or potsherd. It is derived from a root related to pottery, emphasizing its use in everyday life in ancient Israel.

In this verse, Job takes a potsherd to scrape himself, highlighting his extreme discomfort and the desperate measures he takes to alleviate his suffering. The act of scraping with a broken piece of pottery underscores the severity of his condition.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses pottery to translate חֶ֔רֶשׂ.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ (*vai.yi.kach*) governs the sentence, indicating Job's action of taking. The structure includes a direct object, חֶ֔רֶשׂ, and an infinitive phrase לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד describing what he does with the potsherd.

The sentence's order emphasizes Job's action first, followed by the details of his situation, which enhances the urgency of his distress.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates חֶ֔רֶשׂ as ὄστρακον, meaning 'a fragment or shell'. This choice reflects a broader interpretation of the object, highlighting its broken nature and connection to Job's suffering.

The use of ἵνα for the infinitive 'to scrape' indicates purpose, aligning with the Hebrew intent of Job's action.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Job 2:8 shows Job in deep suffering, using a piece of broken pottery to scrape his skin while sitting in ashes. This act symbolizes his pain and despair after losing everything.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Job's use of a potsherd signify?

It signifies his extreme physical discomfort and the depths of his suffering.

Why is Job sitting among ashes?

Sitting in ashes is a biblical symbol of mourning and grief, reflecting Job's profound loss.

What does the action of scraping imply about Job's condition?

It implies that Job is in such pain that he resorts to using a broken object to relieve his suffering.

How does this verse connect to the overall theme of Job's suffering?

This verse illustrates the physical and emotional toll of Job's trials, emphasizing his despair and resilience.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I cope with my own suffering, and what can I learn from Job's response?
  2. How can I support others who are in distress, as Job's friends initially tried to do?
  3. What does sitting among ashes represent in my life, and how can I find hope in difficult times?
  4. How can I better understand and empathize with those who are experiencing profound loss?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Gregory the Dialogist comments on this verse in his work, interpreting Job's actions and the significance of the potsherd in relation to human suffering and divine creation.

Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book III c. 540–604
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. What is a potsherd made from, excepting mud? and what is the humour of the body,
Early Church Fathers on Job 2 →
Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book III c. 540–604
ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION. And he took him a potsherd to scrape the humour withal. For what is the potsherd in the hand of the Lord, but the flesh which He took of the clay of our nature? For the potsherd receives firmness by fire.
Early Church Fathers on Job 2 →
Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book III c. 540–604
MORAL INTERPRETATION. And he took him a potsherd to scrape the humour withal. For what do we understand by the 'potsherd,' saving forcibleness of severity,
Early Church Fathers on Job 2 →

Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Job 2:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal,.... His mouth was shut, his lips were silent, not one murmuring and repining word came from him, amidst all this anguish and misery he must be in;

Read John Gill on Job 2 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Read Robert Jamieson on Job 2 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

He took him a potsherd; partly to allay the itch which his ulcers caused; and partly to squeeze out or take away that purulent matter which was under them, or flowed from them, and was the great cause of his torment. And this he did not with soft linen cloths, either because he had not now a sufficient quantity of them for so much use, or because therein he must have had the help of others, who abhorred to come near him, ; nor with his own hands or fingers, which were also ulcerous, and so unfit for that use; and besides he loathed to touch himself: but with potsherds, either because they were next at hand, and ready for his present use; or in token of his repentance and deep humiliation…

Read Matthew Poole on Job 2 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 2:8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.Ver. 8. And he took him a potsherd] A piece of a broken pot, for want of better; ointments he had none, nor baths, to lenify his soreness. Physicians and friends were far from him. He looked on his right band, and beheld, but there was no man that would know him: refuge failed and perished from him; no man cared for his soul, Psalms 142:4. He had still a wife and servants, and (as some think) his household stuff left him. He should therefore by them have been helped; but they helped on his misery, jeering him, and jesting at him, as he afterwards complaineth. Himself, therefore, in this necessity…

