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Job 4:20 — Word Study

Depth

WLCמִבֹּ֣קֶר לָעֶ֣רֶב יֻכַּ֑תּוּ מִבְּלִ֥י מֵ֝שִׂ֗ים לָנֶ֥צַח יֹאבֵֽדוּ׃

BSAThey are smashed to pieceskâthath [destroyed, crushed] from dawnbôqer [between, morning, the break of day] to duskʻereb [evening, sunset] unnoticedbᵉlîy [without any regarding it] they perishʼâbad [come to an end, are lost] forevernetsach [for perpetuity, everlasting]

Word
Listen & take awayJob 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 20 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (yo.Ve.du) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Job 4:20quick helps
In a sentenceJob reflects on the fragility of human life, emphasizing how quickly and unnoticed people can be destroyed.
Who is speakingEliphaz, one of Job's friends, is speaking, offering his perspective on suffering.
Where we areThis verse is part of a larger discourse on the nature of human existence and divine justice.
The hard wordיֻכַּ֑תּוּ
Take awayLife is transient, and many perish without notice.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectשׂים verbכָּתַת The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

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 4:20

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 — Eliphaz's Discourse on Human Fragilitygenerated

18If God puts no trust in His servants, and He charges His angels with error,
19how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed like a moth!
20They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.
21Are not their tent cords pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’

Job 4:20 is part of Eliphaz's speech, where he discusses the fate of humans in the light of divine oversight. He argues that if God does not trust even His angels, how much less should He be expected to regard humans, who are frail and transient. This verse highlights the inevitability of destruction faced by humanity from morning to evening, illustrating the theme of mortality in the broader context of the book of Job.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
12 Chronicles 15:6Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God afflicted them with all kinds of adversity.
2Isaiah 38:12–13My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me.
3Job 14:14When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes.
4Job 16:22For when only a few years are past I will go the way of no return.
5Psalm 39:13Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may again be cheered before I depart and am no more.”

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to

from morningIsaiah 38:12–13

The Key Word יֻכַּ֑תּוּ, yu.Ka.tugenerated

The verb כָּתַת (kathath) means to crush or break violently, indicating a complete destruction. The form here is Hophal, which suggests a passive action, meaning they are being crushed rather than crushing themselves.

The parsing indicates that this is a third-person masculine plural verb, referring to people in general. The imagery conveys the sudden and violent end that can come to life, emphasizing the theme of human vulnerability.


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.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb יֻכַּ֑תּוּ governs the main clause, which describes the action of being crushed. The prepositional phrases detail the time frame from dawn to dusk and the condition of being unnoticed.

The structure emphasizes the continuous nature of destruction throughout the day, highlighting the transient state of human life.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates the phrase with ἀπὸ (apo), meaning 'from,' which retains the sense of a time frame from morning to evening. This choice reflects a direct correspondence with the Hebrew, maintaining the original meaning.

The Greek word ἑσπέρας for evening suggests a similar understanding of the day's progression, linking the Hebrew and Greek texts closely.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Job 4:20 describes how people are crushed from morning to evening, often without anyone noticing. This verse reflects on the fragility of human life and the inevitability of death, emphasizing that many perish without regard.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that they are crushed from dawn to dusk?

This phrase indicates that destruction can happen at any time throughout the day, highlighting the constant threat to human life.

Why does Eliphaz say they perish unnoticed?

Eliphaz emphasizes that many lives end without acknowledgment or recognition, reflecting the harsh reality of mortality.

How does this verse relate to the overall message of Job?

This verse contributes to the theme of suffering and the transient nature of life, which is central to the discussions in the book of Job.

What can we learn from this verse about human life?

The verse teaches that life is fragile and can end suddenly, urging us to consider the value of our existence and the need for awareness of our mortality.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How does the idea of being unnoticed in death affect my view of life?
  2. In what ways can I be more aware of the fragility of life around me?
  3. What does this verse teach about the nature of suffering and mortality?
  4. How can I apply the lesson of this verse to my daily life and relationships?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early commentators reflect on the themes present in this verse, discussing human suffering and the consequences of sin as highlighted by Eliphaz.

