the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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King James Version
Job 30:2
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A lot of good they are to me— those worn-out wretches!
Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? men in whom ripe age is perished.
Yes, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age has perished.
What use did I have for their strength since they had lost their strength to work?
Moreover, the strength of their hands— what use was it to me? Men whose strength had perished;
Yes, to what [might] the strength of their hands [profit] me, in whom old age had perished?
Of what use is the strength of their hands to me, Men in whom ripe age has perished?
"Indeed, how could the strength of their hands profit me? Vigor had perished from them.
What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone?
Of whiche men the vertu of hondis was for nouyt to me, and thei weren gessid vnworthi to that lijf.
What use to me was the strength of their hands, since their vigor had left them?
And those who insult me are helpless themselves.
Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age is perished.
Of what use is the strength of their hands to me? all force is gone from them.
What use to me was the strength in their hands? All their vigor had left them.
Yea, whereto [should] the strength of their hands [profit] me, [men] in whom vigour hath perished?
Their fathers are still too weak to be of any use to me. All their strength is gone.
Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? men in whom ripe age is perished.
Yea whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom olde age was perished?
Yes, what good could I get from the strength of their hands? Their strength was gone.
What could I gain from the strength of their hands? All their vigor is gone.
For whereto shoulde the strength of their handes haue serued mee, seeing age perished in them?
Whose fathers I have disdained, and did not consider them equal to the dogs of my flocks.
They were a bunch of worn-out men, too weak to do any work for me.
Even the strength of their hands, wherefore was it mine? Upon them, vigour was lost;
The strength of whose hands was to me as nothing, and they were thought unworthy of life itself.
What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone?
For wherto might the strength of their handes haue serued me? for the time was but lost among them.
Yea, why had I the strength of their hands? for them the full term of life was lost.
What use to me was the strength of their hands?Their vigor had left them.
Of what use is the strength of their hands to me, Men in whom ripe age has perished?
Moreover, what use to me is the strength of their hands? With them, vigor is destroyed.
Also, what profit for me was the strength of their hands; for full vigor had perished from them?
Also -- the power of their hands, why [is it] to me? On them hath old age perished.
The power & stregth of their hades might do me no good, & as for their age, it is spet & past awaye without eny profit.
"Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them.
Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished.
"Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them.
Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?Vigor had perished from them.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 12:1 - while Philemon 1:11 - unprofitable
Cross-References
And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.
And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.
And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed: and she called his name Asher.
And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.
And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Yea, whereto [might] the strength of their hands [profit] me,.... For though they were strong, lusty, hale men, able to do business, yet their strength was to sit still and fold their hands in their bosoms, so that their strength was of no profit or avail to themselves or others; they were so slothful and lazy, that Job could not employ them in any business of his to any advantage to himself; and this may be one reason, among others, why he disdained to set them with the dogs of his flock to keep it; for the fathers seem to be intended all along to Job 30:8; though it matters not much to which of them the words are applied, since they were like father like son:
in whom old age was perished? who did not arrive to old age, but were soon consumed by their lusts, or cut off for their sins; and so the strength and labour of their hands, had they been employed, would have been of little worth; because the time of their continuance in service would have been short, especially being idle and slothful: some understand it of a lively and vigorous old age, such as was in Moses; but this being not in them, they were unfit for business, see Job 5:26; or they had not the endowments of old age, the experience, wisdom, and prudence of ancient persons, to contrive, conduct, and manage affairs, or direct in the management of them, which would make up for lack of strength and labour. Ben Gersom, Bar Tzemach, and others, interpret the word of time, or the time of life, that was perished or lost in them; their whole course of life, being spent in sloth and idleness, was all lost time.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me - There has been much difference of opinion respecting the meaning of this passage. The general sense is clear. Job means to describe those who were reduced by poverty and want, and who were without respectability or home, and who had no power in any way to affect him. He states that they were so abject and worthless as not to be worth his attention; but even this fact is intended to show how low he was himself reduced, since even the most degraded ranks in life did not show any respect to one who had been honored by princes. The Vulgate renders this, “The strength - virtus - of whose hands is to me as nothing, and they are regarded as unworthy of life.” The Septuagint, “And the strength of their hands what is it to me? Upon whom perfection - συντέλεια sunteleia - has perished.” Coverdale, “The power and strength of their hands might do me no good, and as for their age, it is spent and passed away without any profit.” The literal translation is, “Even the strength of their hands, what is it to me?” The meaning is, that their power was not worth regarding. They were abject, feeble, and reduced by hunger - poor emaciated creatures, who could do him neither good nor evil. Yet this fact did not make him feel less the indignity of being treated by such vagrants with scorn.
In whom old age was perished - Or, rather, in whom vigor, or the power of accomplishing, anything, has ceased. The word כלח kelach, means “completion,” or the act or power of finishing or completing anything. Then it denotes old age - age as “finished” or “completed;” Job 5:26. Here it means the maturity or vigor which would enable a man to complete or accomplish anything, and the idea is, that in these persons this had utterly perished. Reduced by hunger and want, they had no power of effecting anything, and were unworthy of regard. The word used here occurs only in this book in Hebrew Job 5:26; Job 30:2, but is common in Arabic; where it refers to the “wrinkles,” the “wanness,” and the “austere aspect” of the countenance, especially in age. See “Castell’s Lex.”
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 30:2. The strength of their hands profit me — He is speaking here of the fathers of these young men. What was the strength of their hands to me? Their old age also has perished. The sense of which I believe to be this: I have never esteemed their strength even in their most vigorous youth, nor their conduct, nor their counsel even in old age. They were never good for any thing, either young or old. As their youth was without profit, so their old age was without honour. See Calmet.
Mr. Good contends that the words are Arabic, and should be translated according to the meaning in that language, and the first clause of the third verse joined to the latter clause of the second, without which no good meaning can be elicited so as to keep properly close to the letter. I shall give the Hebrew text, Mr. Good's Arabic, and its translation: -
The Hebrew text is this: -
עלימו אבד כלח
aleymo abad calach
בחסר ובכפן גלמוד
becheser ubechaphan galmud
The Arabic version this: -
[Arabic]
[Arabic]
Which he translates thus: -
"With whom crabbed looks are perpetual,
From hunger and flinty famine."
This translation is very little distant from the import of the present Hebrew text, if it may be called Hebrew, when the principal words are pure Arabic, and the others constructively so.
