Job 30:14 — Word Study
WLCכְּפֶ֣רֶץ רָחָ֣ב יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ תַּ֥חַת שֹׁ֝אָ֗ה הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ׃
BSAThey advanceʼâthâh▸ [like a wide breaking in of waters, as through a great breach] as through a widerâchâb [broad, spacious] breachperets [a break or gap, like a hole in a wall] throughtachath the ruinsshôwʼ [desolation, devastation, a place laid waste] they keep rolling ingâlal■ [upon me, in a rolling motion, to bring something upon]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| כְּפֶ֣רֶץ | like a breach | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| רָחָ֣ב | wide | Adj |
| יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ | they come | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine plural |
| תַּ֥חַת | under | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| שֹׁ֝אָ֗ה | devastation | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ׃ | they have rolled themselves | Verb, Hithpael, perfect third person common plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | They advance as through a wide breach; through the ruins they keep rolling in. |
| KJV | They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me. |
| ASV | As through a wide breach they come: In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me. |
| YLT | As a wide breach they come, Under the desolation have rolled themselves. |
| WEB | As through a wide breach they come. They roll themselves in amid the ruin. |
| BBE | As through a wide broken place in the wall they come on, I am overturned by the shock of their attack. |
Where they part company is רָחָב — see How Translations Differ.
One main clause with two prepositional phrases and a verb phrase, presenting a vivid image of overwhelming advance.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbאָתָה
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 30:14
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 30:14 captures Job's intense feelings of being overwhelmed by adversaries, likening their advance to a flood breaking through a wide breach. This imagery illustrates his sense of vulnerability and despair as he faces destruction and devastation. Job's lament continues through the surrounding verses, where he expresses the profound impact of his suffering and the absence of support during his trials.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 22:16 | They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood. |
| 2 | Psalm 18:4 | The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me. |
| 3 | Psalm 69:14–15 | Rescue me from the mire and do not let me sink; deliver me from my foes and out of the deep waters. |
| 4 | Isaiah 8:7–8 | the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates — the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — פֶּרֶץ, ke.Fe.retzgenerated
The noun פֶּרֶץ (peretz) means a breach or gap, often depicting a literal break in a wall or a figurative outburst, such as God's wrath. It is derived from the root that conveys breaking or bursting forth.
In this verse, it emphasizes the force and suddenness of the adversaries' approach, suggesting that they come upon Job with overwhelming power, much like a flood breaches a dam.
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. The BSB uses wide for רָחָב, and this is consistent with the KJV, ASV, and several others.
Where they part company is in the rendering of רָחָב: wide (ASV, KJV, WEB) versus broad (ILT).
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verbs יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ (they come) and הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ (they have rolled) govern the structure of this verse. The first verb introduces the action of advancing, while the second describes the rolling motion.
The prepositional phrases provide context: כְּפֶרֶץ (like a breach) and תַּחַת (under) frame the imagery of the overwhelming advance of adversaries.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ as πέφυρμαι, which conveys a sense of being overwhelmed or engulfed. This choice reflects a similar understanding of the action as one of being swept away, aligning with the imagery of flooding.
This rendering emphasizes the intensity of Job's experience, showing that the translators recognized the force and impact of the adversaries' advance.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 30:14 describes how adversaries come upon Job like a flood breaking through a wall. They advance through the ruins, overwhelming him with their presence. This imagery conveys his feelings of devastation and helplessness in the face of destruction.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job uses 'a wide breach' to illustrate the overwhelming and sudden nature of his adversaries' attack, likening it to a flood breaking through.
The imagery of rolling in suggests a relentless and unstoppable force, emphasizing Job's feeling of being overwhelmed by his circumstances.
Job's expression of vulnerability highlights the importance of acknowledging our struggles and the feelings of helplessness that can accompany them.
This verse reflects the broader themes of suffering, loss, and the search for understanding in the face of adversity that permeate the Book of Job.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I felt overwhelmed by challenges in my life, similar to Job's experience?
- How can I find strength in vulnerability, as Job does in his lament?
