Job 10:10 — Word Study
WLCהֲלֹ֣א כֶ֭חָלָב תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי׃
BSADid You notlôʼ [certainly, indeed] pour me outnâthak▸ like milkchâlâb [fresh, abundant] and curdle meqâphâʼ▸ like cheesegᵉbinâh△ [thick, hardened, made from milk]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| הֲלֹ֣א | ¿ not | Particle, particle |
| כֶ֭חָלָב | like milk | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי | did you pour out me | Verb hiphil imperfect second person masculine singular, suffix |
| וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה | and like cheese | Conjunction, preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי׃ | did you curdle? me | Verb hiphil imperfect second person masculine singular, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese? |
| KJV | Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? |
| ASV | Hast thou not poured me out as milk, And curdled me like cheese? |
| YLT | Dost Thou not as milk pour me out? And as cheese curdle me? |
| WEB | Haven’t you poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese? |
| BBE | Was I not drained out like milk, becoming hard like cheese? |
All translations agree on the imagery and meaning presented in this verse.
The sentence features two main clauses connected by a conjunction, illustrating Job's parallel comparisons.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 5 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 10:10
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 10:10 is part of Job's plea to God, where he expresses his feelings of being molded and then discarded. In this passage, Job uses vivid imagery to describe his existence, comparing himself to milk that is poured out and cheese that is curdled. This metaphor highlights his sense of fragility and the divine craftsmanship in his creation. Job's lament continues as he reflects on God's intimate involvement in his life, as seen in the surrounding verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 139:14–16 | I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי, ta.ti.Khe.nigenerated
The verb תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי (ta.ti.Khe.ni) is a hiphil imperfect form, meaning 'to pour out' or 'to flow forth.' It conveys the action of something being poured out, emphasizing Job's feeling of being emptied or discarded. This word captures the essence of Job's plea, as he questions whether God has treated him like a liquid that can be easily spilled.
The choice of this verb reflects Job's deep emotional state, as he feels vulnerable and at the mercy of God's will. The hiphil form indicates causation, suggesting that Job feels God has actively poured him out, contributing to his feelings of abandonment.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In the Berean Standard Bible, the phrase is rendered as 'Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese?' This aligns with the KJV and ASV, which maintain the imagery of milk and cheese.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of this verse is built around two main verbs: תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי (did you pour out me) and תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי (did you curdle me). Each verb governs its respective object, creating a parallelism that enhances the emotional weight of Job's lament.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the actions Job attributes to God, with the verbs positioned prominently at the beginning of each clause, highlighting Job's direct address to God.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew verb תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי is rendered with the Greek word με (me), indicating a direct translation that retains the personal aspect of Job's plea. This choice underscores the intimate and personal nature of Job's relationship with God.
The translation of תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי also aligns closely with the Hebrew, maintaining the concept of curdling. This consistency in translation illustrates the shared understanding of the imagery in both the Hebrew and Greek texts.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 10:10 shows Job asking God if He has poured him out like milk and curdled him like cheese. This reflects Job's feelings of being vulnerable and discarded, using vivid imagery to express his emotional state.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job is expressing his feelings of being emptied or discarded, comparing himself to milk that is easily spilled.
The comparison to cheese signifies a transformation, highlighting Job's feelings of being congealed or set aside, much like milk that has been curdled.
Job's lament reflects his deep emotional struggle and his desire for understanding from God regarding his suffering.
This verse encapsulates Job's anguish and his questioning of God's intentions, which is a central theme throughout the Book of Job.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I feel vulnerable or poured out in my own life?
- How can I find comfort in God's craftsmanship during times of distress?
- What does it mean to me to be 'curdled' or transformed in my experiences?
- How can I relate to Job's feelings of abandonment and seek understanding from God?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentators reference Job's lament to discuss the nature of creation and God's relationship with humanity. Their insights are drawn from the text's vivid imagery.
Here [Job] foreshadows the incarnation of the divine Word through the assumption of human nature. These words, in fact, appear to be addressed to the Father, as if they were said by the person [the Son] of the Lord.Early Church Fathers on Job 10 →
The seed from which life emerges he calls “milked milk,” for as milk curdles and becomes cheese, so the seed becomes “nature” when it curdles. This is a condition before the embryo.Early Church Fathers on Job 10 →
Hast Thou not poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin, and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.Early Church Fathers on Job 10 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 10:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHast thou not poured me out as milk,.... Expressing, in modest terms, his conception from the seed of his parents, comparable to milk, from being a liquid, and for its colour: and curdled me like cheese?
