the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Read the Bible
King James Version
Job 24:5
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- FaussetEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
Like wild donkeys in the wilderness, the poor must spend all their time looking for food, searching even in the desert for food for their children.
Behold, as wild asses in the desert they go forth to their work, seeking diligently for meat; the wilderness yieldeth them food for their children.
Look, as wild donkeys in the desert, they go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; The wilderness [yields] them bread for their children.
The poor become like wild donkeys in the desert who go about their job of finding food. The desert gives them food for their children.
Like wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor, seeking diligently for food; the wasteland provides food for them and for their children.
Behold, [as] wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness [yieldeth] food for them [and] for [their] children.
Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; The wilderness yields them bread for their children.
"Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, The poor go to their work, diligently seeking food; As bread for their children in the desert.
Behold, like wild donkeys in the desert the poor go out to their toil, seeking game; the wasteland yields food for their children.
Othere men as wielde assis in deseert goon out to her werk; and thei waken to prey, and bifor maken redy breed to her children.
Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is food for their children.
in the desert, where they and their children must live like wild donkeys and search for food.
Behold, as wild asses in the desert They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; The wilderness yieldeth them bread for their children.
Like asses in the waste land they go out to their work, looking for food with care; from the waste land they get bread for their children.
like wild donkeys in the wilderness, they have to go out and scavenge food, [hoping that] the desert will provide food for their children.
Lo, [as] wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work, seeking early for the prey: the wilderness [yieldeth] them food for [their] children.
"The poor are like wild donkeys that go out to the desert to find food. From morning to night they work to gather food for their children.
Behold, as wild asses in the wilderness they go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food;
Behold, as wilde asses in the desart, goe they foorth to their worke, rising betimes for a pray: the wildernes yeeldeth food for them, and for their children.
See, they go out like wild donkeys in the desert to look for food for their children.
Like wild asses in the desert they go out to their toil, scavenging in the wasteland food for their young.
Behold, others as wilde asses in the wildernesse, goe forth to their businesse, and rise early for a praye: the wildernesse giueth him and his children foode.
Behold, like wild asses in the desert, they go forth early seeking food for their young ones.
So the poor, like wild donkeys, search for food in the dry wilderness; nowhere else can they find food for their children.
Lo! as wild asses in the wilderness, they go forth with their work, eager seekers for prey, the waste plain, yieldeth them food for their young;
Others like wild asses in the desert go forth to their work: by watching for a prey they get bread for their children.
Behold, like wild asses in the desert they go forth to their toil, seeking prey in the wilderness as food for their children.
Beholde, as wilde asses in the desert go they foorth to their worke, & ryse betimes to spoyle: Yea the very wildernesse ministreth foode for them & their children.
And they have departed like asses in the field, having gone forth on my account according to their own order: his bread is sweet to his little ones.
Like wild donkeys in the wilderness,the poor go out to their task of foraging for food;the desert provides nourishment for their children.
Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; The wilderness yields them bread for their children.
"Look, like wild donkeys in the desert they go out to their labor as searchers for the prey; the wilderness is their food for the young.
Behold, like wild asses in the desert, they go out in their work, seeking early for prey; the desert yields food for him for their young.
Lo, wild asses in a wilderness, They have gone out about their work, Seeking early for prey, A mixture for himself -- food for young ones.
Beholde, the wilde asses in ye deserte go by tymes (as their maner is) to spoyle: Yee the very wildernesse ministreth foode for their children.
"Behold, like wild donkeys in the wilderness They go out scavenging for food in their activity, As bread for their children in the desert.
Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, They go out to their work, searching for food. The wilderness yields food for them and for their children.
"Behold, as wild donkeys in the wilderness They go forth seeking food in their activity, As bread for their children in the desert.
Behold, as wild donkeys in the wildernessThey go forth seeking food earnestly in their work,The desert becomes for him a place of bread for his young ones.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
wild asses: Job 39:5-7, Jeremiah 2:24, Hosea 8:9
rising: Job 24:14, Proverbs 4:16, Hosea 7:6, Micah 2:1, Zephaniah 3:3, John 18:28, Acts 23:12
the wilderness: Job 5:5, Job 12:6, Genesis 16:12, Genesis 27:40
Reciprocal: Job 30:3 - fleeing into Proverbs 4:17 - General
Cross-References
And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.
