Job 30:7 Meaning and Explanation
“Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Among the desert scrub these outcasts cried out like animals, huddling together beneath the nettles.
What Does Job 30:7 Mean?
Job's portrait grows more vivid: the outcasts "brayed" among the bushes, a word used of a donkey's cry, and gathered under thorny nettles for cover. The language strips them of dignity, likening their voices and shelter to those of wild beasts. This is the people from whose children Job now suffers contempt.
The harshness of the description matches the harshness of their existence, and Job feels the irony keenly: he has sunk lower than these. Beneath the rhetoric lies a meditation on how thin the line is between honor and disgrace. The verse leaves the reader sober and watchful, casting him upon the mercy of the God who does not measure a soul by its outward estate but looks upon the heart.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 30:7
What does Job 30:7 mean?
Among the desert scrub these outcasts cried out like animals, huddling together beneath the nettles.