the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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King James Version
Job 16:15
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- InternationalParallel Translations
I wear burlap to show my grief. My pride lies in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have laid my horn in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, And have laid my horn in the dust.
"I have sewed rough cloth over my skin to show my sadness and have buried my face in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, and buried my horn in the dust;
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, And have thrust my horn in the dust.
"I have sewed sackcloth over my skin [as a sign of mourning] And have defiled my horn (symbol of strength) in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin and have laid my strength in the dust.
Y sewide togidere a sak on my skyn; and Y hilide my fleisch with aische.
I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.
and so, in my sorrow I dress in sackcloth and sit in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, And have laid my horn in the dust.
I have made haircloth the clothing of my skin, and my horn is rolled in the dust.
"I sewed sackcloth together to cover my skin and laid my pride in the dust;
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and rolled my horn in the dust.
"I am very sad, so I wear this sackcloth. I sit here in dust and ashes, feeling defeated.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have laid my horn in the dust.
I haue sowed sackcloth vpon my skin, and defiled my horne in the dust.
I have sewed cloth made from hair over my skin, and have laid my hope in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have laid my strength in the dust.
I haue sowed a sackcloth vpon my skinne, and haue abased mine horne vnto the dust.
I have girded sackcloth upon my skin, and I have covered my head with dust.
I mourn and wear clothes made of sackcloth, and I sit here in the dust defeated.
Sackcloth, sewed I on my skin, and rolled - in the dust - my horn:
(16-16) I have sowed sackcloth upon my skin, and have covered my flesh with ashes.
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have laid my strength in the dust.
I haue sowed a sackecloth vpon my skinne, and wallowed my head in the dust.
They overthrew me with fall upon fall: they ran upon me in their might.
I have sewn sackcloth over my skin;I have buried my strength in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, And have thrust my horn in the dust.
"I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, and I have inserted my pride in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, and I have thrust my horn in the dust.
Sackcloth I have sewed on my skin, And have rolled in the dust my horn.
I haue sowed a sack cloth vpon my skynne, and lye with my strength in the dust.
"I sewed myself a shroud and wore it like a shirt; I lay facedown in the dirt. Now my face is blotched red from weeping; look at the dark shadows under my eyes, Even though I've never hurt a soul and my prayers are sincere!
"I have sewed sackcloth over my skin, And thrust my horn in the dust.
"I have sewn sackcloth over my skin,And laid my head [fn] in the dust.
"I have sewed sackcloth over my skin And thrust my horn in the dust.
I have sewed sackcloth over my skinAnd thrust my horn in the dust.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
sewed: 1 Kings 21:27, Isaiah 22:12
defiled my horn: Job 30:19, 1 Samuel 2:10, Psalms 7:5, Psalms 75:5, Psalms 75:10
Reciprocal: Isaiah 3:24 - a girding Lamentations 2:3 - the horn Revelation 11:3 - clothed
Cross-References
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.
The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,.... Which he very probably put on when he rent his mantle, or sat in ashes, Job 1:20; which actions were usually performed together in times of distress and sorrow, see Genesis 37:34; and this was no doubt a voluntary action of his, like that of the king of Nineveh and his subjects Jonah 3:5; though some have thought that Job was so reduced that he had no clothes to wear, and was obliged to put on such coarse raiment, which is not probable; and it seems that he put this next to his skin, which must be very uneasy to one that had been used to such soft apparel, as it seems did also the kings of Israel in time of mourning,
1 Kings 21:27; it is not only observed by several Jewish writers, that the word here used in the Arabic language signifies "skin", as we render it, as Aben Ezra, Ben Melech, and others; but the skin of the wound, the thin skin which is drawn over a wound when it is healing, as Ben Gersom and Bar Tzemach; which, being tender, must be very unfit to bear such rough raiment upon it; nay, Schultens observes, that the Arabic word more properly signifies "torn skin" h, as Job's skin must be full of ruptures through the boils and ulcers upon him; he himself says, that his "skin [was] broken, and become loathsome", Job 7:5; now to have sackcloth put on such a skin must be intolerable; the phrase of sewing it to it is very unusual; though it may signify no more than an application of it, a putting it on him, and clothing himself with it; yet it seems to denote its sticking close to him, as if it was sewed to his skin, through the purulent matter of his boils clotting and cleaving to it; for he says in Job 7:5 that his "flesh [was] clothed with worms and clods of dust"; and those running into one another were like one scab, and, as it were, a garment to him; his "disease bound [him] about as the collar of his coat", and his "skin [was as] black" as sackcloth itself, Job 30:18; the design of the expression is both to show the wretched and miserable condition he was in, and his great humiliation on account of his present circumstances; and that he was not that proud and haughty man, or behaved under his affliction in the insolent manner Eliphaz had suggested, Job 15:12; but was one that humbled himself under the mighty hand of God, which is further confirmed by the next clause:
and defiled my horn, in the dust: as he did when he sat in ashes, as he afterwards repented in dust and ashes; and it was usual in the times of mourning to put dust or ashes upon the head; which may be meant by his horn, the horn of a beast, to which the allusion is, being in the head; and this may be put for the whole body, which sometimes, on such occasions, was rolled in dust and ashes, see Joshua 7:6; and the horn being an emblem of grandeur, power, and authority, may denote that Job now laid aside all the ensigns of it, and was content to have his honour laid in the dust, and lie low before God, and not lift up his horn unto him, and much less stretch out his hand against him; the Targum is,
"I sprinkled my glory in or with dust.''
h עלי גלדי "super laceram cutem", Schultens; "cutis eaque laesa et ulceribus percussa", Stockius, p. 188. גלד "cutim percusiit", Hottinger. Smegma Orient. p. 135. Stockius, ib.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
I have sewed sackcloth - I have put on the badges of humiliation and grief; see the notes at Isaiah 3:24. This was the usual emblem of mourning. In order more deeply to express it, or to make it a “permanent” memorial of sorrow, it would seem that it was “sewed” around the body - as we “sew” crape on the hat.
