Job 38:30 — Word Study
WLCכָּ֭אֶבֶן מַ֣יִם יִתְחַבָּ֑אוּ וּפְנֵ֥י תְ֝ה֗וֹם יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ׃
BSA◂when the watersmayim [liquid, source of refreshment] become hardchâbâʼ▸ [frozen, rock-like] as stoneʼeben [a rock, weight, or precious gem] and the surfacepânîym [face] of the deeptᵉhôwm [abyss, subterranean water supply] is frozenlâkad▸ [captured, seized]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| כָּ֭אֶבֶן | like stone | Preposition, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| מַ֣יִם | waters | Noun common, masculine plural absolute |
| יִתְחַבָּ֑אוּ | they become hard | Verb, Hithpael, imperfect third person masculine plural |
| וּפְנֵ֥י | and [the] surface of | Conjunction, noun common masculine plural construct |
| תְ֝ה֗וֹם | [the] deep | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ׃ | they freeze | Verb, Hithpael, imperfect third person masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen? |
| KJV | The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. |
| ASV | The waters hide themselves and become like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen. |
| YLT | As a stone waters are hidden, And the face of the deep is captured. |
| WEB | The waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen. |
| BBE | The waters are joined together, hard as a stone, and the face of the deep is covered. |
The translations agree on the imagery of waters becoming hard as stone.
The sentence structure presents a main clause with a subordinate phrase, emphasizing the transformation of the waters and the deep.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectמַיִם
verbחָבָא
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 38:30
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 — God's Sovereignty in Creationgenerated
Job 38:30 is part of God's response to Job, where He questions Job about the wonders of creation. This verse specifically addresses the phenomenon of water freezing, emphasizing God's authority over natural elements. The surrounding verses (Job 38:29-32) continue this theme, asking Job about the origins of ice and frost, and whether he can control celestial bodies, reinforcing the vastness of God's power compared to human understanding.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 37:10 | By the breath of God the ice is formed and the watery expanses are frozen. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — כָּ֭אֶבֶן, Ka.'e.vengenerated
The word אֶ֫בֶן (*eben*) means 'stone' and refers to various types of stones, including those used for construction or as weights. In this context, it describes the hardness of water when frozen, likening it to a solid stone. The parsing indicates it is a noun in the singular form, suggesting a specific instance of hardness.
This word carries both physical and metaphorical meanings, often symbolizing strength or stability. Its use here highlights the dramatic transformation of water into something solid, showcasing God's creative power.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree on the imagery of water becoming hard as stone.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse contains two finite verbs: יִתְחַבָּ֑אוּ and יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ, which describe the actions of the waters and the deep, respectively. The structure emphasizes the transformation of the waters and the surface of the deep, with the main subject being מַ֣יִם (waters).
The order of the Hebrew words places emphasis on the actions of the waters becoming hard and the surface freezing, illustrating the dramatic change in state.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates כָּ֭אֶבֶן with ὥσπερ, indicating a simile that conveys similarity rather than direct equivalence. This choice reflects an interpretative approach, emphasizing the likeness of frozen waters to stone.
The Greek term used suggests a broader understanding of the transformation, aligning with the imagery of solidification present in the Hebrew text.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 38:30 describes how waters can become hard like stone and how the deep can freeze. This verse is part of God's questioning of Job about the natural world, emphasizing His power over creation.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
This phrase illustrates the phenomenon of water freezing, becoming solid and unyielding, which reflects God's control over nature.
In Job 38, God challenges Job's understanding of the universe, using natural phenomena to demonstrate His sovereignty and the limits of human knowledge.
The imagery of frozen waters emphasizes the power and authority of God in creation, contrasting human limitations with divine capabilities.
Most translations convey the same imagery of waters becoming hard, highlighting the consistency in understanding this natural phenomenon.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What does the imagery of water freezing teach us about God's power over creation?
- How can we recognize the limits of our understanding in the face of God's vast knowledge?
- In what ways do we see God's control over nature in our daily lives?
- How can we respond to the majesty of God's creation as described in this passage?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentary on this verse highlights the metaphorical interpretation of waters as peoples, illustrating the depth of meaning in God's creation.
