Job 30:19 — Word Study
WLCהֹרָ֥נִי לַחֹ֑מֶר וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל כֶּעָפָ֥ר וָאֵֽפֶר׃
BSAHe throws meyârâh■ [casts, hurls] into the mudchômer [mire, clay, a heap of material like clay or mire] and I have becomemâshal▸ [am likened, to use a proverb or speak in a way that teaches a lesson] like dustʻâphâr [dry earth, clay, earth, or mortar] and ashesʼêpher [worthless]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הֹרָ֥נִי | he has thrown me | Verb hiphil perfect third person masculine singular, suffix |
| לַחֹ֑מֶר | to the mud | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל | and I have become like | Verb, Hithpael, sequential imperfect first person common singular |
| כֶּעָפָ֥ר | like dust | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| וָאֵֽפֶר׃ | and ash[es] | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes. |
| KJV | He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes. |
| ASV | He hath cast me into the mire, And I am become like dust and ashes. |
| YLT | Casting me into mire, And I am become like dust and ashes. |
| WEB | He has cast me into the mire. I have become like dust and ashes. |
| BBE | Truly God has made me low, even to the earth, and I have become like dust. |
Where they part company is כֶּעָפָ֥ר — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause is followed by a prepositional phrase and a simile, illustrating Job's degradation.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbמָשַׁל
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
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 30:19
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 Lamentgenerated
Job 30:19 is part of Job's lament where he describes his suffering and feelings of abandonment by God. He feels as if he has been thrown into the mud, symbolizing his lowly and desolate state. This verse captures the essence of his despair, as he compares himself to dust and ashes, which signifies worthlessness and insignificance. Job's words reflect the depth of his anguish and his longing for divine attention, as seen in the surrounding verses where he cries out for help but feels ignored.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 9:31 | then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me. |
| 2 | Psalm 69:1–2 | Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck. |
| 3 | Jeremiah 38:6 | So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. |
| 4 | Job 2:8 | And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes. |
| 5 | Job 42:6 | Therefore I retract my words, and I repent in dust and ashes.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הֹרָ֥נִי, ho.Ra.nigenerated
The verb הֹרָ֥נִי (*ho.Ra.ni*) is a hiphil perfect form meaning 'he has thrown me'. It conveys an action of being cast or hurled, often used in a context of teaching or directing, as if pointing something out. In this verse, it emphasizes Job's feeling of being forcefully cast into a state of despair.
The passive construction here indicates that Job is not the actor; he is the recipient of this action, highlighting his helplessness and the severity of his situation.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb הֹרָ֥נִי governs the main clause, indicating the action of being thrown, while the second part of the verse introduces a simile with כֶּעָפָ֥ר and וָאֵֽפֶר׃, comparing Job's state to dust and ashes. This structure emphasizes Job's degradation by contrasting his former dignity with his current state.
The Hebrew word order places the verb first, highlighting the action of being thrown, followed by the prepositional phrase that describes where he has been thrown, and concludes with the simile that illustrates his current condition.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates הֹרָ֥נִי as με, indicating a direct rendering of the action of being thrown. This choice reflects a straightforward approach to Job's lament, maintaining the focus on his state of being.
The use of πηλῷ for לַחֹ֑מֶר broadens the imagery to include clay, which retains the idea of being in a lowly, malleable state, emphasizing Job's helplessness.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 30:19 expresses Job's deep feelings of despair. He feels as if he has been thrown into the mud, becoming like dust and ashes, symbols of worthlessness. This verse captures his sense of abandonment and suffering, as he laments his lowly state.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job uses this imagery to express his feelings of degradation and helplessness, as if he has been cast into a place of filth and despair.
This comparison signifies worthlessness and insignificance, reflecting Job's feelings of being reduced to nothing in his suffering.
Job's lament reveals his deep anguish and sense of abandonment, as he cries out for help yet feels ignored by God.
Job's honest expression of his suffering encourages us to acknowledge our feelings and seek God in our times of distress.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I felt cast aside or abandoned in my own life?
- How do I respond to feelings of worthlessness or insignificance?
- What does it mean to me to cry out to God in times of despair?
- How can I support others who are experiencing deep anguish like Job?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Gregory the Dialogist reflects on Job's lament, using this verse to discuss the Church's perception in times of suffering.
