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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Job 30:1–14. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Here Job makes a very large and sad complaint of the great disgrace he had fallen into, from the height of honour and reputation, which was exceedingly grievous and cutting to such an ingenuous spirit as Job's was. Two things he insists upon as greatly aggravating his affliction: -
I.The meanness of the persons that affronted him.
As it added much to his honour, in the day of his prosperity, that princes and nobles showed him respect and paid a deference to him, so it added no less to his disgrace in his adversity that he was spurned by the footmen, and trampled upon by those that were not only every way his inferiors, but were the meanest and most contemptible of all mankind. None can be represented as more base than those are here represented who insulted Job, upon all accounts.
1.They were young, younger than he (Job 30:1), the youth (Job 30:12), who ought to have behaved themselves respectfully towards him for his age and gravity. Even the children, in their play, played upon him, as the children of Bethel upon the prophet, Go up, thou bald-head. Children soon learn to be scornful when they see their parents so.
2.They were of a mean extraction. Their fathers were so very despicable that such a man as Job would have disdained to take them into the lowest service about his house, as that of tending the sheep and attending the shepherds with the dogs of his flock, Job 30:1. They were so shabby that they were not fit to be seen among his servants, so silly that they were not fit to be employed, and so false that they were not fit to be trusted in the meanest post. Job here speaks of what he might have done, not of what he did: he was not of such a spirit as to set any of the children of men with the dogs of his flock; he knew the dignity of human nature better than to do so.
3.They and their families were the unprofitable burdens of the earth, and good for nothing. Job himself, with all his prudence and patience, could make nothing of them, Job 30:2. The young were not fit for labour, they were so lazy, and went about their work so awkwardly: Whereto might the strength of their hands profit me? The old were not to be advised with in the smallest matters, for in them was old age indeed, but their old age was perished, they were twice children.
4.They were extremely poor, Job 30:3. They were ready to starve, for they would not dig, and to beg they were ashamed. Had they been brought to necessity by the providence of God, their neighbours would have sought them out as proper objects of charity and would have relieved them; but, being brought into straits by their own slothfulness and wastefulness, nobody was forward to relieve them. Hence they were forced to flee into the deserts both for shelter and sustenance, and were put to sorry shifts indeed, when they cut up mallows by the bushes, and were glad to eat them, for want of food that was fit for them, Job 30:4. See what hunger will bring men to: one half of the world does not know how the other half lives; yet those that have abundance ought to think sometimes of those whose fare is very coarse and who are brought to a short allowance of that too. But we must own the righteousness of God, and not think it strange, if slothfulness clothe men with rags and the idle soul be made to suffer hunger. This beggarly world is full of the devil's poor.
5.They were very scandalous wicked people, not only the burdens, but the plagues, of the places where they lived, arrant scoundrels, the scum of the country: They were driven forth from among men, Job 30:5. They were such lying, thieving, lurking, mischievous people, that the best service the magistrates could do was to rid the country of them, while the very mob cried after them as after a thief. Away with such fellows from the earth; it is not fit they should live. They were lazy and would not work, and therefore they were exclaimed against as thieves, and justly; for those that do not earn their own bread by honest labour do, in effect, steal the bread out of other people's mouths. An idle fellow is a public nuisance; but it is better to drive such into a workhouse than, as here, into a wilderness, which will punish them indeed, but never reform them. They were forced to dwell in caves of the earth, and they brayed like asses among the bushes, Job 30:6, Job 30:7. See what is the lot of those that have the cry of the country, the cry of their own conscience, against them; they cannot but be in a continual terror and confusion. They groan among the trees (so Broughton) and smart among the nettles; they are stung and scratched there, where they hoped to be sheltered and protected. See what miseries wicked people bring themselves to in this world; yet this is nothing to what is in reserve for them in the other world. 8. They had nothing at all in them to recommend them to any man's esteem. They were a vile kind; yea, a kind without fame, people that nobody could give a good word to nor had a good wish for; they were banished from the earth as being viler than the earth. One would not think it possible that ever the human nature should sink so low, and degenerate so far, as it did in these people. When we thank God that we are men we have reason to thank him that we are not such men. But such as these were abusive to Job,
(1.)In revenge, because when he was in prosperity and power, like a good magistrate, he put in execution the laws which were in force against vagabonds, and rogues, and sturdy beggars, which these base people now remembered against him.