Didymus the BlindCOMMENTARY ON Job 4:20-21 c. 313–398
Eliphaz, still clinging to the same principle … that Job’s critical circumstances were due to Job’s own sins, adds these words, “Since they could not help themselves through virtue by repenting of their evils,
Early Church Fathers on Job 4 →
Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book V c. 540–604
They shall be cut off from morning to evening. For the sinner is 'cut off from morning to evening,' in that from the beginning of his life to the end thereof he is ever getting wounded by the commission of sin.
Early Church Fathers on Job 4 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Job 4:20 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

They are destroyed from morning to evening,.... That is, those that dwell in houses of clay, before described; the meaning is, that they are always exposed to death, and liable to it every day they

Read John Gill on Job 4 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it. From morning to evening - unceasingly; or, better, between the morning and evening of one short day (so Exodus 18:14; Isaiah 38:12).

Read Robert Jamieson on Job 4 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

From morning to evening; either, 1. Speedily, between morning and evening, like the grass; they flourish in the morning, and in the evening are cut off, ,6. Or rather, 2. All the day long, as the phrase is, . There is not a moment wherein man is not sinking and drawing on towards death and corruption. For ever; as to human appearance and the course of nature, as many such like passages are to be understood in this book; or in reference to this present. and worldly life, which when once lost is never recovered, . Without any regarding it, Heb. without putting the heart to it; the word heart being understood there, as also 34:23 , as may appear by comparing 57:1, where the same phrase is…

Read Matthew Poole on Job 4 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 4:20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding [it].Ver. 20. They are destroyed from morning to evening] Heb. They are beaten to pieces, as in a mortar, with one sorrow upon another, till the very breath be beaten out of their bodies at length; and all this from morning to evening, all the day long, or all their life long, which is here set forth (for the brevity of it) by an artificial day, and such also as no man can be sure he shall have twelve hours to his day ( Per totum diem, through the entire day, Drus.), for how many are there whose sun hath set at high noon! in the prime and pride of their days have they been suddenly snatched away…

Read John Trapp on Job 4 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(20) From morning to evening.—The process is continual and unceasing, and when we consider the ravages of time on history, we may well say, as in Job 4:20, that “none regardeth it.” The next verse, however, may seem to imply that they themselves are unmindful of their decay, it is so insidious and so complete.

Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 4 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 20. They are destroyed from morning to evening] In almost every moment of time some human being comes into the world, and some one departs from it. Thus are they "destroyed from morning to evening." They perish for ever] יאבדו yobedu; peribunt, they pass by; they go out of sight; they moulder with the dust, and are soon forgotten. Who regards the past generation now among the dead? Isaiah has a similar thought, Isaiah 57:1: "The righteous perisheth, and No MAN LAYETH IT TO HEART: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." Some think that Isaiah borrowed from Job; this will appear possible when it has been proved, which…

Read AdamClarke on Job 4 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

20. from morning to evening] i. e. from a morning to an evening, in the course of a single day, cf. Isaiah 38:12. They are short-lived as ephemerids. without any regarding] i. e. without any one noticing it; so insignificant and of no account are they, that they pass away unobserved, like ephemeral insects. The words might mean, without any of them laying to heart; they are thoughtless in their sinful levity, an idea parallel to “without wisdom” in the next verse. Job 4:19 described how easily men are destroyed, this verse describes how soon. All is meant to widen the chasm between men and God, and by giving Job right thoughts of God, and of himself a man, to bring back his mind to a…

Read Cambridge on Job 4 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They are destroyed from morning to evening - Margin, “beaten in pieces.” This is nearer to the Hebrew.

Read Albert Barnes on Job 4 →

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

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.

NETBNew English Translation2006

They are destroyed between morning and evening; they perish forever without anyone regarding it.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed: They perish for ever without any regarding it.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it .

GNVGeneva Bible1599

They be destroyed from the morning vnto the euening: they perish for euer, without regarde.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

From morning to evening are they smitten: without any heeding it, they perish for ever.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

From morning to evening are beaten down, Without any regarding, for ever they perish.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

From morning to evening are beaten down, || Without any regarding, they perish forever.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

From morning to evening are they broken to pieces: without laying it [to heart] they perish for ever.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Between morning and evening they are destroyed; they perish forever without anyone noticing them.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

From morning till evening they shall be cut down: and because no one understandeth, they shall perish for ever.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Alive in the morning, they are dead by evening. They die, unnoticed.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Between morning and evening they are completely broken; they come to an end for ever, and no one takes note.

