Lectionary Calendar
Monday, November 25th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Read the Bible

King James Version

Job 17:6

He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Tabret;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Byword;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Tabret;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Music;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Byword;   Make;  

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
"God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face.
English Revised Version
He hath made me also a byword of the people; and I am become an open abhorring.
Update Bible Version
But he has made me a byword of the people; And they spit in my face.
New Century Version
"God has made my name a curse word; people spit in my face.
New English Translation
He has made me a byword to people, I am the one in whose face they spit.
Webster's Bible Translation
He hath made me also a by-word of the people; and in former time I was as a tabret.
World English Bible
"But he has made me a byword of the people. They spit in my face.
Amplified Bible
"But He has made me a byword and mockery among the people, And I have become one in whose face people spit.
English Standard Version
"He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He hath set as in to a prouerbe of the comyn puple, and his saumple bifor hem.
Berean Standard Bible
He has made me a byword among the people, a man in whose face they spit.
Contemporary English Version
You, God, are the reason I am insulted and spit on.
American Standard Version
But he hath made me a byword of the people; And they spit in my face.
Bible in Basic English
He has made me a word of shame to the peoples; I have become a mark for their sport.
Complete Jewish Bible
"He has made me a byword among the peoples, a creature in whose face they spit.
Darby Translation
And he hath made me a proverb of the peoples; and I am become one to be spit on in the face.
Easy-to-Read Version
God has made my name a bad word to everyone. People spit in my face.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He hath made me also a byword of the people; and I am become one in whose face they spit.
King James Version (1611)
He hath made me also a by-word of the people, and afore time I was as a tabret.
New Life Bible
"But He has made me an object of shame to the people. Men spit on me.
New Revised Standard
"He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom people spit.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Hee hath also made mee a byword of the people, and I am as a Tabret before them.
George Lamsa Translation
He has granted power to the nations; I shall be derided before them.
Good News Translation
And now people use this proverb against me; they come and spit in my face.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But he hath set me, as the byword of peoples, And, one to be spit on in the face, do I become.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He hath made me as it were a byword of the people, and I am an example before them.
Revised Standard Version
"He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He hath made me a byworde of the people, where as afore I was their ioy.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But thou has made me a byword amount the nations, and I am become a scorn to them.
Christian Standard Bible®
He has made me an object of scorn to the people;I have become a man people spit at.
Hebrew Names Version
"But he has made me a byword of the people. They spit in my face.
Lexham English Bible
"And he has made me a proverb for the peoples, and I am one before whom people spit.
Literal Translation
He has also set me as a byword of the peoples, and I am a spitting to the faces.
Young's Literal Translation
And he set me up for a proverb of the peoples, And a wonder before them I am.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He hath made me as it were a byworde of the comon people, I am his gestinge stocke amoge the.
THE MESSAGE
"God, you've made me the talk of the town— people spit in my face; I can hardly see from crying so much; I'm nothing but skin and bones. Decent people can't believe what they're seeing; the good-hearted wake up and insist I've given up on God.
New American Standard Bible
"But He has made me a proverb among the people, And I am one at whom people spit.
New King James Version
"But He has made me a byword of the people, And I have become one in whose face men spit.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But He has made me a byword of the people, And I am one at whom men spit.
Legacy Standard Bible
"But He has made me a byword of the people,And I am one at whom men spit.

Contextual Overview

1 My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me. 2 Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation? 3 Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me? 4 For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them. 5 He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail. 6 He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret. 7 Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow. 8 Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite. 9 The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a byword: Job 30:9, 1 Kings 9:7, Psalms 44:14

aforetime: or, before them

as a tabret: Genesis 31:27, Isaiah 5:12

Reciprocal: Job 12:4 - one mocked

Cross-References

Genesis 17:4
As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Genesis 17:6
And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
Genesis 17:16
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
Genesis 17:20
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.
Genesis 35:11
And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
Ezra 4:20
There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, which have ruled over all countries beyond the river; and toll, tribute, and custom, was paid unto them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He hath made me also a byword of the people,.... Either Eliphaz, or God; for whatsoever befell him, whether more immediately by the hand of God, or by any instrument, the ascribes it to him, as being suffered in Providence to befall him; as when he became a byword or proverb to the people in common, to whom an example might be set by one or more of Job's friends. The name of Job is to this day a byword or proverb among men, both for his poverty and his patience; if a man is described as very poor, he is said to be as poor as Job; or if very patient under his afflictions, he is said to be as patient as Job; but as neither of these are to the disgrace of Job, something else seems rather intended here, even something to his reproach; as when a man was represented as a very wicked man, or an hypocrite, it used to be said, such an one is as wicked a creature, and as arrant an hypocrite, as Job:

and aforetime I was as a tabret; the delight of the people, who, when he appeared in the public streets, came out and went before him, singing, and dancing, and beating on tabrets, and such like musical instruments, to express their joy upon the sight of him; but now it was otherwise with him, and he whom they could not sufficiently extol and commend, now knew not well what to say bad enough of him; such a change in the sentiments and conduct of men must needs be very chagrining: or "aforetime I was as a lord", as Ben Gersom, from the use of the word in Daniel 3:2; as he supposes; he was like a lord or nobleman, or as one in some high office, and now as the offscouring of all things; or it denotes what he was "before them", the people, in their sight at present, and should be: the word used is "Tophet", which Aben Ezra takes to be the name of a place, and as it seems of that place where children were offered to Moloch, and which place was in being, and such practices used by the Canaanites in the times of Job; and this place, which was also called the valley of Hinnom, being afterwards used for hell, led the Targum to paraphrase the words thus, "and hell from within shall I be"; and so Sephorno, in appearance hell to all that see me; and in general it may signify that he was, or should be, avoided, as any unclean place, very ungrateful and disagreeable, as that place was; or as anything abominable, and to be loathed and rejected, and this way go several interpreters s; though some think respect is had to the punishment of tympanization, in which sufferers were beaten upon in several parts of their bodies, as if men were beating upon a tabret or drum, which gave great pain and torment, see Hebrews 11:35; and with such like cruelty and indignity Job suggests he was or should be used; and therefore begs for a surety, for one to interpose and plead on his behalf; let the carriage of men to him be what it will, that is here referred to; compare with this Psalms 69:11.

s Schmidt, Michaelis, Schultens.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He hath also - That is, God has done this.

Also a by-word - A proverb (משׁל mâshâl); a term of reproach, ridicule, or scorn. lie has exposed me to derision.

And aforetime - Margin “before them.” The margin is the correct translation of the Hebrew, פנים pânı̂ym. It means, in their presence, or in their view.

I was as a tabret - This is an unhappy translation. The true meaning is,” I am become their “abhorrence,” or am to them an object of contempt.” Vulgate, “I am an exampie (“exemplum”) to them.” Septuagint, “I am become a laughter (γέλως gelōs) to them.” The Chaldee renders it, “Thou hast placed me for a proverb to the people, and I shall be Gehenna (גיהנם gayhı̂nnôm) to them.” The Hebrew word תפת tôpheth - or “Tophet,” is the name which is often given in the Scriptures to the valley of Hinnom - the place where children were sacrificed to Moloch; see the notes at Matthew 5:22. But there is no evidence or probability that the word was so used in the time of Job. It is never used in the Scriptures in the sense of a “tabret,” that is a tabor or small drum; though the word תף toph is thus used; see the notes at Isaiah 5:12. The word used here is derived, probably, from the obsolete verb תיף typ - “to spit out;” and then to spit out with contempt. The verb is so used in Chaldee. “Castell.” The meaning of the word probably still lives in the Arabic, The Arabic word means to spit out with contempt; and the various forms of the nouns derived from the verb are applied to anything detested, or detestable; to the parings of the nails; to an abandoned woman; to a dog, etc. See “Castell” on this word. I have no doubt that is the sense here, and that we have here a word whose true signification is to be sought in the Arabic; and that Job means to say that he was treated as the most loathsome and execrable object.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 17:6. He hath made me also a by-word — My afflictions and calamities have become a subject of general conversation, so that my poverty and affliction are proverbial. As poor as Job, As afflicted as Job, are proverbs that have even reached our times and are still in use.

Aforetime I was as a tabret. — This is not the translation of the Hebrew ותפת לפנים אהיה vethopheth lephanim eheyeh. Instead of לפנים lephanim, I would read לפניהם liphneghem, and then the clause might be translated thus: I shall be as a furnace, or consuming fire (Topheth) before them. They shall have little reason to mock when they see the end of the Lord's dealings with me; my example will be a consuming fire to them, and my false friends will be confounded. COVERDALE translates thus: He hath made me as it were a byworde of the comon people. I am his gestinge stocke amonge them.


 
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