I was likened to mire, and became like dust and ashes. Since in the judgment of lost sinners the Holy Church of the Elect is 'likened to mire,' because it is trodden under and despised in time;Early Church Fathers on Job 30 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 30:19 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHe hath cast me into the mire,.... As Jeremiah was literally; here it is to be understood in a figurative sense; not of the mire of sin, into which God casts none, men fall into it of themselves, but
Read John Gill on Job 30 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me. Job's outward calamities affect his mind. Poured out - in irrepressible complaints (Psalms 42:4; Joshua 7:5). Verse 17.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 30 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleHe hath made me contemptible and filthy, and loathsome for my sores, my whole body being a kind of quagmire, in regard of the filth breaking forth in all its parts; and I am become like dust and ashes, like one dead and turned to dust; more like a rotten carcass than a living man.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 30 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 30:19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.Ver. 19. He hath cast me into the mire] My disease hath, so Vatablus senseth it. Others, God hath as it were trampled me to dirt, thrown me into the kennel, and so done me the greatest disgrace that can be. And I am become like dust and ashes] Like a dust head behind the door, cadaverosus et semimortuus, saith Mercer; being covered all over (saith Beza) with the scales and scrapings that fall from my scabs; I am become more like unto the unprofitable dust and ashes, than unto a living man. Dust and ashes are not more like one another than their names are in the original; sic êïíéò, cinis. See Genesis 3:19; Genesis…
Read John Trapp on Job 30 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(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).
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 30 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleHe hath cast me into the mire - That is, God has done it. In this book the name of God is often understood where the speaker seems to avoid it, in order that it may not be needlessly repeated.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 30 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible19. As in Job 9:31. Like dust and ashes — In elephantiasis the skin is at first intensely red, and afterward black.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 30 →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
He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.
He has cast me into the mire. I have become like dust and ashes.
He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.
He has flung me into the mud, and I have come to resemble dust and ashes.
Tyndale line
He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
He hath cast me into the mire, And I am become like dust and ashes.
He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
He hath cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.
He hath cast me into the myre, and I am become like ashes and dust.
Strictly literal
He hath cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.
Casting me into mire, And I am become like dust and ashes.
Casting me into mire, || And I have become like dust and ashes.
He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
He has thrown me into the mud; I have become like dust and ashes.
From the Latin
I am compared to dirt, and am likened to embers and ashes.
Simplified
He has thrown me in the mud; he has humbled me like dust and ashes.
Truly God has made me low, even to the earth, and I have become like dust.
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.
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 this verse, with four of the five words matched. The Septuagint's word order differs, but it preserves the essential meaning of Job's lament.
הֹרָ֥נִי לַחֹ֑מֶר וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל כֶּעָפָ֥ר וָאֵֽפֶר׃
4 of the 5 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.
Lexicons — every word in Job 30:19
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.
The Hebrew word יָרָא (*yarah*) encompasses meanings related to shooting, pouring, and throwing. It can refer to actions like shooting arrows or casting water, as well as figurative uses such as teaching or directing. The entries indicate that it has both a literal and a figurative range, with roots in the idea of flowing or pointing out.
[יָרָא] vb. shoot, pour
Qal shoot with arrows
Hiph. and they shot at; Pt. pl. the shooters, archers
Hoph. he that watereth shall himself also be watered
base
יָרָה vb. throw, shoot
Qal
throw, cast
cast (= lay, set), corner-stone; pillar
shoot arrows
throw water, rain
Niph. shot through (with arrows)
Hiph.
throw, cast
shoot (arrows)
throw water, rain
point out, shew
direct, teach, instruct
base
H3384a יָרָא shoot, pour H3384b יָרָה throw, shoot .. throw, cast
. cast (= lay, set), corner-stone; pillar
. shoot arrows
. throw water, rain
. shot through (with arrows)
. . throw, cast
. shoot (arrows)
. throw water, rain
. point out, shew
. direct, teach, instruct
3384 yarah yaw-raw'
or (2 Chr. 26:15) yara; {yaw-raw'}; a primitive root;
properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to
lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot);
figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to
teach:--(+) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew,
shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through.
יָרָא (ya.ra) — to shoot.
1) to shoot, pour
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to shoot arrows
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to shoot at
1b2) part. shooter, archer
1c) to throw water, rain
יָרָה (ya.rah) — to show.
1) to point out, show
1b) to direct, teach, instruct
V-Hiphil-Perf-3ms | Suff — Verb hiphil perfect third person masculine singular · suffixHVhp3ms/Sp1bs
חֹ֫מֶר (chomer) refers to cement, mortar, clay, and also denotes a heap or a unit of dry measure (homer). It is built from the idea of bubbling up, relating to water or earth. The entries indicate its use in various contexts, including construction and measurement.