Read John Trapp on Job 2 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

8. and he sat down among the ashes] Rather, as he sat among. By the “ashes” is possibly meant (as the Sept. already understands, which translates ἐπὶτῆςκοπρίας) the Mαzbalah, the place outside the Arabic towns where the zibl, that is, dung and other rubbish of the place is thrown. “The dung which is heaped up upon the Mezbele of the Hauran villages is not mixed with straw, which in that warm and dry land is not needed for litter, and it comes mostly from solid-hoofed animals, as the flocks and oxen are left over night in the grazing places. It is carried in baskets in a dry state to this place before the village, and usually burnt once a month … The ashes remain … If the village has been…

Read Cambridge on Job 2 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he took him a potsherd - The word used here חרשׁ chârâsh means a fragment of a broken vessel; see the notes at Isaiah 45:9.

Read Albert Barnes on Job 2 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

8. Potsherd — The Septuagint renders, “And he took a shell to scrape away the ulcerous discharge, and sat upon a dung heap outside the city.” As the sores were too loathsome to touch, he took a piece

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 2 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.

NETBNew English Translation2006

Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape himself with while he was sitting among the ashes.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.

RVARevised Version, American1894

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat among the ashes.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with it ; and he sat down among the ashes.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

And he tooke a potsharde to scrape him, and he sate downe among the ashes.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And he took a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat among the ashes.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And he taketh to him a potsherd to scrape himself with it, and he is sitting in the midst of the ashes.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And he takes to him a potsherd to scrape himself with it, and he is sitting in the midst of the ashes.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And [Job] took himself a potsherd to scrape himself there with, while he was sitting down among the ashes.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself with, and he sat down in the middle of ashes.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

And he took a potsherd and scraped the corrupt matter, sitting on a dunghill.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Job picked up a piece of broken pottery to scratch himself as he sat in ashes.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

And he took a broken bit of a pot, and, seated in the dust, was rubbing himself with the sharp edge of it.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַandclauseverbיִּֽקַּֽחhe.tookprepositional phrase · prepositionalל֣forוֹhimselfobjectחֶ֔רֶשׂa.potsherdprepositional phrase · prepositionalלְtoclauseverbהִתְגָּרֵ֖דscrape.himselfprepositional phrase · prepositionalבּ֑withוֹitוְandclausesubjectה֖וּאheverbיֹשֵׁ֥ב[was].sittingprepositional phrase · prepositionalבְּinnoun phraseתוֹךְthe.midstnoun phraseהָtheאֵֽפֶרash[es]

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in content, with eight out of nine words matching. The Septuagint's wording reflects its own structure and interpretation but conveys the same essential meaning as the Hebrew.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ ל֣וֹ חֶ֔רֶשׂ לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד בּ֑וֹ וְה֖וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב בְּתוֹךְ־ הָאֵֽפֶר׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ἔλαβενחֶ֔רֶשׂὄστρακονלְהִתְגָּרֵ֖דἵναבּ֑וֹἰξῶραוְה֖וּאκαὶיֹשֵׁ֥בἐκάθητοבְּתוֹךְ־ἐπὶהָאֵֽפֶר׃κοπρίας

8 of the 9 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Job 2:8לָקַחand he tookand he tookלָקַחוֹfor himselffor himselfוֹחֶ֫רֶשׂa potsherda potsherdחֶ֫רֶשׂגָּרַדto scrape hto scrape himseגָּרַדוֹwith itwith itוֹהוּאand heand heהוּאיָשַׁב[was] sitti[was] sittingיָשַׁבתָּ֫וֶךְin [the] miin [the] midstתָּ֫וֶךְאֵ֫פֶרthe ash[es]the ash[es]אֵ֫פֶרחֶ֫רֶסsunsunחֶ֫רֶסחֶ֫רֶשׁsilentlysilentlyחֶ֫רֶשׁמוּסָרdisciplinedisciplineמוּסָראִשָּׁהwomanwomanאִשָּׁהיָצַרto form: fto form: formedיָצַרטָמֵאuncleanuncleanטָמֵאעֵתtimetimeעֵתבֶּ֫טַחsecuritysecurityבֶּ֫טַחכְּנַעֲנִיCanaanitesCanaanitessכְּנַעֲנִיגֵּרsojournersojournerגֵּרגּוּרto sojournto sojournגּוּרפָּלַשׁto wallowto wallowפָּלַשׁיָצַעto layto layיָצַע
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Job 2:8

