Job 30:19
Job 30:19 in Multiple Translations
He throws me into the mud, and I have 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.
Truly God has made me low, even to the earth, and I have become like dust.
He has thrown me in the mud; he has humbled me like dust and ashes.
He hath cast me into the myre, and I am become like ashes and dust.
Casting me into mire, And I am become like dust and ashes.
He has cast me into the mire. I have become like dust and ashes.
He hath cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.
I am compared to dirt, and am likened to embers and ashes.
He has thrown me into the mud; I am not worth anything more than dust and ashes.
Berean Amplified Bible — Job 30:19
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Job 30:19 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
הֹרָ֥/נִי
לַ/חֹ֑מֶר
וָ֝/אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל
כֶּ/עָפָ֥ר
וָ/אֵֽפֶר
הֹרָ֥/נִי
yârâh
H3384
to shoot
V-Hiphil-Perf-3ms | Suff
לַ/חֹ֑מֶר
chômer
H2563
clay
Prep | N-ms
וָ֝/אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל
mâshal
H4911
to liken
Conj | V-Hithpael-ConsecImperf-1cs
כֶּ/עָפָ֥ר
ʻâphâr
H6083
dust
Prep | N-ms
וָ/אֵֽפֶר
ʼêpher
H665
ashes
Conj | N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Job 30:19
הֹרָ֥/נִי
yârâh
H3384
"to shoot"
V-Hiphil-Perf-3ms | Suff
To show or teach something, like pointing it out or shooting an arrow. It is used in Psalms and Proverbs to describe instructing or directing others.
Definition: 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
Usage: Occurs in 75 OT verses. KJV: ([phrase]) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through. See also: Genesis 31:51; Job 8:10; Psalms 11:2.
לַ/חֹ֑מֶר
chômer
H2563
"clay"
Prep | N-ms
This Hebrew word refers to a dry measure, about 65 gallons, or a heap of material like clay or mire. It is used in the Bible to describe measurements and substances.
Definition: 1) cement, mortar, clay 1a) mortar, cement 1b) clay 1c) mire
Usage: Occurs in 26 OT verses. KJV: clay, heap, homer, mire, motion. See also: Genesis 11:3; Isaiah 10:6; Isaiah 5:10.
וָ֝/אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל
mâshal
H4911
"to liken"
Conj | V-Hithpael-ConsecImperf-1cs
To use a proverb means to speak in a way that teaches a lesson, often using metaphors or poems, as seen in Jesus' parables in the Gospels. This word is about comparing things to make a point. It appears in books like Proverbs and Psalms.
Definition: 1) to represent, liken, be like 1a) (Niphal) to liken, be like, be similar 1b) (Hiphil) to compare 1c) (Hithpael) to become like
Usage: Occurs in 15 OT verses. KJV: be(-come) like, compare, use (as a) proverb, speak (in proverbs), utter. See also: Numbers 21:27; Isaiah 46:5; Psalms 28:1.
כֶּ/עָפָ֥ר
ʻâphâr
H6083
"dust"
Prep | N-ms
Aphar means dust or dry earth, and is also used to describe clay, earth, or mortar. It appears in various forms throughout the Bible.
Definition: 1) dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish 1a) dry or loose earth 1b) debris 1c) mortar 1d) ore
Usage: Occurs in 103 OT verses. KJV: ashes, dust, earth, ground, morter, powder, rubbish. See also: Genesis 2:7; Job 28:6; Psalms 7:6.
וָ/אֵֽפֶר
ʼêpher
H665
"ashes"
Conj | N-ms
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.
Definition: 1) ashes 2) (CLBL) worthlessness (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 22 OT verses. KJV: ashes. See also: Genesis 18:27; Psalms 147:16; Psalms 102:10.
Study Notes — Job 30:19
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Job 30:19 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Job 30:19
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 30:19
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 30:19
- Trapp's Commentary on Job 30:19
- Ellicott's Commentary on Job 30:19
- Cambridge Bible on Job 30:19
- Barnes' Notes on Job 30:19
- Whedon's Commentary on Job 30:19
- Sermons on Job 30:19
Context — Job’s Prosperity Becomes Calamity
17Night pierces my bones, and my gnawing pains never rest.
18With great force He grasps my garment; He seizes me by the collar of my tunic.
19He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.