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.

clauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalprepositional phraseמִfromבֹּ֣קֶרmorningprepositional phraseלָtonoun phraseעֶ֣רֶבeveningverbיֻכַּ֑תּוּthey.are.crushed.to.piecesclauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalמִfromclausepredicateבְּלִ֥יnotsubjectמֵ֝שִׂ֗ים[one.who].setsprepositional phrase · prepositionalלָtoנֶ֥צַחperpetuityverbיֹאבֵֽדוּthey.perish

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 overall message, though the Septuagint's phrasing may differ. The Hebrew text's structure and meaning are preserved in the Greek translation, indicating a consistent understanding of the verse.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

מִבֹּ֣קֶר לָעֶ֣רֶב יֻכַּ֑תּוּ מִבְּלִ֥י מֵ֝שִׂ֗ים לָנֶ֥צַח יֹאבֵֽדוּ׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
מִבֹּ֣קֶרἀπὸלָעֶ֣רֶבἑσπέραςלָנֶ֥צַחβοηθῆσαιיֹאבֵֽדוּ׃ἀπώλοντο

4 of the 7 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.

Job 4:20בֹּ֫קֶרfrom morninfrom morningבֹּ֫קֶרעֶ֫רֶבto eveningto eveningעֶ֫רֶבכָּתַתthey are crthey are crusheכָּתַתבְּלִיbecause notbecause notבְּלִישׂוּם[one who] s[one who] setsשׂוּםנֵ֫צַחto perpetuito perpetuityנֵ֫צַחאָבַדthey perishthey perishאָבַדבָּקַרto enquireto enquireבָּקַרעָרַבto grow dato grow darkעָרַבבָּלָהto become to become oldבָּלָהנָצַחto conductto conductנָצַחשָׁכַםto riseto riseשָׁכַםעֶ֫רֶבeveningeveningעֶ֫רֶבטָמֵאto defileto defileטָמֵאבֹּ֫קֶרmorningmorningבֹּ֫קֶראֵתplowshareplowshareאֵתפָּסִילidolidolפָּסִילדַּ֫עַתknowledgeknowledgeדַּ֫עַתיָצַתto kindleto kindleיָצַתשַׁמָּהhorror: dehorror: destroyשַׁמָּהשְׁמָמָהDesolateDesolateשְׁמָמָהשָׁכַחto forgetto forgetשָׁכַחבַּלnotnotבַּלתִּקְוָהcordcordתִּקְוָהשָׁמַדto destroyto destroyשָׁמַד
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Job 4:20

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.

from morning to evening they are crushed to pieces because not [one who] sets to perpetuity they perish
מִבֹּ֣קֶרmi.Bo.ker from morning H1242 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
214× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The break of day or morning, a time of new beginnings, as in the morning sacrifices in Exodus 29:39 or the resurrection of Jesus on the first day of the week in John 20:1.
Amplified meaning
between, morning, the break of day
Tyndale gloss
morning
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בֹּ֫קֶר (boqer) means 'morning' and is derived from the root word for 'dawn.' It encompasses the time of day when light begins to appear, marking the end of night and the start of a new day. The term can also refer to the next day or morning after a specific point in time. It is associated with brightness and joy following periods of distress.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֹּ֫קֶר 214 n.m. morning

morning (of point of time, time at which, never during which, Eng. morning = forenoon

morrow, next day

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1242 בֹּ֫קֶר morning . morning (of point of time, time at which, never during which, Eng. morning = forenoon

. morrow, next day

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1242 boqer bo'-ker

from 1239; properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally,

morning:--(+) day, early, morning, morrow.

see HEBREW for 01239

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֹּ֫קֶר (bo.qer) — morning.

1) morning, break of day

1a) morning

1a1) of end of night

1a2) of coming of daylight

1a3) of coming of sunrise

1a4) of beginning of day

1a5) of bright joy after night of distress (fig.)

1b) morrow, next day, next morning

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HR/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mor'-ning: There are several Hebrew and Greek words which are rendered "morning," the most common in Hebrew being boqer, which occurs 180 times. It properly means "the breaking forth of the light," "the dawn," as in Ge 19:27; Jud 19:8,25,27. Another word with the same meaning is shachar (Ge 19:15; Ne 4:21; Isa 58:8). mishchar ("womb of the morning," Ps 110:3) is a poetical term derived from. the same root. See HIND OF THE MORNING. noghah, naghha' (Da 6:19 (Hebrew 20)), mean "brightness." hashkem, comes from…

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- The second part of the day at the creation

