Job 6:17 — Word Study
WLCבְּ֭עֵת יְזֹרְב֣וּ נִצְמָ֑תוּ בְּ֝חֻמּ֗וֹ נִדְעֲכ֥וּ מִמְּקוֹמָֽם׃
BSAbut ceasingtsâmath■ [drying up, coming to an end] in the dry seasonʻêth [time of drought, heat] [and] vanishingdâʻak■ [being consumed, extinguished] from their channelsmâqôwm [places, locations]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּ֭עֵת | at [the] time | Preposition, noun common both singular absolute |
| יְזֹרְב֣וּ | [when] they flow | Verb, Pual, imperfect third person masculine plural |
| נִצְמָ֑תוּ | they are silenced | Verb, Niphal, perfect third person common plural |
| בְּ֝חֻמּ֗וֹ | in heat its | Preposition, verb qal infinitive construct common, suffix |
| נִדְעֲכ֥וּ | they are dried up | Verb, Niphal, perfect third person common plural |
| מִמְּקוֹמָֽם׃ | from place their | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | but ceasing in the dry season and vanishing from their channels in the heat. |
| KJV | What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. |
| ASV | What time they wax warm, they vanish; When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. |
| YLT | By the time they are warm they have been cut off, By its being hot they have been Extinguished from their place. |
| WEB | In the dry season, they vanish. When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. |
| BBE | Under the burning sun they are cut off, and come to nothing because of the heat. |
The translations agree on the core imagery of cessation and disappearance, with no significant differences noted.
The sentence is structured with a main clause followed by additional phrases that elaborate on the conditions affecting the water.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbזָרַב
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 6 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 6:17
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 Reflection on Sufferinggenerated
Job 6:17 reflects Job's deep sense of loss and despair as he compares the fleeting nature of water in the dry season to his own situation. He highlights how resources can dry up and vanish, paralleling his feelings of abandonment and the harsh realities of life. This verse is part of a larger discourse where Job is expressing his anguish and the seeming absence of support in his suffering.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Kings 17:1 | Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נִצְמָ֑תוּ, nitz.Ma.tugenerated
The verb צָמַת (tsamath) means to destroy or put an end to something. In this context, it conveys the sense of being silenced or coming to an end, emphasizing the complete cessation of water flow during dry times.
This verb is in the Niphal stem, indicating a passive action. It suggests that the water is not just ceasing to flow on its own but is being silenced or extinguished, reflecting Job's feelings of being overwhelmed and cut off from life-giving resources.
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 יְזֹרְב֣וּ (ye.zo.re.Vu) governs the sentence, with a series of phrases describing the conditions of water during the dry season. The structure emphasizes the cause-and-effect relationship between the heat and the drying up of water.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by prepositional phrases that elaborate on the conditions of the water, creating a vivid image of the harshness of the environment.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the translators used τακεῖσα to render the Hebrew verb for flow, which suggests a focus on the action of water rather than its cessation. This choice indicates a slight shift in emphasis, highlighting the movement of water before it ceases.
The Greek translation does not fully capture the nuances of the Hebrew verbs, particularly the sense of destruction and silencing conveyed by נִצְמָ֑תוּ.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 6:17 describes how water ceases to flow and disappears during the dry season. Job uses this imagery to express his feelings of loss and abandonment, emphasizing the fragility of life and resources in harsh conditions.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job is illustrating how resources can dry up and vanish, much like water does during a drought, reflecting his own feelings of loss.
This verse emphasizes Job's sense of abandonment and despair, paralleling the loss of water with his own experiences of suffering.
Job uses the imagery of water drying up and vanishing to illustrate the fragility of life and the harsh realities he faces.
The idea of water vanishing from its channels symbolizes a complete loss of support and sustenance, mirroring Job's feelings of being cut off from life.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced feelings of loss or abandonment in my life?
- How can I find hope in times of drought or difficulty, similar to Job's situation?
- What resources do I rely on that can seem to dry up in challenging times?
- How can I support others who may feel like they are in a dry season?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentary on Job's reflections highlights the transient nature of life and resources, as seen in the writings of Gregory the Dialogist.
What time they be dissipated they shall perish. For all persons that are ruled by concern for the present life, are brought to nought by the loss of it, and then they are undone without,Early Church Fathers on Job 6 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 6:17 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleWhat time they wax warm they vanish,.... The ice and the snow, which, when the weather becomes warm, they melt away and disappear; and in like manner, he suggests his friends ceased to be friends to
Read John Gill on Job 6 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryWhat time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 6 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWhen the weather grows milder, and the frost and snow is dissolved. When it is hot; in the hot season of the year, when waters are most refreshing and necessary. Out of their place; in which the traveller expected to find them to his comfort, but they are gone he knows not whither.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 6 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 6:17 What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. Ver. 17. What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, &c.] Lo, such is the fruit of creature confidence, of making flesh our arm, of trusting in men or means; whereas Deo confisi nunquam confusi, they that trust in the Lord shall never be disappointed. This thou canst never do, unless (unbottomed of thyself and the creature) thou so lean upon the Lord, as that if he fail thee thou sinkest, and not otherwise.