And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Behold, [as] wild asses in the desert,.... The word "as" is a supplement, and may be omitted, and the words be interpreted literally of wild asses, as they are by Sephorno, whose proper place is in the wilderness, to which they are used, and where their food is provided for them, and which they diligently seek for, for them and their young; and so the words may be descriptive of the place where the poor hide themselves, and of the company they are obliged to keep; but the Targum supplies the note of similitude as we do; and others i observe it to be wanting, and so it may respect wicked men before described, who may be compared to the wild asses of the wilderness for their folly and stupidity, man being born like a wild ass's colt, Job 11:12; and for their lust and wantonness, and for their rebellion against God and his laws, and their unteachableness. Perhaps some regard may be had to the wild Arabs that were in Job's neighbourhood, the descendants of Ishmael, called the wild man, as he is in Genesis 16:12; who lived by plunder and robbery, as these here:
they go forth to their work: of thieving and stealing, robbing and plundering, as their trade, and business, and occupation of life, and as naturally and constantly as men go to their lawful employment, and as if it was one:
rising betimes for a prey; getting up early in a morning to meet the industrious traveller on the road, and make a prey of him, rob him of what he has about him; for they cannot sleep unless they do mischief:
the wilderness [yieldeth] food for them, [and] for [their] children; though they are lurking in a wilderness where no sustenance is to be had, yet, by robbing everyone that passes by, they get enough for them and their families: though some understand all this of the poor, who are obliged to hide themselves from their oppressors, and go into the wilderness in droves like wild asses, and as timorous and as swift as they in fleeing; and are forced to hard service, and to rise early to earn their bread, and get sustenance for their families; and who in the main are obliged to live on berries and roots, and what a wild desert will afford; but the, word "prey" is not applicable to the pains and labours of such industrious people, wherefore the former sense is best; and besides, there seems to be one continued account of wicked men.
i Aben Ezra, Ben Gersom, Bar Tzemach.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Behold, as wild asses in the desert - In regard to the wild ass, see the notes at Job 6:5. Schultens, Good, Noyes, and Wemyss, understand this, not as referring to the haughty tyrants themselves, but to the oppressed and needy wretches whom they had driven from society, and compelled to seek a precarious subsistence, like the wild ass, in the desert. They suppose that the meaning is, that these outcasts go to their daily toil seeking roots and vegetables in the desert for a subsistence, like wild animals. But it seems to me that the reference is rather to another class of wicked people: to the wandering tribes that live by plunder - who roam through the deserts, and live an unrestrained and a lawless life, like wild animals. The wild ass is distinguished for its fleetness, and the comparison here turns principally on this fact. These marauders move rapidly from place to place, make their assault suddenly and unexpectedly, and, having plundered the traveler, or the caravan, as suddenly disappear. They have no home, cultivate no land, and keep no flocks. The only objection to this interpretation is, that the wild ass is not a beast of prey. But, in reply to this, it may be said, that the comparison does not depend on that, but on the fact that they resemble those animals in their lawless habits of life; see Job 11:12, note; Job 39:5, note.
Go they forth to their work - To their employment - to wit, plunder.
Rising betimes - Rising early. It is a custom of the Orientals everywhere to rise by break of day. In journeys, they usually rise long before day, and travel much in the night, and during the heat of the day they rest. As caravans often traveled early, plunderers would rise early, also, to meet them.
For a prey - For plunder - the business of their lives.
The wilderness - The desert, for so the word wilderness is used in the Scriptures; see Isaiah 35:1, note; Matthew 3:1, note.
Yieldeth food - To wit, by plunder. They obtain subsistence for themselves and their families by plundering the caravans of the desert. The idea of Job is, that they are seen by God, and yet that they are suffered to roam at large.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 24:5. Rising betimes for a prey — The general sense here seems plain enough. There are some who live a lawless roaming life: make a predatory life their employment; for this purpose, frequent the wilderness, where they seize on and appropriate whatsoever they find, and by this method they and their families are supported.
Mr. Good says: "The sense has never yet been understood by any commentator;" and hence he proposes a different division of the words, placing ערבה arabah, the desert or wilderness, in the first hemistich, thus: -
"Rising early for the pillage of the wilderness;
The bread of themselves and of their children."
Others think that the words are spoken solely of the poor under the hand of oppression, who are driven away from their homes, and obliged to seek such support as the wilderness can afford. Such was originally the state of the Bedouins, and of the wandering Arab hordes in general: the oppression of the tyrannous governors obliged them to seek refuge in the deserts, where they still live in a roaming predatory life.