The waters are hardened after the likeness of a stone, and the surface of the deep is congealed. For I remember that I have often taught already that 'waters' are taken for peoples.Early Church Fathers on Job 38 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 38:30 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe waters are hid as [with] a stone,.... The surface of the waters by frost become as hard as a stone, and will bear great burdens, and admit of carriages to pass over them (c) where ships went
Read John Gill on Job 38 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThe waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. The unfrozen waters are hidden under the frozen, as with a covering of stone.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 38 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleAs with a stone, i.e. with ice as hard as a stone. The face of the deep, i.e. the great sea, which is oft called the deep, as 63:13 , which in some parts is frozen, which is a wonderful work of God.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 38 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 38:30 The waters are hid as [with] a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.Ver. 30. The waters are hid as with a stone] This is a further description of ice, which is hard as a stone and clear as crystal; so great is the force of frost; how much more, then, of God to do whatsoever he pleaseth. And the face of the deep is frozen] Some deep rivers are ice to the bottom, so that loaden carts are driven over, fires made upon them, meat dressed, &c., as was here upon the Thames in the great frost, some forty-five years since, Quae aquae magno et diuturno frigore congelescunt, velut per 10 vel 20 annos continuos appellantur crystallus, velut in Alpibus. Yea, some seas are frozen over…
Read John Trapp on Job 38 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(30) The waters are hid.—Or, The waters hide themselves and become like stone. Water loses its familiar quality, and is turned into stone.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 38 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 30. The waters are hid as with a stone] Here is a reference to freezing in the winter, as we may learn from some of the constellations mentioned below, which arise above our horizon, in the winter months. The word יתחבאו yithchabbau is understood by the versions in general as implying hardening or congelation; and we know in some intense frosts the ice becomes as hard as a stone; and even the face of the deep-the very seas themselves, not only in the polar circles, but even in northern countries, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, and parts of Germany, are really frozen, and locked up from all the purposes of navigation for several months in winter.
Read AdamClarke on Job 38 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges30. as with a stone] lit. the waters hide themselves like a stone, that is, becoming like stone. is frozen] lit. cleaveth together. The phenomenon of ice, rare in the East, naturally appeared wonderful.
Read Cambridge on Job 38 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe waters are hid as with a stone - The solid ice is laid as a stone upon them, wholly concealing them from view.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 38 →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
when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen?
The waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen.
when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen?
when the waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen solid?
Tyndale line
The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
The waters hide themselves and become like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen.
The waters are hidden as with stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
The waters are hid as with a stone: and the face of the depth is frosen.
Strictly literal
When the waters lie hidden as in stone, and the face of the deep holdeth fast together.
As a stone waters are hidden, And the face of the deep is captured.
Waters are hidden as a stone, || And the face of the deep is captured.
[When] like a stone the waters are congealed, and the face of the deep is bound in fetters?
The waters hide themselves and become like stone; the surface of the deep becomes frozen.
From the Latin
The waters are hardened like a stone, and the surface of the deep is congealed.
Simplified
Water turns into rock-hard ice; its surface freezes solid.
The waters are joined together, hard as a stone, and the face of the deep is covered.
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 largely agree in their wording, with five out of six words matched. The Septuagint's rendering reflects the same concepts but is structured differently, showcasing the translators' interpretative choices.
כָּ֭אֶבֶן מַ֣יִם יִתְחַבָּ֑אוּ וּפְנֵ֥י תְ֝ה֗וֹם יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ׃
5 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 38:30
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.
The Hebrew word אֶ֫בֶן (*eben*) means 'stone' and encompasses various types, including common stones, precious stones, and stones used as weights or tools. It can also refer to metaphorical uses, such as a hardened heart or sinking in water. The entries highlight its physical and symbolic significance, with no notable disagreements among lexicons.
אֶ֫בֶן 274 n.f. stone
in natural state
stone, as material
precious stone, gen. with modifying word
stone containing metal, = ore
a weight, as orig. stone
plummet
objects like stone
in sim. (mostly poet.) of sinking in water
In topogr. terms
base
H68 אֶ֫בֶן stone . in natural state
. stone, as material
. precious stone, gen. with modifying word
. stone containing metal, = ore
. a weight, as orig. stone
. plummet
. objects like stone
. in sim. (mostly poet.) of sinking in water
. In topogr. terms
68 'eben eh'-ben
from the root of 1129 through the meaning to build; a
stone:--+ carbuncle, + mason, + plummet, (chalk-, hail-,
head-, sling-)stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s).
see HEBREW for 01129
אֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) — stone.
: stone
1) stone (large or small)
1a) common stone (in natural state)
1b) stone, as material
1b1) of tablets
1b2) marble, hewn stones
1c) precious stones, stones of fire
1d) stones containing metal (ore), tool for work or weapon
1e) weight
1f) plummet (stones of destruction) also made of metal
1g) stonelike objects, eg hailstones, stony heart, ice
1h) sacred object, as memorial Samuel set up to mark where God helped Israel to defeat the Philistines
1i) (simile)
1i1) sinking in water, motionlessness
1i2) strength, firmness, solidity
1i3) commonness
1j) (metaph)
1j1) petrified with terror
1j2) perverse, hard heart
אֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) — stone: weight.
: weight
1) stone (large or small)
1a) common stone (in natural state)
1b) stone, as material
1b1) of tablets
1b2) marble, hewn stones
1c) precious stones, stones of fire
1d) stones containing metal (ore), tool for work or weapon
Prep | N-fs — Preposition · noun common feminine singular absoluteHRd/Ncfsa
Stone
Stones were commonly used for buildings, also as memorials of important events (Gen. 28:18; Josh. 24:26, 27; 1 Sam. 7:12, etc.). They were gathered out of cultivated fields (Isa. 5:2; comp. 2 Kings 3:19). This word is also used figuratively of believers (1 Pet. 2:4, 5), and of the Messiah (Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11, etc.). In…
The allusion in Re 2:17 may be to the practice at the Olympic games of giving the successful competitor a white stone, inscribed with his name and the value of his prize; or to the mode of balloting with black and white stones on the question of the acquittal of an accused person, or his admission to certain privileges; if the stones deposited in the urn by the judges were all white, the decision was favorable. In early ages, flint-stone knives were in common use, instead of steel, Ex 4:25 Jos 5:2.
It was also customary to raise a heap or mound of stones in commemoration of any remarkable event, Ge 31:46 Jos 4:5-7 7:26 8:29…
מַי (mayim) is a Hebrew word meaning 'water' and is used in the plural form. It encompasses various meanings, including literal water, urine, and metaphorical uses related to refreshment or danger. The entries indicate it is derived from a primitive noun and is primarily referenced in contexts involving water.
[מַי] 580 n.m. only pl. מַ֫יִם waters, water
base
H4325 מַי only pl. מַ֫יִם waters, water
4325 mayim mah'-yim
dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense);
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen:--+
piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).
מַי (ma.yim) — water.
1) water, waters
1a) water
1b) water of the feet, urine
1c) of danger, violence, transitory things, refreshment (fig.)
מַי (ma.yim) — Water (Gate).
This name means water, refreshment
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absoluteHNcmpa
wo'-terz (mayim, plural of may, "water"; in the New Testament hudor, "water"; kindunois potamon (2Co 11:26), the King James Version "perils of waters," is in the Revised Version (British and American) "perils of rivers"): In the New Testament there is frequent reference to the water of baptism. Pilate washes his hands with water to signify his guiltlessness. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman of the living water. The Lamb shall guide the redeemed unto fountains of waters of life.
The uses of mayim are well classified in BDB, especially the figurative references, as follows: a symbol of distress, "when thou passest through the waters" (Isa 43:2); of force, "like the breach of waters" (2Sa 5:20); of that which is overwhelming, "a…
חָבָא (chaba') is a Hebrew verb meaning to withdraw or hide. It has various forms, including Niph'al (to hide oneself), Pual (to be forced into hiding), and Hiph'il (to hide something). The entries suggest a range of meanings from simply hiding to drawing together or thickening, indicating a nuanced use of the term in different contexts.
[חָבָא] vb. withdraw, hide (not in Qal)
Niph. hide oneself
Pu. have been hidden
Hiph. hide, trans.