(2.)In triumph over him, because they thought he had now become like one of them. Isa 14:10, Isa 14:11. The abjects, men of mean spirits, insult over the miserable, Psa 35:15.
II.The greatness of the affronts that were given him. It cannot be imagined how abusive they were.
1.They made ballads on him, with which they made themselves and their companions merry (Job 30:9): I am their song and their byword. Those have a very base spirit that turn the calamities of their honest neighbours into a jest, and can sport themselves with their griefs.
2.They shunned him as a loathsome spectacle, abhorred him, fled far from him, (Job 30:10), as an ugly monster or as one infected. Those that were themselves driven out from among men would have had him driven out. For,
3.They expressed the greatest scorn and indignation against him. They spat in his face, or were ready to do so; they tripped up his heels, pushed away his feet (Job 30:12), kicked him, either in wrath, because they hated him, or in sport, to make themselves merry with him, as they did with their companions at foot-ball. The best of saints have sometimes received the worst of injuries and indignities from a spiteful, scornful, wicked world, and must not think it strange; our Master himself was thus abused.
4.They were very malicious against him, and not only made a jest of him, but made a prey of him - not only affronted him, but set themselves to do him all the real mischief they could devise: They raise up against me the ways of their destruction; or (as some read it), They cast upon me the cause of their woe; that is, "They lay the blame of their being driven out upon me;" and it is common for criminals to hate the judges and laws by which they are punished. But under this pretence,
(1.)They accused him falsely, and misrepresented his former conversation, which is here called marring his path. They reflected upon him as a tyrant and an oppressor because he had done justice upon them; and perhaps Job's friends grounded their uncharitable censures of him (Job 22:6, etc.) upon the unjust and unreasonable clamours of these sorry people; and it was an instance of their great weakness and inconsideration, for who can be innocent if the accusations of such persons may be heeded?
(2.)They not only triumphed in his calamity, but set it forward, and did all they could to add to his miseries and make them more grievous to him. It is a great sin to forward the calamity of any, especially of good people. In this they have no helper, nobody to set them on or to countenance them in it, nobody to bear them out or to protect them, but they do it of their own accord; they are fools in other things, but wise enough to do mischief, and need no help in inventing that. Some read it thus, They hold my heaviness a profit, though they be never the better. Wicked people, though they get nothing by the calamities of others, yet rejoice in them.
5.Those that did him all this mischief were numerous, unanimous, and violent (Job 30:14): They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters, when the dam is broken; or, "They came as soldiers into a broad breach which they have made in the wall of a besieged city, pouring in upon me with the utmost fury;" and in this they took a pride and a pleasure: They rolled themselves in the desolation as a man rolls himself in a soft and easy bed, and they rolled themselves upon him with all the weight of their malice.
III.All this contempt put upon him was caused by the troubles he was in (Job 30:11):
"Because he has loosed my cord, has taken away the honour and power with which I was girded (Job 12:18), has scattered what I had got together and untwisted all my affairs - because he has afflicted me, therefore they have let loose the bridle before me," that is, "have given themselves a liberty to say and do what they please against me." Those that by Providence are stripped of their honour may expect to be loaded with contempt by inconsiderate ill-natured people. "Because he hath loosed his cord" (the original has that reading also), that is, "because he has taken off his bridle of restraint from off their malice, they cast away the bridle from me," that is, "they make no account of my authority, nor stand in any awe of me." It is owing to the hold God has of the consciences even of bad men, and the restraints he lays upon them, that we are not continually thus insulted and abused; and, if at any time we meet with such ill treatment, we must acknowledge the hand of God in taking off those restraints, as David did when Shimei cursed him: So let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him. Now in all this,
1.We may see the uncertainty of worldly honour, and particularly of popular applause, how suddenly a man may fail from the height of dignity into the depth of disgrace. What little cause therefore have men to be ambitious or proud of that which may be so easily lost, and what little confidence is to be put in it! Those that today cry Hosannah may tomorrow cry Crucify. But there is an honour which comes from God, which if we secure, we shall find it not thus changeable and loseable.