- What role does community play in supporting those who are suffering, as seen in Job's story?
- How can I apply the imagery of a flood or breach to my own experiences of adversity?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentators have drawn on this verse to discuss the nature of suffering and the overwhelming forces in life, illustrating Job's plight and the theological implications of his experience.
After those things that used to or could move my affections in themselves have dispersed, that is, after I have been deprived of both comforts and occupations, I know that no hope is left for me through which I may be supported.Early Church Fathers on Job 30 →
As by a wall being broken, and a door being opened, they rushed in upon me, and were rolled down to my miseries. What is in this place designated by the title of 'a wall,' but the Redeemer of the human race,Early Church Fathers on Job 30 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 30:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThey came [upon me] as a wide breaking in [of waters],.... As when a wide breach is made in the banks of a river, or of the sea, the waters rush through in great abundance, with great rapidity and
Read John Gill on Job 30 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThey came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me. Waters - (so 2 Samuel 5:20). But it is better to retain the image of Job 30:12-13.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 30 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleAs a wide breaking in of waters; as fiercely and violently as a river doth when a great breach is made in the bank which kept it in. Heb. as at a wide breach; as a besieging army, having made a breach in the walls of the city, do suddenly and forcibly rush into it. In the desolation; or, for or instead of a desolation, i.e. that they might utterly destroy me, and make me desolate. Or, in the waste place, i. e. in that part of the bank or wall which was wasted or broken down. They rolled themselves upon me; as the waters or soldiers come rolling or tumbling in at the breach.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 30 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 30:14 They came [upon me] as a wide breaking in [of waters]: in the desolation they rolled themselves [upon me].Ver. 14. They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters] Quasi irruptione lata invadunt me. As soldiers when they have made a breach in a wall, come tumbling in upon the town, and sack and ransack it, yea, raze it, and harass it; so have these dealt with me. They rolled themselves upon me] Labouring wholly to suppress me, Genesis 43:18. Taking occasion by this my downfall, which they ought rather to have lamented and pitied, they unmercifully fell upon me, as if they themselves had lived out of the reach of God’ s rod.
Read John Trapp on Job 30 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(14) As a wide breaking in of waters.—Or, as through a wide breach they come. “In the midst of the crash they roll themselves upon me;” or, “instead of a tempest” (i.e., like a tempest) “they roll themselves upon me.”
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 30 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 14. They came upon me as a wide breaking in] They storm me on every side. In the desolation they rolled themselves] When they had made the breach, they rolled in upon me as an irresistible torrent. There still appears to be an allusion to a besieged city: the sap, the breach, the storm, the flight, the pursuit, and the slaughter. See the following verse.
Read AdamClarke on Job 30 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges14. The verse reads, They come in as through a wide breach, Amidst the crash they roll themselves upon me. The figure is that of a stormed fastness. The “crash” is that of the falling walls.
Read Cambridge on Job 30 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThey came upon me as a wide breaking-in of waters - The Hebrew here is simply, “Like a wide breach they came,” and the reference may be, not to an inundation, as our translators supposed, but to an
Read Albert Barnes 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
They advance as through a wide breach; through the ruins they keep rolling in.
As through a wide breach they come. They roll themselves in amid the ruin.
They advance as through a wide breach; through the ruins they keep rolling in.
They come in as through a wide breach; amid the crash they come rolling in.
Tyndale line
They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.
As through a wide breach they come: In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me.
As through a wide breach they come: in the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me.
They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters : in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me .
They came as a great breach of waters, and vnder this calamitie they come on heapes.
Strictly literal
They come in as through a wide breach: amid the confusion they roll themselves onward.
As a wide breach they come, Under the desolation have rolled themselves.
They come as a wide breach, || Under the desolation have rolled themselves.
As [through] a broad breach they come: amidst a loud noise they rolled themselves along.
They come against me like an army through a wide hole in a city wall; in the midst of the destruction they roll themselves in on me.
From the Latin
They have rushed in upon me, as when a wall is broken, and a gate opened, and have rolled themselves down to my miseries.
Simplified
They come in through a wide breach; they rush in as the wall comes tumbling down.
