Job 13:28

KJV

And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth eaten.

KJV (with Strong's)

And he, as a rotten thing {H7538}, consumeth {H1086}, as a garment {H899} that is moth {H6211} eaten {H398}.

Complete Jewish Bible

though [my body] decays like something rotten or like a moth-eaten garment.

Berean Standard Bible

So man wastes away like something rotten, like a moth-eaten garment.

American Standard Version

Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
In Job 13:28, Job continues his impassioned plea and lament before his friends and, implicitly, before God, articulating the profound and relentless physical and emotional decay he experiences. He employs vivid similes, likening himself to a "rotten thing" that slowly consumes itself and to a "garment that is moth eaten," thereby expressing his overwhelming sense of vulnerability, his perceived imminent destruction, and the deep despair that has permeated his very being. This verse encapsulates Job's perception of his life wasting away under what he believes to be God's severe and unjust hand.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Job 13:28 concludes Job's third discourse (chapters 12-14), where he directly addresses his friends, challenging their simplistic theology of retribution and asserting his own integrity while simultaneously wrestling with God. This verse follows Job's direct appeal to God in [Job 13:20-27](/job/13-20-27 "Job 13:20-27 - Job's Plea to God"), where he begs God to lift His hand from him and to reveal his sin if he has truly committed one. Job feels pursued and scrutinized by God, as if God were "watching all [his] paths" and "setting a print upon the heels of [his] feet" as stated in [Job 13:27](/job/13-27 "Job 13:27 - God's Scrutiny of Job"). The imagery of decay in [Job 13:28](/job/13-28 "Job 13:28 - Job's Physical Decay") serves as a poignant summary of the physical and emotional toll this perceived divine antagonism has taken on him, reinforcing his earlier descriptions of his suffering in [Job 7:5](/job/7-5 "Job 7:5 - Job's Physical Suffering") and [Job 10:9](/job/10-9 "Job 10:9 - Job's Body Returning to Dust").
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In the ancient Near East, health and prosperity were often seen as indicators of divine favor, while illness and misfortune were frequently interpreted as signs of divine displeasure or punishment for sin. This belief system, though challenged by the book of Job, forms the backdrop against which Job's friends operate and against which Job himself struggles. The metaphors of a "rotten thing" and a "moth-eaten garment" would have been immediately understandable and visceral to an ancient audience. Decay (like that of wood or bones) and the destruction wrought by moths were common experiences, representing slow, irreversible, and often unseen processes of deterioration that rendered objects useless. Job's use of these images underscores his feeling of being utterly consumed and rendered worthless by his affliction, mirroring the societal interpretation of his suffering as a sign of his utter degradation.
* **Key Themes:** Job 13:28 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Job. It vividly portrays the theme of **human frailty and mortality**, emphasizing how the human body, like any earthly material, is subject to decay and destruction. This aligns with broader biblical teachings on the brevity and vulnerability of human life, as seen in [Psalm 90:10](/psalms/90-10 "Psalm 90:10 - The Brevity of Human Life"). The verse also expresses Job's profound **despair and helplessness** in the face of suffering, highlighting his perception of being utterly powerless against the forces consuming him. Furthermore, it reinforces the theme of **perceived divine judgment**, as Job attributes his physical deterioration not merely to natural causes but to what he interprets as God's active and relentless hand upon him, making him feel like a decaying object under divine scrutiny, a concept explored throughout [Job's discourses](/job/12 "Job 12 - Job's Response to Zophar").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Rotten thing (Hebrew, _râqâb'_):** The Hebrew word `רָקָב` (H7538, _râqâb_) refers to decay, putrefaction, or rottenness, often specifically associated with bones or wood. It conveys a deep, internal disintegration, a slow but inevitable process of corruption from within. When Job likens himself to a "rotten thing," he is not merely speaking of external sores but of a profound, systemic breakdown, as if his very essence is decaying. This imagery suggests a state of being consumed from the inside out, aligning with the chronic and debilitating nature of his illness.
* **Moth (Hebrew, _ʻâsh'_):** The Hebrew term `עָשׁ` (H6211, _ʻâsh_) refers to a moth, specifically the clothes moth, which silently and thoroughly destroys fabric. The phrase `כַּבֶּגֶד אֲכָלוֹ עָשׁ` (ka'beged akhalo 'ash), "as a garment, a moth has eaten it," paints a picture of gradual, unseen destruction. A moth works subtly, consuming the fibers of a garment until it is rendered useless or falls apart. This metaphor highlights the insidious nature of Job's suffering, which is slowly but surely consuming him, much like a moth consumes a garment, leaving him utterly vulnerable and without defense.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth,"**: This clause introduces the first simile, comparing Job's deteriorating state to something inherently corrupt and decaying. The verb "consumeth" (Hebrew: `בָּלָה`, H1086, _bâlâh_) implies a process of wearing out, decaying, or being consumed, suggesting a slow, ongoing, and irreversible deterioration. Job sees himself as an object undergoing a natural process of putrefaction, losing his substance and vitality.
* **"as a garment that is moth eaten."**: This second clause reinforces and deepens the imagery of decay through another powerful simile. Just as a garment (Hebrew: `בֶּגֶד`, H899, _beged_), once valuable and protective, becomes useless and falls apart when eaten (Hebrew: `אָכַל`, H398, _ʼâkal_) by moths, Job feels his life, his body, and his very being are being silently and relentlessly consumed. This image emphasizes vulnerability, the inevitability of destruction, and the loss of utility or worth.