Read John Gill on Job 10 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryHast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 10 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThus he modestly and accurately describes God’ s admirable work in making man out of a small and liquid, and as it were milky, substance, by degrees congealed and condensed into that exquisite frame of man’ s body.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 10 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 10:10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?Ver. 10. Hast thou not poured me out as milk] Or, melted me, that is, made me of some such thing as liquid and white milk. Generationem hominis describit (Vatab.). Man is a very mean thing in his first conception, modestly here set forth by the making of cheeses. Unde superbit homo, cuius conceptio turpis, Nasci poena, labor vita, necesse mort? Where comes man’ s pride, I am conceived in sorrow, I am born as a penalty, I work for life, and needs die. Concerning man’ s formation in the womb see the Naturalists, and Lactantius de Opifieio Dei, cap. 12, but especially Psalms 139:13-16, where, and in this text, there is…
Read John Trapp on Job 10 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(10) Poured me out as milk.—An allusion to the embryo. (See Psalms 139:13-16.)
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 10 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 10. Hast thou not poured me out as milk] After all that some learned men have said on this subject, in order to confine the images here to simple nutrition, I am satisfied that generation is the true notion. Respicit ad fetus in matris utero primam formationem, quum in embryonem ex utriusque parentis semine coalescit. - Ex semine liquido, lac quodammodo referente, me formasti. - In interpretando, inquit Hieronymus, omnino his accedo qui de genitali semine accipiunt, quod ipsa tanquam natura emulget, ac dein concrescere in utero ad coalescere jubet. I make no apology for leaving this untranslated. The different expressions in this and the following verse are very appropriate: the…
Read AdamClarke on Job 10 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges10–12. These verses refer to the formation of the child in the womb, from conception to full growth, cf. Psalms 139:13-16.
Read Cambridge on Job 10 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleHast thou not poured me out as milk? - The whole image in this verse and the following, is designed to fur nish an illustration of the origin and growth of the human frame. The Note of Dr.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 10 →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
Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese?
Haven’t you poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese?
Did you not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese?
Tyndale line
Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Hast thou not poured me out as milk, And curdled me like cheese?
Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Hast thou not powred me out as milke? and turned me to cruds like cheese?
Strictly literal
Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Dost Thou not as milk pour me out? And as cheese curdle me?
Do You not pour me out as milk? And curdle me as cheese?
Behold, like milk didst thou pour me out, and like cheese didst thou curdle me.
Have you not poured me out like milk and curdled me like cheese?
From the Latin
Hast thou not milked me as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
Simplified
You poured me out like milk, you curdled me like cheese.
Was I not drained out like milk, becoming hard like cheese?
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 reads: הֲלֹ֣א כֶ֭חָלָב תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי׃. The Septuagint matches 4 of the 5 words, indicating a strong agreement between the two texts, though the exact phrasing may differ.
הֲלֹ֣א כֶ֭חָלָב תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי׃
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 10:10
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.
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
Part | Part — Particle · particleHTi/Tn
חָלָב (chalab) means milk and is associated with richness, as seen in cattle. It can refer to various forms of milk, including sour milk and cheese, and metaphorically to abundance. The entries do not present any significant disagreement.
H2461 חָלָב milk
2461 chalab khaw-lawb'
from the same as 2459; milk (as the richness of kine):--+
cheese, milk, sucking.
see HEBREW for 02459
חָלָב (cha.lav) — milk.
1) milk, sour milk, cheese
1a) milk
1b) abundance of the land (metaph.)
1c) white (as milk)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
milk (chalabh; gala; Latin lac (2 Esdras 2:19; 8:10)): The fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young. The word is used in the Bible of that of human beings (Isa 28:9) as well as of that of the lower animals (Ex 23:19). As a food it ranked next in importance to bread (Ecclesiasticus 39:26). Palestine is frequently described as a land "flowing with milk and honey" (Ex 3:8,17; Nu 13:27; De 6:3; Jos 5:6; Jer 11:5; Eze…
Milk
(1.) Hebrew halabh, “new milk”, milk in its fresh state (Judg. 4:19). It is frequently mentioned in connection with honey (Ex. 3:8; 13:5; Josh. 5:6; Isa. 7:15, 22; Jer. 11:5). Sheep (Deut. 32:14) and goats (Prov. 27:27) and camels (Gen. 32:15), as well as cows, are made to give their milk for the use of man. Milk is used figuratively as a sign of abundance (Gen. 49:12;
As an article of diet, milk holds a more important position in eastern countries than with us. It is not a mere adjunct in cookery, or restricted to the use of the young, although it is naturally the characteristic food of childhood, both from its simple and nutritive qualities. (1 Peter 2:2) and particularly as contrasted with meat, (1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12) but beyond this it is regarded as substantial food adapted alike to all ages and classes. Not only the milk of cows, but of sheep, (32:14) of camels, (Genesis 32:15) and of goats, (Proverbs 27:27) was used; that latter appears to have been most highly…
Is often alluded to in the Bible, as a symbol of pure, simple, and wholesome truth, Heb 5:12,13 1Pe 2:2; and in connection with honey, to denote fertility and plenty, Ge 49:12 Nu 16:13 Jos 5:6. The Jews and their neighbors used not only the milk of cows, but also that of camels, sheep, and goats, Ge 32:15 De 32:14 Pr 27:27. See BUTTER and CHEESE.