Read John Trapp on Job 6 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges14–30. Job’s sorrowful disappointment at the position taken up towards him by his three friends Job had freely expressed his misery in ch. 3, believing that the sympathies of his friends were entirely with him. He is a brother noble, Whose nature is so far from doing harms That he suspects none. Lear, i. 2. And more sorrowful to him than any cold, critical words which they have uttered is the feeling that his friends have taken up such a position against him. This was what he had not looked for. And his disappointment is like that of the thirsty caravan that finds the long-looked-for waters dried up in the heat. Every emotion seems now to find a place in Job’s mind in succession. First, his…
Read Cambridge on Job 6 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleWhat time - In the time; or after a time. They wax warm - Gesenius renders this word (יזרבו yezorebû) when they became narrow, and this version has been adopted by Noyes. The word occurs nowhere else.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 6 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible17. What time — At the time (that is, as soon as) they flow, they vanish away. So short-lived are the mountain torrents. As soon as the snows that feed the streams are melted, the torrents are consumed away.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 6 →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
but ceasing in the dry season and vanishing from their channels in the heat.
In the dry season, they vanish. When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
but ceasing in the dry season and vanishing from their channels in the heat.
When they are scorched, they dry up, when it is hot, they vanish from their place.
Tyndale line
What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
What time they wax warm, they vanish; When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
In the time when they become warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
But in time they are dryed vp with heate and are consumed: and when it is hote they faile out of their places,
Strictly literal
At the time they diminish, they are dried up; when heat affecteth them, they vanish from their place:
By the time they are warm they have been cut off, By its being hot they have been Extinguished from their place.
By the time they are warm they have been cut off, || By its being hot they have been || Extinguished from their place.
At the time when they feel the warmth, they vanish; when it is hot, they are quenched out of their place.
When they thaw out, they vanish; when it is hot, they melt out of their place.
From the Latin
At the time when they shall be scattered they shall perish: and after it groweth hot they shall be melted out of their place.
Simplified
but in the heat it dries up and disappears, vanishing from where it once was.
Under the burning sun they are cut off, and come to nothing because of the heat.
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 presents the verse as it stands, while the Septuagint matches only three of the six words, indicating a partial agreement. This suggests that while there is some alignment in content, the Greek translation does not fully reflect the Hebrew structure.
בְּ֭עֵת יְזֹרְב֣וּ נִצְמָ֑תוּ בְּ֝חֻמּ֗וֹ נִדְעֲכ֥וּ מִמְּקוֹמָֽם׃
3 of the 6 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 6:17
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.
עֵת (eth) means 'time,' covering various aspects such as the time of an event, a usual time, or an appointed time. It can also refer to experiences or occurrences. The entries suggest it can denote both specific and uncertain times, but they do not indicate any significant disagreement among lexicons.
עֵת 297 n.f. time
time of an event
= usual time
proper, suitable time
appointed time
as uncertain
= experience, fortunes
occurrence, occasion
base
H6256 עֵת time . time of an event
. . = usual time
. proper, suitable time
. appointed time
. as uncertain
. = experience, fortunes
. occurrence, occasion
6256 `eth ayth
from 5703; time, especially (adverb with preposition) now,
when, etc.:--+ after, (al-)ways, X certain, + continually, +
evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-,
noon-)tide, ((meal-)), what) time, when.
see HEBREW for 05703
עֵת (et) — time.
1) time
1a) time (of an event)
1b) time (usual)
1c) experiences, fortunes
1d) occurrence, occasion
Prep | N-cs — Preposition · noun common both singular absoluteHR/Ncbsa
tim: The basis of the Hebrew measurement of time was the day and the lunar month, as with the Semites generally. The division of the day into hours was late, probably not common until after the exile, although the sun-dial of Ahaz (2Ki 20:9; Isa 38:8) would scent to indicate some division of the day into periods of some sort, as we know the night was divided, The word used for "hour" is Aramaic she`a' (sha`ta'), and does not occur in the Old Testament until the Book of Daniel (4:33; 5:5), and even there it stands for an indefinite period for which "time" would answer as well.
1. The Day:
The term "day" (yom) was in use from the earliest times, as is indicated in the story of the Creation (Ge 1). It there doubtless denotes an indefinite period, but is marked off by "evening and…
Besides the ordinary uses of this word, the Bible sometimes employs it to denote a year, as in Da 4:16; or a prophetic year, consisting of three hundred and sixty natural year, a day being taken for a year. Thus in Da 7:25 12:7, the phrase "a time, times, and the dividing of a time" is supposed to mean three and a half prophetic years, or 1,260 natural years. This period is elsewhere paralleled by the expression, "forty-two months," each month including thirty years, Re 11:2-3 12:6,14 13:5.
[זָרַב] vb. only Pu., meaning dub.; prob. (from context) be burnt, scorched
base
H2215 זָרַב
2215 zarab zaw-rab'
a primitive root; to flow away:--wax warm.
זָרַב (za.rav) — to burn.