Hoph. be hidden
Hithp.
draw back, hide oneself
draw together, thicken, harden
base
H2244 חָבָא withdraw, hide
2244 chaba' khaw-baw'
a primitive root (compare 2245); to secrete:--X held, hide
(self), do secretly.
see HEBREW for 02245
חָבָא (cha.va) — to hide.
1) to withdraw, hide
1a) (Niphal) to hide oneself
1b) (Pual) to be forced into hiding
1c) (Hiphil) to hide
1d) (Hophal) to be hidden
1e) (Hithpael)
1e1) to hide oneself, draw back
1e2) to draw together, thicken, harden
V-Hithpael-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Hithpael · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVti3mp
The Hebrew word פָּנֶה (*pāneh*) is a noun meaning 'face' or 'presence,' and it appears in various contexts, including the faces of seraphim and animals, as well as the surface of the ground. It can also function as an adverb meaning 'before' or 'in front of.' The word is built from a root that suggests turning or facing, and it encompasses a wide range of applications, both literal and figurative.
[פָּנֶה], pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. face, also faces
face, faces
presence, person
technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
face of seraphim
face of animals
face (= surface) of ground
as adv.loc. before
for other phrases
with prepositions
base
H6440 פָּנֶה, pl. פָּנִים face, also faces . . face, faces
. . presence, person
. technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
. face of seraphim
. face of animals
. face (= surface) of ground
. as adv. loc. before
. for other phrases
. with prepositions
6440 paniym paw-neem'
plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh
{paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns);
used in a great variety of applications (literally and
figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a
preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time),
against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of),
+ beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire,
face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er
time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), +
honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, +
meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on,
open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please,
presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right
forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street,
X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s)
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face: before.
: before/to/front
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face.
: face
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from…
Conj | N-cp — Conjunction · noun common masculine plural constructHC/Ncmpc
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…
תְּהוֹם (tehom) refers to a deep or abyss, often associated with the sea or subterranean waters. It encompasses meanings such as depths, the primeval ocean in Hebrew cosmology, and can also denote the grave. The word is typically feminine and is derived from a root meaning 'to surge.'
תְּהוֹם n.f. et m. deep, sea, abyss
deep, of subterranean waters
(deep) sea
primaeval ocean, deep, in Heb. cosmogony
deep, depth
abyss
base
H8415 תְּהוֹם deep, sea, abyss . deep, of subterranean waters
. (deep) sea
. primaeval ocean, deep, in Heb. cosmogony
. deep, depth
. abyss
8415 thowm teh-home'
or thom {teh-home'}; (usually feminine) from 1949; an abyss
(as a surging mass of water), especially the deep (the main
sea or the subterranean water-supply):--deep (place), depth.
see HEBREW for 01949
תְּהוֹם (te.hom) — abyss.
1) deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea
1a) deep (of subterranean waters)
1b) deep, sea, abysses (of sea)
1c) primeval ocean, deep
1d) deep, depth (of river)
1e) abyss, the grave
N-cs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
לָכַד (lakad) means to capture, seize, or take, often by lot. It can refer to catching in a net or trap, as well as figuratively to describe things sticking together. The verb appears in various forms, including Qal (to capture), Niphal (to be captured), and Hithpael (to grasp each other).
לָכַד 121 vb. capture, seize, take (by lot)
Qal
capture, seize
fig. of entrapping men
of taking by lot
Niph.
be captured in war
of men, be caught
be taken by lot
Hithp. they grasp each other, and cannot be separated
base
H3920 לָכַד capture, seize, take (by lot)
3920 lakad law-kad'
a primitive root; to catch (in a net, trap or pit);
generally, to capture or occupy; also to choose (by lot);
figuratively, to cohere:--X at all, catch (self), be frozen,
be holden, stick together, take.
לָכַד (la.khad) — to capture.
1) to capture, take, seize
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to capture, seize
1a2) to capture (of men) (fig.)
1a3) to take (by lot)
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be captured
1b2) to be caught (of men in trap, snare) (fig.)
1c) (Hithpael) to grasp each other
V-Hithpael-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Hithpael · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVti3mp