נָתַךְ (nathak) is a Hebrew verb meaning to pour forth or be poured out. It encompasses various forms, including to flow, melt, or drop, and can be used literally or figuratively, such as in the context of judgment. The entries suggest a range of uses, from physical pouring to metaphorical applications.
[נָתַךְ] vb. pour forth (intrans.), be poured out
Qal pour forth
Niph. be poured
Hiph. thy servants have poured out the money
Hoph. so shall ye be melted (fig. of judgment
base
H5413 [נָתַךְ] pour forth (intrans.), be poured out .pour forth
. be poured
. thy servants have poured out the money
. so shall ye be melted (fig. of judgment
5413 nathak naw-thak'
a primitive root; to flow forth (literally or figuratively);
by implication, to liquify:--drop, gather (together), melt,
pour (forth, out).
נָתַךְ (na.takh) — to pour.
1) to pour out or forth, drop (or rain), be poured, be poured out, be melted, be molten
1a) (Qal) to pour forth
1b) (Niphal) to be poured, be poured out
1c) (Hiphil) to pour out, melt
1d) (Hophal) to be melted
V-Hiphil-Imperf-2ms | Suff — Verb hiphil imperfect second person masculine singular · suffixHVhi2ms/Sp1bs
גְּבִינָה (gbinah) refers to cheese or curdled milk. It is a feminine noun derived from a related term, indicating its connection to the process of curdling. The word appears in the context of Job 10:10.
גְּבִינָה n.f. curd, or cheese Jb 10:10
ref
H1385 גְּבִינָה, גְּבִנָה
1385 gbinah gheb-ee-naw'
feminine from the same as 1384; curdled milk:--cheese.
see HEBREW for 01384
גְּבִינָה (ge.vi.nah) — cheese.
cheese, curd
Conj | Prep | N-fs — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Rd/Ncfsa
chez.
See FOOD; MILK.
Cheese
(A.S. cese). This word occurs three times in the Authorized Version as the translation of three different Hebrew words: (1.) 1 Sam. 17:18, “ten cheeses;” i.e., ten sections of curd. (2.) 2 Sam. 17:29, “cheese of kine” = perhaps curdled milk of kine. The Vulgate version reads “fat calves.” (3.) Job 10:10, curdled milk is meant by the word.
is mentioned only three times in the Bible, and on each occasion under a different name in the Hebrew. (1 Samuel 17:18; 2 Samuel 17:29; Job 10:10) It is difficult to decide how far these terms correspond with our notion of cheese, for they simply express various degrees of coagulation. Cheese is not at the present day common among the Bedouin Arabs, butter being decidedly preferred; but there is a substance closely corresponding to those mentioned in 1Sam 17, 2Sam 17, consisting of coagulated buttermilk, which is dried until it become quite hard, and is then ground; the Arabs eat it mixed with butter.
קָפָא (qapha') is a Hebrew verb meaning to thicken, condense, or congeal. It describes processes like thickening liquids or settling substances, with references to curdling and freezing. The noun form קִפָּאוֹן (qippa'on) refers to congelation. The word appears in contexts such as Zechariah 14:6, where it conveys the idea of becoming dense.
[קָפָא] vb. thicken, condense, congeal
Qal the deeps were condensed, became firm walls
Hiph. didst thou not curdle me like cheese
H7087a קָפָא thicken, condense, congeal H7087b קִפָּאוֹן congelation
7087 qapha' kaw-faw'
a primitive root; to shrink, i.e. thicken (as unracked wine,
curdled milk, clouded sky, frozen water):--congeal, curdle,
dark, settle.
קָפָא (qa.pah) — to congeal.
v
1) to thicken, condense, congeal, settle, become dense
1a) (Qal) to be condensed
1a1) thickening (participle)
1b) (Hiphil) to cause to curdle
קִפָּאוֹן (qi.pa.on) — thickness.
congelation
V-Hiphil-Imperf-2ms | Suff — Verb hiphil imperfect second person masculine singular · suffixHVhi2ms/Sp1bs