חֹ֫מֶר n.m. cement, mortar, clay
base
חֹ֫מֶר n.[m.] heap
base
חֹ֫מֶר n.m. homer, a dry measure
base
H2563a חֹ֫מֶר cement, mortar, clay H2563b חֹ֫מֶר heap H2563c חֹ֫מֶר homer, a dry measure
2563 chomer kho'mer
from 2560; properly, a bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave; of
earth, mire or clay (cement); also a heap; hence, a chomer or
dry measure:--clay, heap, homer, mire, motion.
see HEBREW for 02560
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — clay.
1) cement, mortar, clay
1a) mortar, cement
1b) clay
1c) mire
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — heap.
2) heap
2a) swelling, surging (of water)
חֹ֫מֶר (cho.mer) — homer.
homer-a unit of dry measure about 65 imperial gallons (300 l)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
מָשַׁל (mashal) means to liken or represent, and can refer to using figurative language such as proverbs or poetry. It encompasses various forms, including comparing and becoming like something. The word appears notably in the context of speaking in parables, particularly in the book of Ezekiel.
[מָשַׁל] vb. represent, be like
Niph. be like, similar
Hiph. compare
Hithp. and I have become like dust
base
מָשַׁל vb. denom. use a proverb, speak in parables or sentences of poetry, esp. Ezek.
Qal use a proverb
Pi. is he not a maker of parables?
base
H4911a מָשַׁל represent, be like . be like, similar
. compare
. and I have become like dust
H4911b מָשַׁל vb. denom. use a proverb, speak in parables or sentences of poetry, esp. Ezek.
4911 mashal maw-shal'
denominative from 4912; to liken, i.e. (transitively) to use
figurative language (an allegory, adage, song or the like);
intransitively, to resemble:--be(-come) like, compare, use
(as a) proverb, speak (in proverbs), utter.
see HEBREW for 04912
מָשַׁל (ma.shal) — to liken.
1) to represent, liken, be like
1a) (Niphal) to liken, be like, be similar
1b) (Hiphil) to compare
1c) (Hithpael) to become like
מָשַׁל (ma.shal) — to use a proverb.
1) to speak in a proverb, use a proverb, speak in parables, speak in sentences of poetry
1a) (Qal) to use a proverb, speak a parable or proverb
1b) (Piel) to make a parable
1b1) maker of parables (participle)
Conj | V-Hithpael-ConsecImperf-1cs — Verb · Hithpael · sequential imperfect first person common singularHc/Vtw1cs
עָפָר (aphar) refers to dry earth or dust, encompassing meanings such as powder, ashes, and rubbish. It is derived from a root meaning to be dry and is used in various contexts, including clay and mortar. The entries consistently highlight its association with loose earth and debris.
עָפָר n.m. dry earth, dust
base
H6083 עָפָר dry earth, dust
6083 `aphar aw-fawr'
from 6080; dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth,
mud:--ashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish.
see HEBREW for 06080
עָפָר (a.phar) — dust.
1) dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish
1a) dry or loose earth
1b) debris
1c) mortar
1d) ore
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
dust (`aphar; koniortos, chous): Small particles of earth. The word has several figurative and symbolic meanings:
(1) Dust being the material out of which God is said to have formed man (Ge 2:7), it became a symbol of man's frailty (Ps 103:14, "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust"; compare Ge 18:27; Job 4:19, etc.), and of his mortality (Ge 3:19, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return"; compare Job 34:15; Ps 104:29; Ec 3:20…
Dust
Storms of sand and dust sometimes overtake Eastern travellers. They are very dreadful, many perishing under them. Jehovah threatens to bring on the land of Israel, as a punishment for forsaking him, a rain of “powder and dust” (Deut. 28:24).
To cast dust on the head was a sign of mourning (Josh. 7:6); and to sit in dust, of extreme affliction (Isa. 47:1). “Dust” is used to denote the grave (Job 7:21). “To shake off the dust from one’s feet” against another is to renounce all future intercourse with him (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51). To “lick the dust” is a sign of…
[MOURNING]
Jos 7:6. Dust or ashes put upon the head was a sign of mourning; sitting in the dust, a sign of affliction, La 3:29 Isa 47:1. "Dust" is also put for the grave, Ge 3:19 Job 7:21. It signifies a multitude, Ge 13:16, and a low and mean condition, 1Sa 2:8. We have two remarkable instances of casting dust recorded in Scripture, and they seem to illustrate a practice common in Asia: those who demanded justice against a criminal were accustomed to throw dust upon him, signifying that he deserved to be cast into the grave.…
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.
אֵ֫פֶר n.[m.] ashes (as light, flying?)
base
H665 אֵ֫פֶר ashes (as light, flying?)
665 'epher ay'-fer
from an unused root meaning to bestrew; ashes:--ashes.
אֵ֫פֶר (e.pher) — ashes.
1) ashes
2) (CLBL) worthlessness (fig.)
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa