Job 6:7 — Word Study
WLCמֵאֲנָ֣ה לִנְגּ֣וֹעַ נַפְשִׁ֑י הֵ֝֗מָּה כִּדְוֵ֥י לַחְמִֽי׃
BSAMy soulnephesh [living being, the essence of a person] refusesmâʼên■ [to say no, reject] to touch themnâgaʻ [reach, come into contact with] they arehêm [those things, specifically them, like, considered as] loathsomedᵉvay [sickening, detestable] food to melechem [nourishment, sustenance, as my sorrowful meat, my diseased provision]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| מֵאֲנָ֣ה | it refuses | Verb, Piel, perfect third person feminine singular |
| לִנְגּ֣וֹעַ | to touch [them] | Preposition, verb qal infinitive construct common |
| נַפְשִׁ֑י | self my | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| הֵ֝֗מָּה | they | Pronoun |
| כִּדְוֵ֥י | [are] like [the] illness of | Preposition |
| לַחְמִֽי׃ | food my | Noun common both singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me. |
| KJV | The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat. |
| ASV | My soul refuseth to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me. |
| YLT | My soul is refusing to touch! They [are] as my sickening food. |
| WEB | My soul refuses to touch them. They are as loathsome food to me. |
| BBE | My soul has no desire for such things, they are as disease in my food. |
All translations agree on the essential meaning of Job's refusal.
The sentence consists of a main clause followed by a predicate, clearly expressing Job's refusal and the reason behind it.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectהֵמָּה
verbמָאֵן
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 6:7
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 6:7 reveals Job's profound distress as he describes his refusal to touch certain things, which he finds repulsive. This verse captures the essence of his suffering and the impact it has on his very being. Job's lament continues through the surrounding verses, where he questions the tastelessness of food and longs for relief from his afflictions.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Kings 17:12 | But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.” |
| 2 | 1 Kings 22:27 | and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’” |
| 3 | Psalm 102:9 | For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears |
| 4 | Ezekiel 4:14–16 | “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.” |
| 5 | Ezekiel 12:18–19 | “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 6 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — מָאֵן, me.'a.Nahgenerated
The verb מָאֵן (ma'en) is a Piel form meaning to refuse or reject. It indicates a strong denial or unwillingness, emphasizing Job's deep aversion to what he describes.
In this context, Job's soul is personified, expressing a complete rejection of the loathsome food, highlighting the severity of his emotional and physical turmoil.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In the Berean Standard Bible, the verse reads: 'My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me.' This is consistent across various translations including the KJV, ASV, and YLT.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb מֵאֲנָ֣ה (me'ana) governs the main clause, indicating Job's refusal. The structure of the sentence highlights the subject, Job's soul, and the predicate that describes what he refuses.
The syntax places emphasis on the refusal, with the subject 'my soul' preceding the verb, illustrating the personal nature of Job's lament.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates the verb מָאֵן as παύσασθαί, which means to cease or stop. This choice suggests a broader interpretation of Job's refusal, indicating a complete withdrawal from the loathsome food.
This translation reflects an understanding of Job's state as not just a refusal but a cessation of engagement with what he finds repulsive.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 6:7 shows Job expressing his deep sorrow, saying his soul refuses to touch certain things, which he finds to be disgusting food. This reflects his intense suffering and emotional state.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job refers to things that he finds repulsive, indicating that even food has become unbearable due to his suffering.
Job's refusal signifies his deep emotional and physical anguish, illustrating how his suffering has affected his very being.
This verse encapsulates Job's lament and highlights the extent of his suffering, showing how it impacts his perception of even basic needs like food.
Job's expression teaches us about the depths of despair and how suffering can alter our relationship with the world around us.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced rejection or aversion in my life, similar to Job's feelings?
- How can I better understand the struggles of others who are suffering?
- What does it mean for me to find nourishment in difficult times?
- How can I support someone who feels overwhelmed by their circumstances?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Fathers comment on Job's lament, interpreting his expressions of suffering and rejection in light of spiritual and moral lessons.
Sores and pus were not enough. A new affliction is added. Job’s disease has destroyed his entire sensitivity to the extent that even his nourishment has become a torture for him.Early Church Fathers on Job 6 →
The things which my soul refused to touch are for straitness become my meat. And hence in the voice of the Church it is immediately added by the Prophetic Spirit, The things which my soul refused to touch are for straitness become my meat.Early Church Fathers on Job 6 →
MORAL INTERPRETATION The things which my soul refused to touch are for my straitness become my meat. For the soul of the righteous, going on in its progress, whereas before, when it cared for its own interests alone,Early Church Fathers on Job 6 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 6:7 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe things [that] my soul refused to touch [are] as my sorrowful meat.