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
וַיִּֽקַּֽח־vai.yi.kach- and he took H3947 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
966× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to take or get something, and it is used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to take a wife, to take possession of something, or to receive a gift. For example, in Genesis 2:22, God takes a rib from Adam to create Eve.
Amplified meaning
picked up, grasped
Tyndale gloss
to take: take
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word לָקַח (*laqach*) means 'to take' and encompasses a wide range of actions, including to receive, seize, capture, and carry away. It can refer to taking something in hand, taking a wife, or even taking vengeance. The verb has various forms indicating different nuances, such as being taken away or captured.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

לָקַח 965 vb. take

Qal

take, take in hand

take and carry along with oneself

take from, or out of

take, carry away

take away from, so as to deprive of

esp. take away life

take to or for a person

take up, upon = put upon

= fetch

take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)

take = capture, seize

take = carry off

in phr. take vengeance

Niph.

be captured, of ark

be taken away, removed

be taken, brought unto

Pu.

be taken from, out of

= be stolen from

be taken captive

be taken away, removed

Hoph.

be taken, brought unto

be taken out of

be taken away from

Hithp. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3947 לָקַח take .. take, take in hand

. take and carry along with oneself

. . take from, or out of

. take, carry away

. take away from, so as to deprive of

. esp. take away life

. take to or for a person

. take up, upon = put upon

. = fetch

. take = lead, conduct (with or without contact)

. take = capture, seize

. take = carry off

. in phr. take vengeance

. . be captured, of ark

. be taken away, removed

. be taken, brought unto

. . be taken from, out of

. = be stolen from

. be taken captive

. be taken away, removed

. . be taken, brought unto

. be taken out of

. be taken away from

. lit. fire taking hold of itself, of lightning

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3947 laqach law-kakh'

a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of

applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch,

get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve,

seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

לָקַח (la.qach) — to take: take.

: take

1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to take, take in the hand

1a2) to take and carry along

1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away

1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept

1a5) to take up or upon, put upon

1a6) to fetch

1a7) to take, lead, conduct

1a8) to take, capture, seize

1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance)

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to be captured

1b2) to be taken away, be removed

1b3) to be taken, brought unto

1c) (Pual)

1c1) to be taken from or out of

1c2) to be stolen from

1c3) to be taken captive

1c4) to be taken away, be removed

1d) (Hophal)

1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto

1d2) to be taken out of

1d3) to be taken away

1e) (Hithpael)

1e1) to take hold of oneself

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
ל֣וֹlo for himself H9033 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

וֹ (o) — him.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp3ms
and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
חֶ֔רֶשׂChe.res a potsherd H2789 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
17× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This term refers to earthenware or clay pottery, including shards or broken pieces. It is used to describe everyday objects in ancient Israel. The KJV translates it as 'earth' or 'sherd'.
Amplified meaning
shattered, fragmented, earthenware, clay vessel
Tyndale gloss
earthenware
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

חֶ֫רֶשׂ (cheres) refers to earthenware or pottery, including terms like sherd and potsherd. It is derived from a form that connects to other Hebrew words related to pottery. The entries consistently emphasize its use in describing clay vessels and fragments.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חֶ֫רֶשׂ n.[m.] earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd potsherd

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2789 חֶ֫רֶשׂ earthenware, earthen vessel, sherd potsherd

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2789 cheres kheh'-res

a collateral form mediating between 2775 and 2791; a piece of

pottery:--earth(-en), (pot-)sherd, + stone.