Ge 1:5,8,13,19,23,31

- The first part of the natural day

Mr 16:2

- Ordained by God

Job 38:12

- Began with first dawn

Jos 6:15; Ps 119:147

- Continued until noon

1Ki 18:26; Ne 8:3

- First dawning of, called the eyelids of the morning

Job 3:9; 41:18

- The outgoings of, made to rejoice

Ps 65:8

- THE JEWS

. Generally rose early in

from morning to evening they are crushed to pieces because not [one who] sets to perpetuity they perish
לָעֶ֣רֶבla.'E.rev to evening H6153 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
134× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means evening or sunset, like when God created daylight and darkness in Genesis. It refers to the time of day, often marking the end of a workday. This word is used in many verses, including Exodus and Psalms.
Amplified meaning
evening, sunset
Tyndale gloss
evening
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עֶ֫רֶב (ereb) refers to the time of day known as evening or dusk, originally associated with sunset. It can also denote night, particularly in poetic contexts. The phrase 'between two evenings' suggests a time frame between sunset and darkness.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֶ֫רֶב 131 n.[m.] (sun)set, evening

evening, orig. sunset

du. in phrase between two evenings, i.e. prob. between sunset and dark

(late poet.) = night

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6153 עֶ֫רֶב (sun)set, evening . . evening, orig. sunset

. du. in phrase between two evenings, i.e. prob. between sunset and dark

. (late poet.) = night

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6153 `ereb eh'-reb

from 6150; dusk:--+ day, even(-ing, tide), night.

see HEBREW for 06150

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֶ֫רֶב (e.rev) — evening.

1) evening, night, sunset

1a) evening, sunset

1b) night

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HRd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Evening

The period following sunset with which the Jewish day began (Gen. 1:5; Mark 13:35). The Hebrews reckoned two evenings of each day, as appears from Ex. 16:12: 30:8; 12:6 (marg.); Lev. 23:5 (marg. R.V., “between the two evenings”). The “first evening” was that period when the sun was verging towards setting, and the “second evening” the moment of actual sunset. The word “evenings” in Jer. 5:6 should be “deserts” (marg. R.V.).

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The Hebrews reckoned two evenings in each day; as in the phrase, "between the two evenings," Ex 12:6 Nu 9:3 28:4. In this interval the Passover was to be killed, and the daily evening sacrifice offered, Ex 29:39-41, Hebrew. According to the Carites, this time between the evenings is the interval from sunset to complete darkness, that is, the evening is the interval from sunset to complete darkness, that is, the evening twilight. Compare De 16:6. According to the Pharisees and the rabbins, the first evening began when the sun inclined to descend more rapidly, that is, at the ninth hour; while the second or real evening commenced at sunset. See DAY.

from morning to evening they are crushed to pieces because not [one who] sets to perpetuity they perish
יֻכַּ֑תּוּyu.Ka.tu they are crushed to pieces H3807 Verb · Hophal · imperfect third person masculine plural
17× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To crush or beat something violently means to destroy or shatter it into pieces, as when God punished the Israelites for their disobedience.
Amplified meaning
destroyed, crushed
Tyndale gloss
to crush
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כָּתַת (kathath) is a Hebrew verb meaning to beat or crush, often with a violent connotation. It encompasses actions like crushing fine, breaking into pieces, and shattering. The entries indicate various forms of the verb, including Qal, Piel, Pual, Hiphil, and Hophal, which express different nuances of beating or being beaten.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[כָּתַת] vb. beat, crush by beating

Qal

beat or crush fine

beat, hammer (ploughshares into swords)

Pi. Pf.;—as Qal 1. beat or crush fine

Pu. and they were beaten in pieces, one nation against another.

Hiph. beat in pieces an enemy

Hoph. and to ruins is the gate crushed

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3807 [כָּתַת] beat, crush by beating .. beat or crush fine

. beat, hammer (ploughshares into swords)

. Pf.;—as Qal 1. beat or crush fine

. and they were beaten in pieces, one nation against another.

. beat in pieces an enemy

. and to ruins is the gate crushed

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3807 kathath kaw-thath'

a primitive root; to bruise or violently strike:--beat (down,

to pieces), break in pieces, crushed, destroy, discomfit,

smite, stamp.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּתַת (ka.tat) — to crush.

