Job 30:30

My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

My skin {H5785} is black {H7835} upon me, and my bones {H6106} are burned {H2787} with heat {H2721}.

My skin is black and falling off me, and my bones are burning with heat.

My skin grows black and peels, and my bones burn with fever.

My skin is black, and fallethfrom me, And my bones are burned with heat.

Job 30:30 provides a stark and visceral description of Job's profound physical deterioration and intense suffering. Having lost his wealth, family, and health, Job recounts the agonizing effects of his afflictions, painting a grim picture of his bodily state.

Context of Job 30:30

In Chapter 30, Job contrasts his former life of respect and prosperity (as described in Job 29) with his current state of utter degradation and misery. He describes being scorned by those younger and less honorable than himself, driven from society, and relentlessly afflicted by disease. This verse is part of his lament, vividly detailing the visible and internal torment that has consumed his body, contributing to his deep despair and isolation.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Profound Physical Suffering: The verse is a powerful depiction of extreme bodily pain. "My skin is black upon me" suggests severe discoloration, likely from disease, exposure, or intense fever, leading to a shriveled or scorched appearance. "My bones are burned with heat" conveys the sensation of an unrelenting, internal fever, indicating deep-seated illness and burning agony within his very core.
  • Visible Manifestation of Internal Anguish: Job's external appearance directly reflects his internal torment. His physical decay is a testament to the comprehensive nature of his suffering, affecting every part of his being.
  • The Reality of Affliction: This verse underscores the raw, painful reality of Job's trials, moving beyond theological debate to the tangible experience of suffering. It highlights the devastating impact of severe illness and loss.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "black" here, qamar (קָמַר), can imply being shriveled, scorched, or dried out, giving a sense of decay and extreme dehydration rather than merely a change in skin tone. The phrase "burned with heat" uses the verb charar (חָרַר), which means to be hot, inflamed, or parched. This emphasizes the intense internal fever and the parching effect of his illness, suggesting that his very bones felt consumed by an internal fire.

Related Scriptures

  • Job's initial afflictions are described in Job 2:7-8, where he is struck with painful boils from head to foot. This verse in Chapter 30 shows the progression and deepening of that suffering.
  • His lament about his flesh and bones is also evident in Job 19:20, where he states, "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth."
  • While Job's suffering is immense, the book ultimately points to God's sovereignty and a future hope, even for the body, as expressed in Job 19:26: "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."

Practical Application

Job 30:30 serves as a poignant reminder of the depths of human suffering and the importance of empathy for those experiencing severe physical or mental distress. It validates the raw expression of pain and lament before God, showing that faith does not negate the reality of agony. For believers, it underscores that even in the most dire circumstances, God remains sovereign, and while pain is real, there is an ultimate hope beyond present afflictions, reminding us of the future glory that outweighs present suffering.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Lamentations 4:8

    Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick.

  • Psalms 102:3

    For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.

  • Psalms 119:83

    ¶ For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; [yet] do I not forget thy statutes.

  • Lamentations 5:10

    Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

  • Lamentations 3:4

    My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones.

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