see HEBREW for 02775

see HEBREW for 02791

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חֶ֫רֶשׂ (che.re.s) — earthenware.

earthenware, clay pottery, shard, potsherd, earthen vessel

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

pot'-shurd (cheres): A piece of earthenware (Job 2:8; Ps 22:15; Isa 45:9). the Revised Version (British and American) renders the word in Pr 26:23, "an earthen vessel," and in Job 41:30 substitutes "sharp potsherds" for "sharp stones." Sirach 22:7 refers to the art of "gluing a potsherd (ostrakon) together."

See HARSITH; OSTRACA.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Potsherd

A “shred”, i.e., anything severed, as a fragment of earthenware (Job 2:8; Prov. 26:23; Isa. 45:9).

Smith's Bible Dictionary

also in Authorized Version "sherd," a broken piece of earthenware. (Proverbs 26:23)

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Fragment of earthenware Job 2:8; Isa 45:9

and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖דle.hit.ga.Red to scrape himself H1623 Preposition · verb hithpael infinitive construct common
1× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to scrape or scratch, and can also mean to scrape oneself. It is used in various contexts in the Bible, including physical actions and emotional distress. The KJV translates it as 'scrape'.
Amplified meaning
scratch, rub
Tyndale gloss
to scrape
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

גָּרַד (garad) is a primitive root meaning to scrape or abrade. It can also refer to the Hithpael form, which means to scrape oneself, as noted in Job 2:8. The entries consistently emphasize the action of scraping or scratching.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[גָּרַד] vb. scrape, scratch

Hithp. scrape one’s self Jb 2:8.

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1623 גָּרַד

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1623 garad gaw-rad'

a primitive root; to abrade:--scrape.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

גָּרַד (ga.rad) — to scrape.

1) to scrape, scratch

1a) (Hithpael) to scrape oneself

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | V-Hithpael-Inf-a — Preposition · verb hithpael infinitive construct common
HR/Vtcc
and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
בּ֑וֹbo with it H9033 Preposition · suffix
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

וֹ (o) — him.

Personal object pronoun - suffix for propositions and verbs without an object: 3rd person masculine singular

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp3ms — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp3ms
and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
וְה֖וּאve.Hu' and he H1931 Conjunction · pronoun
1,879× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
he/she/it
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

It resumes the subj. with emph.

Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

As an emph. predicate, of God

In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

. It resumes the subj. with emph.

. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

. As an emph. predicate, of God

. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1931 huw' hoo

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a

primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or

it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also

(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;

sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally

(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),

it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,

this, those, which (is), who.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.

pron 3p s

1) he, she, it

1a) himself (with emphasis)

1b) resuming subj with emphasis

1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)

1d) (anticipating subj)

1e) (emphasising predicate)

1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron

2) that (with article)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Pron — Conjunction · pronoun
HC/Pp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
יֹשֵׁ֥בyo.Shev [was] sitting H3427 Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
1,079× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This verb means to sit or dwell, and can also mean to remain or abide. It's used in the Bible to describe people living in a place or staying with someone, like in the book of Genesis.
Amplified meaning
dwelled, remained
Tyndale gloss
to dwell
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יָשַׁב (yashab) is a Hebrew verb meaning to sit, remain, or dwell. It encompasses a range of actions from simply sitting down to more complex ideas like establishing a home or causing a place to be inhabited. The entries indicate various forms, including Qal (to sit), Niphal (to be inhabited), and Hiphil (to cause to dwell). There is an Aramaic equivalent, יְתִב (ye.tiv), meaning 'to dwell'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָשַׁב 1090 vb. sit, remain, dwell

Qal

sit

sit, sit down

sit down

sit = be set (as a jewel)

remain, stay, tarry

with special emphasis of qualifying phr.

dwell, have one’s abode

of a land or city, sit, abide, seated in its place, fig. for be inhabited

Niph. be inhabited, of land

Pi. and they shall set their encampments in thee

Hiph.

cause to sit

cause to abide

cause to dwell

cause cities to be inhabited

marry (prop. give a dwelling to)

Hoph. and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3427 יָשַׁב sit, remain, dwell

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3427 yashab yaw-shab'

a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as

judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to

remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to)

abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease

self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to)

inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing),

(bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle),

(down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate),

take, tarry.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָשַׁב (ya.shav) — to dwell.