Read John Gill on Job 6 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat. To touch is contrasted with meat.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 6 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleHeb. As the sicknesses or sorrows of my meat, i.e. as my sorrowful meat, which I am constrained to eat with grief of heart. The particle as, either, 1. Notes not the similitude, but the truth of the thing, as it is oft used, as hath been formerly noted and proved. So the sense is, that such meat as formerly he should have abhorred to touch, either for the quality of it, or for his tears or ulcerous matter which mixed themselves with it, he was now forced by the necessities of nature, and his own poverty, to eat. Or, 2. Implies that the following words are not to be understood properly, but metaphorically. And so the sense may be this, Those grievous afflictions, which according to the…
Read Matthew Poole on Job 6 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 6:7 The things [that] my soul refused to touch [are] as my sorrowful meat.Ver. 7. The things that my soul refused to touch, &c.] I suffer such torments even in my very soul, as the very thought of them would heretofore have frightened me. Thus Mr Diodati. Others take soul here for the appetite, and so make this the sense: Those things which I exceedingly loathed, and would once have thought scorn to have touched, are now my sorrowful meat; I am forced with a heavy heart to feed upon them for want of better; and they go down the worse because you vex me with your hard words (who have little need of such choke pears), and will not allow me the liberty of a needful lamentation, which yet I…
Read John Trapp on Job 6 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges7. This verse may be rendered not quite literally, My soul refuseth to touch them! Such things are like loathsome food to me. Literally, like my corrupted, or, diseased food. Job does not name his afflictions but refers to them indirectly as “they” and “such things.” He compared his sufferings to food in ch. Job 3:24.
Read Cambridge on Job 6 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe things that my soul refused to touch - That I refused to touch - the word “soul” here being used to denote himself.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 6 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible7. The things that my soul refused — The verse reads literally, My soul refuses to touch! They are as tainted food to me. Thus most of the recent commentators.
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
My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me.
My soul refuses to touch them. They are as loathsome food to me.
My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me.
I have refused to touch such things; they are like loathsome food to me.
Tyndale line
The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.
My soul refuseth to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me.
My soul refuseth to touch them; they are as loathsome meat to me.
The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful food.
Such things as my soule refused to touch, as were sorowes, are my meate.
Strictly literal
What my soul refuseth to touch, that is as my loathsome food.
My soul is refusing to touch! They [are] as my sickening food.
My soul is refusing to touch! They [are] as my sickening food.
My soul refuseth to touch them: they are unto me like disgusting food.
I refuse to touch them; they are like disgusting food to me.
From the Latin
The things which before my soul would not touch, now, through anguish are my meats.
Simplified
I just can't touch any food—even the thought makes me feel sick!
My soul has no desire for such things, they are as disease in my food.
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 show agreement in the core elements of the verse, with four out of six words matched. The Septuagint's word order differs, but the essential meaning remains consistent.
מֵאֲנָ֣ה לִנְגּ֣וֹעַ נַפְשִׁ֑י הֵ֝֗מָּה כִּדְוֵ֥י לַחְמִֽי׃
4 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 6:7
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.
מָאֵן (ma'en) is a primitive root meaning to refuse. It is primarily used in the Piel form, indicating a strong refusal or rejection. The entries consistently emphasize this meaning without notable disagreement.
[מָאֵן] vb. Pi. refuse
base
H3985 מָאֵן refuse
3985 ma'en maw-ane'
a primitive root; to refuse:--refuse, X utterly.
מָאֵן (ma.en) — to refuse.
(Piel) to refuse
V-Piel-Perf-3fs — Verb · Piel · perfect third person feminine singularHVpp3fs
נָגַע (naga`) is a Hebrew verb meaning to touch, reach, or strike. It encompasses a range of actions from physical contact to figurative implications like arriving or acquiring. The word can also denote being stricken or defeated, particularly in battle or by disease. The entries indicate various grammatical forms, including Qal, Niph, Piel, Pual, and Hiphil, each with specific nuances.
נָגַע 150 vb. touch, reach, strike
Qal
touch
of י׳ touching earth, mountains, etc.
nearly = strike, pass. stricken
touch = harm
reach, extend to
Niph. be stricken, defeated (in battle), i.e. feign to be so
Pi. strike (with leprosy, 2 acc.)
Pu. be stricken by diseases
Hiph. cause to touch; reach, approach, arrive
base
H5060 נָגַע touch, reach, strike .. . touch
. of י׳ touching earth, mountains, etc.
. nearly = strike, pass. stricken
. touch = harm
. reach, extend to
. be stricken, defeated (in battle), i.e. feign to be so
. strike (with leprosy, 2 acc.)
. be stricken by diseases
. cause to touch; reach, approach, arrive
5060 naga` naw-gah'
a primitive root; properly, to touch, i.e. lay the hand upon
(for any purpose; euphem., to lie with a woman); by
implication, to reach (figuratively, to arrive, acquire);
violently, to strike (punish, defeat, destroy, etc.):--beat,
(X be able to) bring (down), cast, come (nigh), draw near
(nigh), get up, happen, join, near, plague, reach (up), smite,
strike, touch.
נָגַע (na.ga) — to touch.