2.We may see that it has often been the lot of very wise and good men to be trampled upon and abused. And,
3.That those who look only at the things that are seen despise those whom the world frowns upon, though they are ever so much the favourites of Heaven. Nothing is more grievous in poverty than that it renders men contemptible. Turba Remi sequitur fortunam, ut semper odit damnatos - The Roman populace, faithful to the turns of fortune, still persecute the fallen.
4.We may see in Job a type of Christ, who was thus made a reproach of men and despised of the people (Psa 22:6; Isa 53:3), and who hid not his face from shame and spitting, but bore the indignity better than Job did.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
21. For the juniper tree has prickles instead of leaves, for so bristly is that which they put forth, that like to thorns it is able to prick the person handling it. Now a thorn is all sorts of sin; because whilst it draws into self-gratification, as it were by pricking it wounds the soul. Whence it is spoken by the voice of one righteous and penitent, I was turned in my calamity, while the thorn is broken, [Ps. 32, 4] surely because the mind is turned to lamenting, that the prick of sin may be broken by repenting. But in another translation, the thorn is described not as ‘broken’ [‘confringi’],’ but ‘fixed,’ [‘configi’] which same is not at variance with the same sense, because the mind of the penitent is brought to sorrow when the sin that has been committed is retained fixed fast in the recollection. What then is there denoted by the ‘root of the juniper’ saving avarice, from which the thorns of all the sins are produced? Concerning which it is said by Paul, For the love of money is the root of all evil. [1 Tim. 6, 10] For that springs up covertly in the mind, and brings forth openly the prickles of all sin in the practice. Which same prickles arising from this root the great preacher immediately implies, when he subjoins, Which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. For he who spoke of ‘many sorrows’ made known as it were the prickles arising from this root. So by ‘junipers’ we understand sins, but by ‘the root of junipers’ what else do we understand, but avarice, i.e. the material of sins? So then because heretics in their words generally go after external gains alone, yet are not ignorant that they make up what is wrong, but do not abandon the preachings of error, whilst they wish to receive their emoluments as teachers, it is well said of them now by the voice of the holy man, and juniper roots for their meat, because whilst they think of avarice with all the faculties of their minds, they are as it were fed by that nourishment, wherefrom assuredly the prickles of sins ensuing are used to be produced. Which persons if ever in sacred Revelation they seemingly discover things with sagacity, which while they do not understand, they fancy make for their statements, they directly scatter these vociferating them to their wretched hearers, whom they covet not the souls of but the substance.
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Summary
Job 30:4 powerfully depicts the extreme destitution and social degradation of individuals whom Job now feels he is scorned by, or even equated with, in his profound suffering. This verse is part of Job's lament, where he starkly contrasts his former esteemed status with his current humiliation, illustrating a class of societal outcasts forced to scavenge the most unpalatable and meager wild plants, such as mallows and juniper roots, for their very survival. It underscores the profound depth of their poverty and their existence on the fringes of human society, a state Job feels unjustly cast into, highlighting the cruel irony and indignity of his reversal of fortune.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is situated within Job's third and final monologue, spanning Job 29-31. This deeply personal and emotionally charged section serves as Job's ultimate defense of his righteousness and a lament over his inexplicable suffering. Job 29 recounts his past prosperity, honor, and benevolent influence within the community, painting a vivid picture of his former esteemed position. Job 30 then shifts dramatically, describing his current humiliation, the scorn he endures, and the intense physical and emotional torment he experiences. Within this chapter, Job details how he is now mocked by those younger than himself, individuals of the lowest social standing, outcasts whom he would once have disdained. Verse 4 specifically illustrates the abject poverty and desperate existence of these marginalized people, setting the stage for Job's profound sense of degradation as he feels unjustly relegated to their level, or even beneath them, amplifying the psychological torment of his fall from grace.