1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to sit, sit down

1a2) to be set

1a3) to remain, stay

1a4) to dwell, have one's abode

1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited

1c) (Piel) to set, place

1d) (Hiphil)

1d1) to cause to sit

1d2) to cause to abide, set

1d3) to cause to dwell

1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited

1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to)

1e) (Hophal)

1e1) to be inhabited

1e2) to make to dwell

Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine singular
HVqrmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sit'-ing (yashabh, "to sit down or still," daghar, "to brood," "hatch"; kathezomai, "to sit down," anakeimai, "to lie back," "recline"): The favorite position of the Orientals (Mal 3:3; Mt 9:9; 26:55 (compare Mt 5:1; Lu 4:20; 5:3); Mr 14:18; Lu 18:35; Joh 2:14, etc.).

"In Palestine people sit at all kinds of work; the carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting upon the ground or upon the plank he is planing. The washerwoman sits by the tub, and, in a word, no one stands where it is possible to sit.…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Sitting

The attitude generally assumed in Palestine by those who were engaged in any kind of work. “The carpenter saws, planes, and hews with his hand-adze, sitting on the ground or upon the plank he is planning. The washerwoman sits by the tub; and, in a word, no one stands when it is possible to sit. Shopkeepers always sit, and Levi sitting at the receipt of custom (Matt. 9:9) is the exact way to state the case.”, Thomson, Land and Book.

and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
בְּתוֹךְ־be.tokh- in [the] midst H8432 Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
418× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to the middle or center of something, such as a group of people or a physical space. It can also mean among or between things, as seen in various Bible translations.
Amplified meaning
in the midst of, surrounded by
Tyndale gloss
midst
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תָּ֫וֶךְ (tavek) means 'midst' or 'middle,' indicating a central position or location. It can also imply being 'among' or 'between' things, particularly in contexts involving separation or division. The term appears in various forms, such as 'into' or 'through,' especially after verbs of motion.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תָּ֫וֶךְ 416 subst. midst

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8432 תָּ֫וֶךְ subst. midst

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8432 tavek taw'-vek

from an unused root meaning to sever; a bisection, i.e. (by

implication) the centre:--among(-st), X between, half, X

(there- ,where-), in(-to), middle, mid(-night), midst (among),

X out (of), X through, X with(-in).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תָּ֫וֶךְ (ta.vekh) — midst.

1) midst, middle

1a) midst, middle

1b) into, through (after verbs of motion)

1c) among (of a number of persons)

1d) between (of things arranged by twos)

1e) from among (as to take or separate etc)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct
HR/Ncmsc
and he took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with it and he [was] sitting in [the] midst the ash[es]
הָאֵֽפֶר׃ha.'E.fer the ash[es] H665 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
22× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word refers to ashes, often symbolizing worthlessness or something worthless. It is used to describe something that has been destroyed or reduced to nothing.
Amplified meaning
worthless remains, dust
Tyndale gloss
ashes
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֵ֫פֶר (*epher*) means 'ashes' and is derived from an unused root meaning to bestrew. It primarily refers to ashes, but can also imply worthlessness in a figurative sense. The entries suggest a connection to the light and flying nature of ashes.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֵ֫פֶר n.[m.] ashes (as light, flying?)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H665 אֵ֫פֶר ashes (as light, flying?)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

665 'epher ay'-fer

from an unused root meaning to bestrew; ashes:--ashes.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֵ֫פֶר (e.pher) — ashes.

1) ashes

2) (CLBL) worthlessness (fig.)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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