As through a wide broken place in the wall they come on, I am overturned by the shock of their attack.
Word by word, the decisions they made
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 כְּפֶ֣רֶץ רָחָ֣ב יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ תַּ֥חַת שֹׁ֝אָ֗ה הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ׃, and the Septuagint matches only one of the six words. This indicates a divergence in translation, particularly in the rendering of the verbs and the overall structure.
כְּפֶ֣רֶץ רָחָ֣ב יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ תַּ֥חַת שֹׁ֝אָ֗ה הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ׃
1 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 30:14
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.
פֶּ֫רֶץ (perets) refers to a breach or bursting forth, encompassing both literal and figurative meanings. It can denote a gap, an outburst, or even a broken wall, and is associated with concepts like God's wrath. The word is built from the root of H6555, which also relates to breaking.
פֶּ֫רֶץ n.m. bursting forth, breach
base
H6556 פֶּ֫רֶץ bursting forth, breach
6556 perets peh'-rets
from 6555; a break (literally or figuratively):--breach,
breaking forth (in), X forth, gap.
see HEBREW for 06555
פֶּ֫רֶץ (pe.rets) — breach.
1) breach, gap, bursting forth
1a) bursting forth, outburst
1b) breach
1c) broken wall
1d) outburst (fig. of God's wrath)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
brech: Represented by
(1) perets = "a tear," "a rending asunder," "a break," hence, figuratively "enmity," "disruption," "strife" (Ge 38:29; Jud 21:15; 2Sa 5:20; 1Ch 15:13; Ne 6:1; Job 16:14; Ps 106:23; Isa 30:13; 58:12);
(2) shebher = "fracture," "affliction," "bruise," "destruction" (Le 24:20; Jer 14:17;
Breach
An opening in a wall (1 Kings 11:27; 2 Kings 12:5); the fracture of a limb (Lev. 24:20), and hence the expression, “Heal, etc.” (Ps. 60:2). Judg. 5:17, a bay or harbour; R.V., “by his creeks.”
רָחָב (rachab) means wide or broad, covering both physical dimensions and metaphorical uses like pride or arrogance. It is derived from the root word רָחַב (rachav), which also conveys a sense of spaciousness. The entries consistently highlight its meanings as broad or wide, with a note on its use to describe arrogance.
רָחָב adj. wide, broad
base
H7342 רָחָב wide, broad
7342 rachab raw-khawb'
from 7337; roomy, in any (or every) direction, literally or
figuratively:--broad, large, at liberty, proud, wide.
see HEBREW for 07337
רָחָב (ra.chav) — Broad.
§ broad, wide
רָחָב (ra.chav) — broad: wide.
broad, wide
Also means: ra.chav (רָחָב ": arrogant" H7342I)
רָחָב (ra.chav) — broad: arrogant.
broad, wide
A sub-meaning of ra.chav (רָחָב ": wide" H7342H)
Adj — AdjHAamsa
אָתָה (athah) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to come' or 'to arrive.' It has a Qal stem indicating a simple action of coming, and a Hiphil stem meaning to bring. The term appears primarily in poetic contexts, and its Aramaic equivalent is also noted.
אָתָה vb. come (in Heb. only poet.)
Qal come
Hiph. bring
base
H857 אָתָה come (in Heb. only poet.)
857 'athah aw-thaw'
or matha {aw-thaw'}; a primitive root (collateral to 225
contraction); to arrive:--(be-, things to) come (upon),
bring.
אָתָה (a.tah) — to come.
1) to come, arrive
1a) (Qal) to come (of men, time, beasts, calamity)
1b) (Hiphil) to bring
Aramaic equivalent: a.tah (אֲתָה "to come" H0858)
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVqi3mp
kum: The translation of many Hebrew and Greek words. In the phrase "The Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon him" (Jud 14:6,19; 15:14; 1Sa 10:10; 11:6; 16:13), the word is tsaleah; Jud 14:6; 15:14 "came mightily," which is the uniform translation of the Revised Version (British and American) (compare Jud 13:25 "to move," i.e. to disturb or stir up). In Jud 6:34; 1Ch 12:18; 2Ch 24:20, it is labhesh, "to clothe"; the Revised Version, margin "The Spirit .... clothed itself with Gideon" and .... "with Zechariah,"…
תַּחַת (tachath) refers to the concept of being underneath or below. It can function as a noun meaning 'the under part,' or as an adverb and preposition indicating position or substitution, such as 'instead of' or 'for the sake of.' The word encompasses various uses, including physical placement and metaphorical meanings related to subjection or exchange.