Historical & Cultural Context
The ancient Near East, particularly the desert fringes where such outcasts might dwell, was a harsh environment where survival depended heavily on settled agriculture, pastoralism, and robust community support. Those without land, livestock, or familial ties were often reduced to extreme poverty, forced to live in desolate wadis, caves, or rocky crevices. Such individuals were frequently viewed with disdain or pity, existing outside the established social and economic norms. The plants mentioned, "mallows" and "juniper roots," were well-known as famine foods, consumed only when all other sources of nourishment had failed. Their inclusion highlights a life beyond the pale of normal society, where sustenance was a daily, desperate struggle, far removed from the communal meals and cultivated foods characteristic of settled life. This stark reality underscores the severity of the destitution Job describes.
Key Themes
Job 30:4 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in the book of Job. Foremost is the theme of Extreme Poverty and Desperation, illustrating the lowest rung of human existence where survival hinges on scavenging the most unpalatable natural resources. This contrasts sharply with Job's former abundance, emphasizing the dramatic Reversal of Fortune he experiences, a central motif in his lament as seen in the shift from Job 29 to Job 30. The verse also highlights Social Outcast Status and Humiliation, as Job, once a respected patriarch, now finds himself scorned by those who are themselves societal rejects. This indignity is a significant part of his suffering, challenging his understanding of divine justice and human dignity, as he grapples with why his friends and even God seem to have turned against him, as expressed in Job 19:13-19. The verse also subtly touches on the theme of Divine Sovereignty and Human Suffering, as Job grapples with why God has allowed him to descend to such a degraded state, questioning the traditional retribution theology espoused by his friends.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term refers to a type of saltwort or sea-purslane (Atriplex halimus), a plant that thrives in saline or brackish environments, often found near desert wadis. While technically edible, it was considered a poor, unpalatable food, typically consumed only by the extremely destitute in times of famine or dire necessity. Its mention here underscores the abject poverty and the desperate lack of any other viable food source for these individuals, highlighting their existence at the very edge of survival.
This refers to the broom tree (Retama raetam), a common shrub in desert regions, known for its pole-like stems. The text specifically mentions its roots. The roots are exceedingly bitter, fibrous, and difficult to digest, making them a food of absolute last resort. Eating roots rather than more accessible parts of plants (like leaves or berries) signifies the most extreme level of desperation, indicating that even the meager surface vegetation had been exhausted or was unavailable, pushing them to literally dig for sustenance.
While often translated as "meat" in the KJV, the Hebrew word lechem more broadly means "food" or "bread." In this context, it emphasizes that these bitter, unpalatable plants constituted their primary, if not sole, source of sustenance. It highlights the stark reality that their "food" was not nourishing or pleasant, but merely what kept them from starvation, a stark contrast to the typical bread-based diet of settled communities.
Verse Breakdown
"Who cut up mallows by the bushes"
This clause describes the desperate and laborious act of foraging for the most undesirable plants. The verb "cut up" (from H6998 qâṭaph) implies a difficult process, perhaps with crude tools, to extract even the meager edible parts of the mallows growing in the wild, untamed areas. The phrase "by the bushes" (from H7880 sîyach) denotes a desolate, uncultivated landscape, far from human settlement or agricultural land, reinforcing the outcast status of those performing this arduous task.
"and juniper roots [for] their meat"
This second clause intensifies the picture of destitution, showing a progression to an even more extreme level of desperation. The shift from surface plants to "juniper roots" (from H7574 rethem and H8328 sheresh) signifies that even the most accessible, unpalatable surface vegetation has been exhausted. Roots are harder to extract and are notoriously bitter and fibrous. The phrase "[for] their meat" (or "for their food," from H3899 lechem) underscores that these bitter, fibrous roots were not a supplement but their fundamental, life-sustaining nourishment, highlighting their extreme deprivation and the brutal reality of their daily existence.
