They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)
Read it in contextJob’s Honor Turned to Contempt
Start reading at Job 30:1 (Job 30:1 to Job 30:14).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer.
30:1But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
30:2Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?
30:3For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
30:4Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.
30:5They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)
30:6To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.
30:7Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.
30:8They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.
30:9And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.
30:10They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.
30:11Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.
30:12Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.
30:13They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.
30:14They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.
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Who
Who wrote the book? The author is unknown. Moses is one ancient traditional proposal, but neither that proposal nor another named author can be established with confidence. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). book background
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Job 26:1–31:40): Job continues his reply, reflection, and final defense before the hearers of the dispute. The wisdom poem and remembered events are not separate gatherings of every person they mention. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Readers within Israel's wisdom tradition, wrestling with innocent suffering, justice, and the limits of human judgment. No named individual or first community is identified. Biblical references: Job 28:28; Job 42:7. book background
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? Job’s Honor Turned to Contempt. Read Job 30:1 through Job 30:14 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The book supplies no royal date or exact historical year for Job's experiences. Proposed patriarchal-era settings are historical inferences, not a date explicitly stated by the narrative. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Job is introduced as a man in the land of Uz. The poetic speeches range through imagined and remembered scenes that should not all be treated as the speakers' physical locations. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Job’s Honor Turned to Contempt (Job 30:1 to Job 30:14).
Start reading at Job 30:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? James refers to Job's endurance and the Lord's compassion. Connections between Job's suffering and Christ may be considered as comparisons; Job's speeches should not all be treated as direct predictions of Jesus. See Job 1:1, James 5:11, Hebrews 4:15. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Do not assume that a sufferer's losses prove a hidden sin. Listen carefully, distinguish the speakers, and read their claims alongside the LORD's concluding rebuke of the friends. interpretation
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Job 30
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. The later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. The later speeches, poem on wisdom, and Job's final defense bring the dispute to the point of his appeal for an answer.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Job
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Job contains narrative, lament, and extended disputation. The speakers must be identified before treating an assertion as the book's teaching: the LORD explicitly rebukes Job's friends near the end. Neither the author nor an exact historical date is stated.
Connection to the wholeThe narrative establishes Job's losses and integrity before the speeches begin, giving readers information the disputing friends do not possess.
Connection to the wholeThe argument sharpens as the friends connect suffering with wickedness and Job challenges their account of the wicked's fortunes.
Connection to the wholeA new speaker responds to Job and the friends before the LORD's speeches begin; his speech must be distinguished from the divine answer.
Connection to the wholeThe LORD questions Job concerning the created order, confronting the limits of his knowledge and his attempt to contend with God.
Connection to the wholeJob responds, the friends are rebuked, and the narrative closes with intercession and restoration without turning every speech into endorsed doctrine.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.