תַּחַת n.[m.] the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
base
H8478 תַּחַת the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of
8478 tachath takh'-ath
from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only
adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix
underneath), in lieu of, etc.:--as, beneath, X flat,
in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead
of, under, X unto, X when...was mine, whereas, (where-)fore,
with.
see HEBREW for 08430
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: under.
: under/below
1) the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas n m
1a) the under part adv accus
1b) beneath prep
1c) under, beneath
1c1) at the foot of (idiom)
1c2) sweetness, subjection, woman, being burdened or oppressed (fig)
1c3) of subjection or conquest
1d) what is under one, the place in which one stands
1d1) in one's place, the place in which one stands (idiom with reflexive pronoun)
1d2) in place of, instead of (in transferred sense)
1d3) in place of, in exchange or return for (of things mutually interchanged)
conj
1e) instead of, instead of that
1f) in return for that, because that in compounds
1g) in, under, into the place of (after verbs of motion)
1h) from under, from beneath, from under the hand of, from his place, under, beneath
תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: instead.
: instead/in_place/exchange
Prep — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
שׁוֹא (sho') and its feminine form שׁוֹאָה (sho'ah) relate to concepts of ravage and devastation. The word conveys meanings such as ruin, waste, and destruction, often implying a sense of overwhelming force or storm. The entries suggest a connection to a root meaning to rush over, emphasizing the intensity of the devastation.
[שׁוֹא] n.[m.] ravage (?)
base
שׁוֹאָה, שֹׁאָה n.f. devastation, ruin, waste
base
H7722a שׁוֹא ravage? H7722b שׁוֹאָה, שֹׁאָה devastation, ruin, waste
7722 show' sho
or (feminine) showtah {sho-aw'}; or shoah {sho-aw'}; from an
unused root meaning to rush over; a tempest; by implication,
devastation:--desolate(-ion), destroy, destruction, storm,
wasteness.
שׁוֹא (sho) — ravage.
ravage
שׁוֹאָה (sho.ah) — devastation.
1) devastation, ruin, waste
1a) devastation, ruin
1b) ruin, waste (of land)
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
גָּלַל (galal) is a Hebrew verb meaning to roll, with various nuances including rolling away, rolling down, and rolling together. It appears in different forms, such as Qal (to roll), Niph (to roll up), and Hiphil (to roll away). The word conveys both literal and figurative actions, and its Aramaic equivalent is גְּלָל (H1560).
[גָּלַל] vb. roll, roll away
Qal roll a stone
Niph. roll, roll up or along
Pilp. and I will roll thee down from the rocks
Pō‛al garment rolled (dabbed, rolled over and over) in blood.
Hithpo. roll oneself over and over
Hithpalp. cf. Hithpo.
Hiph. roll away stone from upon mouth of well
base
H1556 [גָּלַל] roll, roll away
1556 galal gaw-lal'
a primitive root; to roll (literally or
figuratively):--commit, remove, roll (away, down, together),
run down, seek occasion, trust, wallow.
גָּלַל (ga.lal) — to roll.
1) to roll, roll away, roll down, roll together
1a) (Qal) to roll
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to roll up
1b2) to flow down
1c) (Pilpel) to roll
1d) (Poal) to be rolled
1e) (Hithpoel) to roll oneself
1f) (Hithpalpel) to roll oneself
1g) (Hiphil) to roll away
Aramaic equivalent: ge.lal (גְּלָל "great" H1560)
V-f-Perf-3cp — Verb · Hithpael · perfect third person common pluralHVtp3cp