Literary Devices
Job 30:4 employs several potent literary devices to convey the depth of suffering and degradation Job experiences by association. Imagery is paramount, painting a vivid and unsettling picture of desperate individuals scavenging for inedible plants in a desolate, untamed landscape. This imagery appeals directly to the reader's senses of taste (bitter, unpalatable) and sight (scrubby bushes, exposed roots), evoking a strong sense of pity and horror for their plight. Hyperbole is also present, as Job exaggerates the contemptible nature of these individuals and the depths to which he has fallen, emphasizing the profound psychological torment of his reversal of fortune. While these people are truly destitute, Job's lament often magnifies his own suffering by drawing such extreme comparisons. Finally, the act of eating "mallows" and "juniper roots" functions as potent Symbolism, representing the ultimate degradation, social ostracization, and the stripping away of all dignity and comfort. These plants symbolize the lowest, most desperate form of sustenance, mirroring Job's perceived lowest point in life and his utter loss of status.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Job 30:4 serves as a stark reminder of the extreme vulnerability of human life and the devastating impact of poverty and social marginalization. Theologically, it prompts profound reflection on the nature of suffering, particularly suffering that seems unjust or disproportionate, as is Job's case. It challenges our understanding of divine providence when the righteous suffer and the wicked appear to prosper, or when the innocent are reduced to such dire straits. The verse also implicitly raises crucial questions about human responsibility towards the poor and outcast, echoing biblical calls for justice and compassion for the needy. Job's own former commitment to helping the poor (as detailed in Job 29:12-17) makes his current identification with these outcasts all the more poignant and paradoxical, deepening the theological tension of the book.
Reflection and Application
Job's vivid portrayal of the destitute in Job 30:4 is a powerful and unsettling mirror, forcing us to confront the realities of extreme poverty and social exclusion that persist in our world today. It challenges any complacency we might feel about our own comfort and security, reminding us that circumstances can change dramatically and that human dignity is often fragile. This verse calls us to cultivate a profound empathy for those on the margins, not just those who are financially poor, but also those who are socially outcast, marginalized, or forgotten due to various circumstances. It compels us to look beyond superficial appearances and recognize the inherent worth and image of God in every individual, regardless of their social standing or material possessions. Furthermore, it should inspire deep gratitude for the basic provisions we often take for granted – food, shelter, community – and motivate us to act with compassion, seeking tangible ways to alleviate suffering and promote justice for the vulnerable, remembering that true value lies not in external circumstances but in our shared humanity and our relationship with God and one another.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What were "mallows" and "juniper roots" in the ancient world, and why were they eaten?
"Mallows" (Hebrew: mallûwach) likely refers to a type of saltwort or purslane, a common plant found in saline or brackish desert areas. "Juniper roots" (Hebrew: rethem) are the roots of the broom tree, a desert shrub. These were not typical foods but were consumed out of extreme necessity during times of famine or by the utterly destitute. They were known to be unpalatable, bitter, and difficult to digest, signifying the lowest possible form of sustenance when all other food sources had been exhausted. Their consumption indicates a life on the absolute fringes of survival, far from settled society and its agricultural provisions, a stark contrast to the life Job once knew, as described in Job 29.
Why does Job focus on these particular people in his lament?
Job focuses on these outcasts because he feels he has been unjustly reduced to a state even worse than theirs. In Job 30:1, he states that those younger than him, whose fathers he would have disdained to put with his sheepdogs, now mock him. These are the very people described in verse 4 – the lowest of society, living in extreme destitution. For Job, a man of immense wealth and high social standing (as seen in Job 29), to be scorned by such individuals represents the ultimate humiliation and degradation. It underscores the profound reversal of his fortunes and the depth of his psychological and social suffering, making his lament all the more poignant and emphasizing the injustice he perceives in his situation.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Job 30:4, with its raw depiction of human destitution and social degradation, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. While Job laments his unjust descent into a state akin to these outcasts, Christ willingly embraced the lowest human condition, not as a victim of injustice but as a divine act of identification and redemption. The Son of God, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor" (2 Corinthians 8:9), entered a world marked by suffering and poverty. He identified with the marginalized, the hungry, and the outcast, declaring that whatever is done for "one of the least of these my brothers" is done for Him (Matthew 25:40). Jesus himself experienced homelessness and hunger, having "nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20) and even facing rejection from his own people (John 1:11). Ultimately, Christ's suffering on the cross, where he was stripped of all dignity and became a "man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3), represents the ultimate identification with humanity's deepest degradation, including the plight of those forced to eat mallows and juniper roots. Through his voluntary humiliation and suffering, Jesus provides not just temporary relief but eternal sustenance, offering himself as the "bread of life" (John 6:35) to a spiritually destitute humanity, thereby transforming the meaning of suffering and offering hope, dignity, and true provision to all who are outcast and broken.