And defiled my horn in the dust - The word rendered “defiled” (from עלל ‛âlal) has, according to Gesenius, the notion of “repetition,” derived from the use of the Arabic word. The Arabic means, to drink again, that is, after a former draught; and then, to drink deep. Hence, the word is applied to any action which is repeated - as to the second blow by which one already struck down is killed; to an after-harvest, or to gleaning in the fields. Here Gesenius supposes it means to “maltreat,” to “abuse;” and the idea according to him is, that he had covered his whole head in the dust. The word “horn” is used in the Scriptures to denote strength and power. The figure is taken from horned animals, whose strength resides in their horns; and hence, as the horn is the means of defense, the word comes to denote that on which one relies; his strength, honor, dignity. A horn, made of “silver,” was also worn as an ornament, or as an emblem, on the forehead of females or warriors.
It was probably used at first by warriors as a symbol of “power, authority,” or “strength;” and the idea was undoubtedly derived from the fact that the strength of animals was seen to lie in the horn. Then it came to be a mere ornament, and as such is used still in the vicinity of Mount Lebanon. Oriental customs do not undergo those changes which are so common in the Western world, and it is possible that this custom prevailed in the time of Job. The “horn” was usually worn by females; it is also a part of the ornament on the head of a male, and as such would be regarded doubtless as an emblem of honor. The custom is prevalent at the present day among the Druses of Lebanon, the Egyptian cavalry, and in some parts of Russia bordering on Persia. Dr. Macmichael, in his “Journey,” says: “One of the most extraordinary parts of the attire of their females (Drusus of Lebanon), is a silver horn, sometimes studded with jewels, worn on the head in various positions, “distinguishing their different conditions.”
A married woman has it affixed to the right side of the head, a widow on the left, and a virgin is pointed out by its being placed on the very crown. Over this silver projection the long veil is thrown, with which they so completely conceal their faces to rarely have more than an eye visible.” The horn worn by females is a conical tube, about twelve inches long. Col. Light mentions the horn of the wife of an emir, made of gold, and studded with precious stones. Horns are worn by Abyssinian chiefs in military reviews, or on parade after a victory. They are much shorter than those of the females, and are about the size and shape of a candle extinguisher, fastened by a strong fillet to the head, which is often made of metal; they are not easily broken off. This special kind of horn is undoubtedly the kind made by the false prophet Zedekiah for Ahab, to whom he said, when Ahab was about to attack the enemy, “With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou hast conquered them;” 1Ki 22:11; 2 Chronicles 18:10; compare Deuteronomy 33:17. The idea here is, that whatever once constituted the reliance or the glory of Job, was now completely prostrate. It was as if it were buried in the earth.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 16:15. I have sewed sackcloth — שק sak, a word that has passed into almost all languages, as I have already had occasion to notice in other parts of this work.
Defiled my horn in the dust. — The horn was an emblem of power; and the metaphor was originally taken from beasts, such as the urus, wild ox, buffalo, or perhaps the rhinoceros, who were perceived to have so much power in their horns. Hence a horn was frequently worn on crowns and helmets, as is evident on ancient coins; and to this day it is an appendage to the diadem of the kings and chiefs of Abyssinia. In the second edition of Mr. Bruce's Travels in Abyssinia, vol. viii., plates 2 and 3, we have engravings of two chiefs, Kefla Yasous, and Woodage Ashahel, who are represented with this emblem of power on their forehead. Mr. Bruce thus describes it: "One thing remarkable in this cavalcade, which I observed, was the head dress of the governors of provinces. A large broad fillet was bound upon their forehead, and tied behind their head. In the middle of this was a horn, or a conical piece of silver, gilt, about four inches in length, much in the shape of our common candle extinguishers. This is called kirn, or horn; and is only worn in reviews, or parades after victory. This, I apprehend, like all others of their usages is taken from the Hebrews; and the several allusions made in Scripture to it arise from this practice. 'I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn.' 'Lift not up your horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck; for promotion cometh not,' &c. 'But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn.' 'And the horn of the righteous shall be exalted with honour.' And so in many other places throughout the Psalms." In a note on the same page we have the following observation: "The crooked manner in which they hold their neck when this ornament is on their forehead, for fear it should fall forward, perfectly shows the meaning of 'Speak not with a stiff neck when you hold the horn on high (or erect) like the horn of the unicorn."' - Bruce's Travels, vol. iv., p. 407.
Defiling or rolling the horn in the dust, signifies the disgrace or destruction of power, authority, and eminence.
Mr. Good translates, I have rolled my turban in the dust, which he endeavours to justify in a long note. But in this, I think, this very learned man is mistaken. The Hebrew keren is the same as the AEthiopic kirn, and both mean exactly, in such connection, what Mr. Bruce has noticed above. The horn on the diadem is the emblem of power, authority, and eminence.