1) to beat, crush by beating, crush to pieces, crush fine

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to beat or crush fine

1a2) to beat, hammer

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to beat or crush fine

1b2) to beat, hammer

1c) (Pual) to be beaten

1d) (Hiphil) to beat in pieces, shatter

1e) (Hophal) to be beaten, be crushed

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Hophal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Hophal · imperfect third person masculine plural
HVHi3mp
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Pieces

(1) of silver. In Ps. 68:30 denotes “fragments,” and not properly money. In 1 Sam. 2:36 (Heb. agorah), properly a “small sum” as wages, weighed rather than coined. Josh. 24:32 (Heb. kesitah, q.v.), supposed by some to have been a piece of money bearing the figure of a lamb, but rather simply a certain amount. (Comp. Gen. 33:19).

(2.) The word pieces is omitted in many passages, as Gen. 20:16; 37:28; 45:22, etc. The passage in Zech. 11:12, 13 is quoted in the Gospel (Matt. 26:15), and from this we…

from morning to evening they are crushed to pieces because not [one who] sets to perpetuity they perish
מִבְּלִ֥יmi.be.Li because not H1097 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
58× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means without or nothing, often used for negation. It appears in various forms, such as without or not yet, in the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
without any regarding it
Tyndale gloss
without
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בְּלִי (bli) refers to a state of wearing out or destruction, and serves as an adverb of negation meaning 'without' or 'not.' It is derived from the root meaning failure and can indicate absence or lack in various contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בְּלִי subst. wearing out, hence

fig. destruction

defect, failure, hence adv. of negation

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1097 בְּלִי subst. wearing out, hence . fig. destruction

. defect, failure, hence adv. of negation

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1097 bliy bel-ee'

from 1086; properly, failure, i.e. nothing or destruction;

usually (with preposition) without, not yet, because not, as

long as, etc.:--corruption, ig(norantly), for lack of, where

no...is, so that no, none, not, un(awares), without.

see HEBREW for 01086

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בְּלִי (be.li) — without.

subst

1) wearing out

adv of negation

2) without, no, not

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HR/Ncmsa
from morning to evening they are crushed to pieces because not [one who] sets to perpetuity they perish
מֵ֝שִׂ֗יםme.Sim [one who] sets H7760 Verb · Hiphil · participle (active) masculine singular
585× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to put or place something, and is used in many different ways in the Bible, such as to appoint or determine something. It is first used in Genesis to describe God's creation. In the KJV, it is translated as 'appoint' or 'set' in various contexts.
Tyndale gloss
to set: make
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שׂוּם (sum) is a verb meaning to put, place, or set, with a wide range of applications including appointing, establishing, and making. It can also refer to laying something upon or directing it. There is a related noun שׂוּמָה (sumah), which may denote a token of unluckiness. The entries do not present any significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שׂוּם, שִׂים 582 vb. put, place, set

Qal

put, set, in a place

put something upon

put, lay, set

put, c. בֵּין

set, direct

set, ordain, in a place

set, establish a law, statute

set, found a nation

set, appoint (as ruler, official)

set, constitute, make

set, determine, fix, bounds

set, station, at a post

put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars

set up altars

= plant, wheat

set, fix (countenance)

make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into

make, constitute

work, bring to pass

appoint, give

set, fix (countenance)

Hiph. I will make him for a sign

Hoph. there was set before him

base

שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl;—2 S 13:32

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7760a שׂוּם, שִׂים put, place, set .. . put, set, in a place

. put something upon

. put, lay, set

. put, c. בֵּין

. set, direct

. . set, ordain, in a place

. set, establish a law, statute

. set, found a nation

. set, appoint (as ruler, official)

. set, constitute, make

. set, determine, fix, bounds

. . set, station, at a post

. put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars

. set up altars

. = plant, wheat

. set, fix (countenance)

. . make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into

. make, constitute

. work, bring to pass

. appoint, give

. set, fix (countenance)

. I will make him for a sign

. there was set before him

H7760b שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7760 suwm soom

or siym {seem}; a primitive root; to put (used in a great

variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially,

and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a

name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider,

convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap

up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out),

mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve,

purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set

(on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down,

((over-))turn, X wholly, work.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שׂוּם (sum) — to set: make.

: make/establish

1) to put, place, set, appoint, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on

1a2) to set, direct, direct toward

1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)

1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix

1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix

1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give

1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign

1c) (Hophal) to be set

שׂוּמָה (su.mah) — fate.

token of unluckiness, scowl

שׂוּם (sum) — to set: put.