(Pual) to dry up, be warmed, be burned, be scorched
HVPi3mp — Verb · Pual · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVPi3mp
צָמַת (tsamath) is a Hebrew verb meaning to put an end to or exterminate. It encompasses various forms, including to destroy, cut off, or vanish, with nuances in different stems indicating actions like being annihilated or causing annihilation. The entries highlight its use in contexts of termination and destruction, but do not present any significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[צָמַת] vb. put an end to, exterminate
Qal they have put an end to my life
Niph. be ended, annihilated
Pi. hath put an end to me
Pi‛lēl thine alarms have annihilated me
Hiph. exterminate, annihilate
base
H6789 צָמַת put an end to, exterminate .they have put an end to my life
. be ended, annihilated
. hath put an end to me
.thine alarms have annihilated me
. exterminate, annihilate
6789 tsamath tsaw-math'
a primitive root; to extirpate (literally or
figuratively):--consume, cut off, destroy, vanish.
צָמַת (tsa.mat) — to destroy.
1) to put an end to, cut off, destroy, exterminate, extirpate
1a) (Qal) to put an end to, terminate
1b) (Niphal) to be ended, be annihilated, be exterminated
1c) (Piel) to put an end to
1d) (Pilel) to be exterminated, be annihilated
1e) (Hiphil) to exterminate, annihilate
V-Niphal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Niphal · perfect third person common pluralHVNp3cp
חָמַם (chamam) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be or become warm. It can refer to physical warmth, as well as metaphorical heat, such as passion or arousal. The verb appears in various forms, including Qal (to grow warm), Niphal (to inflame oneself), Piel (to warm), and Hithpael (to warm oneself). The entries indicate its use in contexts like conception and idolatry.
[חָמַם] vb. be or become warm
Qal
lit., be or grow warm
fig.
of heat in conception (animals)
Niph. inflame oneself with, of idolatry.
Pi. keep eggs warm
Hithp. warm oneself
base
H2552 חָמַם be or become warm
2552 chamam khaw-mam'
a primitive root; to be hot (literally or
figuratively):--enflame self, get (have) heat, be (wax) hot,
(be, wax) warm (self, at).
חָמַם (cha.mam) — to warm.
1) to be hot, become warm
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be or grow warm
1a2) of passion (fig.)
1b) (Niphal) to become aroused, inflame oneself with
1c) (Piel) to warm
1d) (Hithpael) to warm oneself
HR/Vqcc/Sp3ms — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common · suffixHR/Vqcc/Sp3ms
The Hebrew word דָּעַךְ (*da'akh*) is a primitive root meaning to go out or be extinguished. It covers a range of meanings including to dry up, be made extinct, or be quenched. The entries describe its use in different stems, such as Qal and Niph, indicating various nuances of extinguishing or drying.
[דָּעַךְ] vb. go out, be extinguished
Qal go out, be extinguished
Niph. be made extinct, dried up
Pu. of assailants, be extinguished, quenched
base
H1846 [דָּעַךְ] go out, be extinguished .go out, be extinguished
. be made extinct, dried up
. of assailants, be extinguished, quenched
1846 da`ak daw-ak'
a primitive root; to be extinguished; figuratively, to expire
or be dried up:--be extinct, consumed, put out, quenched.
דָּעַךְ (da.akh) — to put out.
1) to go out, be extinguished, dry up
1a) (Qal) to go out, be extinguished
1b) (Niphal) to be made extinct, be dried up
1c) (Pual) to be extinguished, be quenched
V-Niphal-Perf-3cp — Verb · Niphal · perfect third person common pluralHVNp3cp
מָקוֹם (maqom) means 'place' and encompasses a variety of contexts, including a standing place, station, or post. It can refer to human abodes, localities, regions, and even figurative conditions of body or mind. The term is derived from a root meaning 'standing' and is used broadly in the Old Testament.
מָקוֹם, מָקֹם 399 n.m. standing-place, place
standing-place
station, where soldiers are placed
post, office
place where a thing belongs
esp.
place of human abode
of י׳’s abode
place
in gen. place, locality, spot
space, room
space, distance, between
region, quarter, direction
peculiar uses
base
H4725 מָקוֹם, מָקֹם standing-place, place . . standing-place
. station, where soldiers are placed
. post, office
. . place where a thing belongs
. esp. . place of human abode
. of י׳’s abode
. place
. in gen. place, locality, spot
. . space, room
. space, distance, between
. region, quarter, direction
. peculiar uses
4725 maqowm maw-kome'
or maqom {maw-kome'}; also (feminine) mqowmah {mek-o-mah'};
or mqomah {mek-o-mah'}; from 6965; properly, a standing, i.e.
a spot; but used widely of a locality (general or specific);
also (figuratively) of a condition (of body or
mind):--country, X home, X open, place, room, space, X
whither(-soever).
see HEBREW for 06965
מָקוֹם (ma.qom) — place.
1) standing place, place
1a) standing place, station, post, office
1b) place, place of human abode
1c) city, land, region
1d) place, locality, spot
1e) space, room, distance
1f) region, quarter, direction
1g) give place to, instead of
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp3mp