20I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me. 21You have ruthlessly turned on me; You oppose me with Your strong hand.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 | Job 42:6 | Therefore I retract my words, and I repent in dust and ashes.” |
| 3 | Genesis 18:27 | Then Abraham answered, “Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord—though I am but dust and ashes— |
| 4 | Psalms 69:14 | Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters. |
| 5 | 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. |
| 6 | Psalms 69:1–2 | Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck. I have sunk into the miry depths, where there is no footing; I have drifted into deep waters, where the flood engulfs me. |
| 7 | Job 2:8 | And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes. |
Job 30:19 Summary
In Job 30:19, Job is saying that God has allowed him to be humbled and brought low, like being thrown into the mud. This is a hard thing to experience, but it can also be a way that God helps us to see our own limitations and weaknesses, and to trust in Him more fully (as in Psalm 119:71). Job compares himself to dust and ashes, which is a way of saying that he feels very small and insignificant. Even in the midst of difficult circumstances, we can learn to trust in God's goodness and sovereignty, just like Job does (as in Job 13:15).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be thrown into the mud in Job 30:19?
In this context, being thrown into the mud symbolizes being humbled and brought low, much like the experience of the Israelites in Psalm 44:25, where they are described as being brought low to the dust, or the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:33, where he is driven from men and eats grass like an ox.
Why does Job compare himself to dust and ashes in Job 30:19?
Job's comparison of himself to dust and ashes is a expression of his humility and recognition of his mortality, similar to Abraham's statement in Genesis 18:27, where he says he is but dust and ashes, acknowledging his humble position before God.
Is Job 30:19 saying that God is cruel to Job?
While Job 30:19 describes God's actions as throwing Job into the mud, it is essential to consider the broader context of Job's story, including his ultimate restoration and God's declaration of Job's righteousness in Job 42:7-9, which highlights God's sovereignty and wisdom in allowing suffering.
How can we apply Job 30:19 to our own lives when we face hardship?
In times of hardship, we can apply Job 30:19 by recognizing that our difficulties can be a means of humbling us and bringing us closer to God, as expressed in 2 Corinthians 12:10, where Paul says he delights in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for Christ's sake, because when he is weak, then he is strong.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways you feel like you have been 'thrown into the mud' in your own life, and how have you responded to those challenges?
- In what ways can you identify with Job's feelings of being humbled and brought low, and how can you apply those feelings to your own walk with God?
- How does Job's comparison of himself to dust and ashes challenge or encourage you in your own understanding of your place before God?
- What role does trust in God's sovereignty play in your response to difficult circumstances, and how can you cultivate that trust in your own life?
Gill's Exposition on Job 30:19
He 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
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 30:19
And 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.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 30:19
He 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.
Trapp's Commentary on Job 30:19
Job 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 18:27.
Ellicott's Commentary on Job 30:19
(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).
Cambridge Bible on Job 30:19
19–23. God’s great severity.
Barnes' Notes on Job 30:19
He 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.
Whedon's Commentary on Job 30:19
19. As in Job 9:31. Like dust and ashes — In elephantiasis the skin is at first intensely red, and afterward black.
Sermons on Job 30:19
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Winter Afore Harvest or the Soul's Growth in Grace - Part 2 by J.C. Philpot | J.C. Philpot preaches about the journey of hope in the soul, comparing it to a bud that blossoms into a flower under the genial ray of God's countenance. He emphasizes the importan |
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(Job: An Epic in Brokenness) 5. the Happy Ending by Roy Hession | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the book of Job and its happy ending. He emphasizes that the scripture is a verbally inspired record of what was said, including the words of |
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The Greatness of God (Isaiah 6) - Part 3 by Paul Washer | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of recognizing the greatness of Christ and the impending judgment day. He describes a scene where the greatest creatures in e |
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(Divine Attributes) 05 God Mysterious by Denny Kenaston | In this sermon, Brother Denny emphasizes the importance of understanding and relating to God. He describes God as the high and lofty one, sitting on a throne above the heavens. God |
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The Poor in Spirit Possess God's Kingdom by Zac Poonen | This sermon emphasizes the importance of being poor in spirit, highlighting how true holiness comes with brokenness and humility. It contrasts legalism with genuine compassion and |
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Crumbs for Dogs by Phil Beach Jr. | Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the profound love of Jesus for His enemies, illustrating how we often resist acknowledging our own sins and shortcomings. He reflects on the story of the |
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Hope and Comfort Usually Follow Genuine Humiliation and Repentance by Jonathan Edwards | Jonathan Edwards preaches about the process of finding hope and comfort after genuine humiliation and repentance. He explains how God brings His people into the wilderness of troub |