: put/give

1) to put, place, set, appoint, make

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on

1a2) to set, direct, direct toward

1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)

1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVhrmsa — Verb · Hiphil · participle (active) masculine singular
HVhrmsa
from morning to evening they are crushed to pieces because not [one who] sets to perpetuity they perish
לָנֶ֥צַחla.Ne.tzach to perpetuity H5331 Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
43× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for perpetuity or everlastingness, often used to describe God's nature. It appears in Psalm 9:7, where the psalmist praises God's enduring presence. This word conveys the idea of something lasting forever.
Amplified meaning
for perpetuity, everlasting
Tyndale gloss
perpetuity
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נֵ֫צַח (netsach) encompasses concepts of eminence, enduring strength, and perpetuity. It is derived from a root meaning 'goal' or 'bright object' and conveys ideas of splendor, truthfulness, and confidence. The term is used to express notions of victory and continual existence, often implying an everlasting quality.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נֵ֫צַח n.m. eminence, enduring, everlasting, perpetuity

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5331 נֵ֫צַח eminence, enduring, everlasting, perpetuity

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5331 netsach neh'-tsakh

or netsach {nay'-tsakh}; from 5329; properly, a goal, i.e.

the bright object at a distance travelled towards; hence

(figuratively), splendor, or (subjectively) truthfulness, or

(objectively) confidence; but usually (adverbially),

continually (i.e. to the most distant point of

view); --alway(-s), constantly, end, (+ n-)ever(more),

perpetual, strength, victory.

see HEBREW for 05329

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נֵ֫צַח (ne.tsach) — perpetuity.

1) eminence, perpetuity, strength, victory, enduring, everlastingness

1a) eminence

1b) enduring of life

1c) endurance in time, perpetual, continual, unto the end

1d) everlastingness, ever

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absolute
HR/Ncmsa
from morning to evening they are crushed to pieces because not [one who] sets to perpetuity they perish
יֹאבֵֽדוּ׃yo.Ve.du they perish H6 Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine plural
184× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To perish means to be destroyed or lost, whether it's a person, animal, or thing, like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.
Amplified meaning
come to an end, are lost
Tyndale gloss
to perish
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אָבַד (abad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to perish or be lost. It encompasses a range of meanings, including dying, vanishing, and destruction, often in a moral or judgment context. The word appears in various forms in the Old Testament, with uses related to individuals, nations, and inanimate objects. The lexicons indicate that it can also imply causing something to perish or stray.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אָבַד vb. perish (M I אבד, As. abâtu Dl W 184 Aram אֲבַד, Syriac).—

Qal Pf. א׳ Nu 21:30 +; אָבְדוּ ψ 10:16 + (+ Ez 6:3 𝔊 Co) etc.; Impf. יֹאבַד Jb 3:3 Je 4:9; יֹאבֵ֑ד Jb 20:7 + 2t.; 3fs. תֹּאבַד Dt 22:3 + 4t.; תֹּאבֵ֑ד Jb 8:13 + 3t.; יֹאבְדוּ Ju 5:31 + 3t.; יֹאבֵ֑דוּ Jb 4:9 +; 3fpl. וַתֹּאבַדְנָה֙ I S 9:3; תֹּאבֵדוּן Dt 4:26 +; נֹאבֵ֑ד Jon 1:6

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6 אָבַד perish .. perish, die, of individuals

. fig. perish, vanish, subj. memory

. be lost, strayed

. . cause to perish, destroy, kill

. fig. cause to vanish, blot out, do away with

. cause to stray, lose

. . destroy, put to death, in judgment

. fig. obj. name of kings; hope; voice of mirth etc.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6 'abad aw-bad'

a primitive root; properly, to wander away, i.e. lose

oneself; by implication to perish (causative,

destroy):--break, destroy(- uction), + not escape, fail,

lose, (cause to, make) perish, spend, X and surely, take, be

undone, X utterly, be void of, have no way to flee.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אָבַד (a.vad) — to perish.

1) perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed

1a) (Qal)

1a1) perish, die, be exterminated

1a2) perish, vanish (fig.)

1a3) be lost, strayed

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to destroy, kill, cause to perish, to give up (as lost), exterminate

1b2) to blot out, do away with, cause to vanish, (fig.)

1b3) cause to stray, lose

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to destroy, put to death

1c1a) of divine judgment

1c2) object name of kings (fig.)

Aramaic equivalent: a.vad (אֲבַד "to destroy" H0007)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine plural
HVqi3mp
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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