1) to touch, reach, strike
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to touch
1a2) to strike
1a3) to reach, extend to
1a4) to be stricken
1a4a) stricken (participle)
1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be defeated
1c) (Piel) to strike
1d) (Pual) to be stricken (by disease)
1e) (Hiphil) to cause to touch, reach, approach, arrive
1e1) to cause to touch, apply
1e2) to reach, extend, attain, arrive, come
1e3) to approach (of time)
1e4) to befall (of fate)
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct commonHR/Vqcc
The Hebrew word נֶ֫פֶשׁ (*nephesh*) broadly means 'soul' or 'living being,' encompassing concepts like life, self, person, desire, and emotion. It is derived from the root meaning 'to breathe' and signifies both physical and mental aspects of existence. The lexicons note its use in various contexts, including as the seat of appetites and emotions, though its application to will and character is uncertain.
נֶ֫פֶשׁ 756 n.f. soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion
= that which breathes, the breathing substance or being
The נפשׁ becomes a living being
The נפשׁ is specif.
The נפשׁ as the essential of man stands for the man himself
נפשׁ = seat of the appetites, in all periods (46 t.)
נ׳ = seat of emotions and passions
נפשׁ is used occasionally for mental acts
נפשׁ for acts of the will is dub.
נפשׁ = character is still more dub.
נ׳ in D
base
H5315 נֶ֫פֶשׁ soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion . = that which breathes, the breathing substance or being
. The נפשׁ becomes a living being
. The נפשׁ is specif.
. The נפשׁ as the essential of man stands for the man himself
. נפשׁ = seat of the appetites, in all periods (46 t.)
. נ׳ = seat of emotions and passions
. נפשׁ is used occasionally for mental acts
. נפשׁ for acts of the will is dub.
. נפשׁ = character is still more dub.
. נ׳ in D
5315 nephesh neh'-fesh
from 5314; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of
(abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal,
accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):--any,
appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire,
X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y),
(hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me,
mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-,
thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they,
thing, (X she) will, X would have it.
see HEBREW for 05314
נֶ֫פֶשׁ (ne.phesh) — soul.
1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
1a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man
1b) living being
1c) living being (with life in the blood)
1d) the man himself, self, person or individual
1e) seat of the appetites
1f) seat of emotions and passions
1g) activity of mind
1g1) uncertain
1h) activity of the will
1h1) uncertain
1i) activity of the character
1i1) uncertain
נֶ֫פֶשׁ (ne.phesh) — soul: life.
1) soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
1a) that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man
1b) living being
1c) living being (with life in the blood)
1d) the man himself, self, person or individual
1e) seat of the appetites
1f) seat of emotions and passions
1g) activity of mind
N-cs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp1bs
הֵ֫מָּה (hemmah) is a masculine plural pronoun meaning 'they.' The entries indicate that it can also mean 'these,' 'the same,' or refer to people in an emphatic context. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its usage.
הֵ֫מָּה and הֵם (without appreciable distinction in usage, except prob. in so far as the longer or shorter form was better adapted to the rhythm of particular sentences) pron. 3 pl. masc. they
base
H1992 הֵ֫מָּה, הֵם (without appreciable distinction in usage, except prob. in so far as the longer or shorter form was better adapted to the rhythm of particular sentences) they
1992 hem haym
or (prolonged) hemmah {haym'-maw}; masculine plural from
1981; they (only used when emphatic):--it, like, X (how, so)
many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, X so, X such,
their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.
see HEBREW for 01981
הֵ֫מָּה (hem.mah) — they(masc.).
they, these, the same, who
Pron — PronounHPp3mp
דְּוַי (dvay) refers to illness or sickness, and can also imply a sense of loathing or languishing. It is derived from the root word for sickness, חָלָה (H1739). The entries consistently define it as a term related to physical or emotional distress.
דְּוַי n.[m.] illness
base
H1741 דְּוַי
1741 dvay dev-ah'ee
from 1739; sickness; figuratively, loathing:--languishing,
sorrowful.
see HEBREW for 01739
דְּוַי (de.vay) — illness.
illness, languishing
Prep | N-ms — PrepositionHR/Aampc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
לֶ֫חֶם (lechem) means bread or food, encompassing items like grain and provisions for both humans and animals. It is derived from a related root and is used in various contexts, particularly in the Old Testament. The entries consistently emphasize its primary association with bread, though they also acknowledge its broader meaning as food.
לֶ֫חֶם 296 n.m. and (rarely) f. bread, food
base
H3899 לֶ֫חֶם bread, food
3899 lechem lekh'-em
from 3898; food (for man or beast), especially bread, or
grain (for making it):--((shew-))bread, X eat, food, fruit,
loaf, meat, victuals. See also 1036.
see HEBREW for 03898
see HEBREW for 01036
לֶ֫חֶם (le.chem) — food.
: food(eating)
1) bread, food, grain
1a) bread
1a1) bread
1a2) bread-corn
1b) food (in general)
לֶ֫חֶם (le.chem) — food: bread.
: bread/loaf
1) bread, food, grain
1a) bread
1a1) bread
1a2) bread-corn
1b) food (in general)
לֶ֫חֶם (le.chem) — food: allowance.
: allowance
1) bread, food, grain
1a) bread
1a1) bread
1a2) bread-corn
1b) food (in general)
N-cs | Suff — Noun common both singular construct · suffixHNcbsc/Sp1ms