#### Literary Devices
Job 13:28 is rich in **Simile**, employing two distinct comparisons to convey Job's profound suffering: "as a rotten thing" and "as a garment that is moth eaten." Both similes are forms of **Imagery**, creating vivid mental pictures of decay and destruction that appeal directly to the reader's senses and understanding of physical deterioration. The use of these particular images contributes to the overall **Pathos** of Job's lament, evoking sympathy for his plight. There is also an element of **Parallelism** between the two clauses, as they both express the same core idea of slow, internal consumption, reinforcing the intensity and pervasiveness of Job's suffering. The language also borders on **Hyperbole**, as Job uses extreme comparisons to articulate the depth of his physical and emotional agony, reflecting his perception that his suffering is beyond normal human experience.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job's lament in this verse, while deeply personal, resonates with universal theological truths about human mortality and the transient nature of earthly existence. It underscores the biblical understanding that the human body, formed from dust, is inherently perishable and subject to decay ([Genesis 3:19](/genesis/3-19 "Genesis 3:19 - Return to Dust")). Job's experience serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of all creation to corruption and the pervasive effects of a fallen world. Yet, within this raw expression of despair, there is an implicit theological question: if God is sovereign and just, why does He allow such profound and seemingly meaningless decay to consume His faithful servant? This question drives much of the theological tension in the book, pushing beyond simplistic explanations of suffering and pointing towards a deeper, more mysterious understanding of God's ways.

* [Psalm 90:10](/psalms/90-10 "Psalm 90:10 - The Brevity of Life")
* [Psalm 6:7](/psalms/6-7 "Psalm 6:7 - David's Wasting Away from Grief")
* [Matthew 6:19-20](/matthew/6-19-20 "Matthew 6:19-20 - Treasures Not Eaten by Moth or Rust")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 13:28 offers a profound invitation to acknowledge the brutal realities of suffering and the human experience of feeling utterly vulnerable and helpless. It validates the raw, honest expression of pain, even despair, before God. In moments of deep physical or emotional decay, when life feels like it is being consumed from within, Job's words provide a language for our own unvarnished laments. This verse reminds us that it is permissible, even necessary, to voice our deepest pains and questions to God, rather than pretending to be strong when we are weak. While Job's perspective here is one of profound despair and a misinterpretation of God's hand, his journey ultimately points us beyond human understanding of suffering to a deeper trust in God's sovereignty and wisdom, even when His ways are mysterious. It challenges us to find hope not in the absence of decay, but in the presence of a God who meets us in our brokenness and promises ultimate restoration.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of your life do you feel a sense of "consumption" or "decay," whether physical, emotional, or spiritual?**
* **How does Job's honest lament encourage or challenge your own approach to expressing pain and despair to God?**
* **How might acknowledging human frailty and mortality, as Job does, lead to a deeper reliance on God rather than self-reliance?**

### FAQ
**Does Job's description of himself as "rotten" imply he believes he is morally corrupt?**

Answer: Not necessarily. While "rotten" can have moral connotations, in Job 13:28, the context strongly suggests Job is referring to his physical and emotional state. He is describing the *effect* of his suffering, not the *cause* in terms of his own sin. Throughout his discourse, Job maintains his innocence against his friends' accusations of specific sin. He views his physical decay as a direct result of what he perceives as God's relentless hand upon him, making him feel like an object that is literally wasting away. His lament is about the *experience* of profound physical and existential deterioration, not an admission of moral decay. He feels his body is failing him, and his life is being consumed, much like a garment is consumed by moths, regardless of its original quality.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 13:28, with its raw depiction of human decay and vulnerability, finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Job experiences decay as a consequence of suffering he doesn't understand, Jesus willingly embraced the full extent of human frailty and mortality, descending into the depths of human experience, even to the point of death. The Son of God, who knew no sin, became sin for us ([2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Became Sin for Us")) and bore the full weight of humanity's corruption and the consequences of sin in His own body on the cross ([1 Peter 2:24](/1_peter/2-24 "1 Peter 2:24 - Christ Bore Our Sins")). He allowed His body to be broken and laid in a tomb, experiencing the very decay and consumption that Job laments. However, unlike Job's despairing outlook, Christ's decay was not final. His resurrection decisively triumphed over death and decay, demonstrating that the power of the "rotten thing" and the "moth-eaten garment" has been broken ([1 Corinthians 15:42-44](/1_corinthians/15-42-44 "1 Corinthians 15:42-44 - The Resurrected Body")). Through His victory, believers are promised a future where "death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore" ([Revelation 21:4](/revelation/21-4 "Revelation 21:4 - No More Death or Mourning")), transforming the ultimate human fear of decay into a hope for incorruptible, resurrected life in Him.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Job 4:19

How much less [in] them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation [is] in the dust, [which] are crushed before the moth?

Psalms 39:11

When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man [is] vanity. Selah.

Job 30:17

My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.

Job 30:19

He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

Hosea 5:12

Therefore [will] I [be] unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as rottenness.

Numbers 12:12

Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.

Job 30:29

I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.