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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Job 30:3 Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/job/30-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/8/18_Job_30_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Job 30:3 - Job's Honor Turned into Contempt" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/job/30-3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/job/30-3.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/job/">Job</a> > <a href="/job/30.htm">Chapter 30</a> > Verse 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad3.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/job/30-2.htm" title="Job 30:2">◄</a> Job 30:3 <a href="/job/30-4.htm" title="Job 30:4">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/job/30.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/job/30.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Haggard from want and hunger, they roamed the parched land in desolate wastelands at night.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/job/30.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />They are gaunt from poverty and hunger. They claw the dry ground in desolate wastelands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/job/30.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Through want and hard hunger they gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/job/30.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/job/30.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />For want and famine <i>they were</i> solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/job/30.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br /><i>They are</i> gaunt from want and famine, Fleeing late to the wilderness, desolate and waste,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/job/30.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“From poverty and famine they are gaunt, They who gnaw at the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/job/30.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220From want and famine they are gaunt Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/job/30.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“From want and famine they are gaunt Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/job/30.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />From want and famine they are gaunt, Who gnaw the dry ground by night in destruction and desolation,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/job/30.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry <i>and</i> barren ground by night in [the gloom of] waste and desolation.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/job/30.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Emaciated from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, the desolate wasteland by night.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/job/30.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Emaciated from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, the desolate wasteland by night. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/job/30.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/job/30.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />They must claw the desert sand in the dark for something to satisfy their hunger. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/job/30.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />They are gaunt with want and famine; they gnaw the dry ground; in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/job/30.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Shriveled up from need and hunger, they gnaw at the dry and barren ground during the night. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/job/30.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />They were so poor and hungry that they would gnaw dry roots--at night, in wild, desolate places. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/job/30.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Unproductive due to poverty and hunger, they could only scratch in parched soil, devastated and desolated.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/job/30.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/job/30.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />gaunt with want and hunger, they would gnaw the parched land, in former time desolate and waste. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/job/30.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/job/30.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/job/30.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/job/30.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />With want and with harsh famine, "" They are gnawing a dry place [in] the recent night, "" [In] desolation and ruin,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/job/30.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> With want and with famine gloomy, Those fleeing to a dry place, Formerly a desolation and waste,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/job/30.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />In want and in hunger, barren, gnawing the dry land, yesternight desolation and burning.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/job/30.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Barren with want and hunger, who gnawed in the wilderness, disfigured with calamity and misery. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/job/30.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />They were barren from poverty and hunger; they gnawed in solitude, layered with misfortune and misery.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/job/30.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />In want and emaciating hunger they fled to the parched lands: to the desolate wasteland by night. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/job/30.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Through want and hard hunger they gnaw the dry and desolate ground,<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/job/30.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Yea, the strength of their hands, of what use would it have been to me?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/job/30.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />And the power of their hands, why did it go to me?<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/job/30.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/job/30.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br /><i>One is</i> childless in want and famine, <i>such as</i> they that fled but lately the distress and misery of drought.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/job/30-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAwuD5NuZq0?start=4408" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/job/30.htm">Job's Honor Turned into Contempt</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">2</span>What use to me was the strength of their hands, since their vigor had left them? <span class="reftext">3</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/1565.htm" title="1565: gal·mūḏ (Adj-ms) -- Hard, barren. Probably by prolonged from galam; sterile; figuratively, desolate.">Gaunt</a> <a href="/hebrew/2639.htm" title="2639: bə·ḥe·ser (Prep-b:: N-ms) -- Want, poverty. From chacer; lack; hence, destitution.">from poverty</a> <a href="/hebrew/3720.htm" title="3720: ū·ḇə·ḵā·p̄ān (Conj-w, Prep-b:: N-ms) -- Hunger, famine. From kaphan; hunger.">and hunger,</a> <a href="/hebrew/6207.htm" title="6207: ha·‘ō·rə·qîm (Art:: V-Qal-Prtcpl-mp) -- To gnaw. A primitive root; to gnaw, i.e. eat; also a pain.">they gnawed</a> <a href="/hebrew/6723.htm" title="6723: ṣî·yāh (N-fs) -- Dryness, drought. From an unused root meaning to parch; aridity; concretely, a desert.">the dry land,</a> <a href="/hebrew/7722.htm" title="7722: šō·w·’āh (N-fs) -- Perhaps a ravage. Or showtah; or shoah; from an unused root meaning to rush over; a tempest; by implication, devastation.">and the desolate</a> <a href="/hebrew/4875.htm" title="4875: ū·mə·šō·’āh (Conj-w:: N-fs) -- Desolation. Or mshoah; from the same as show'; ruin, abstractly or concretely.">wasteland</a> <a href="/hebrew/570.htm" title="570: ’e·meš (N-msc) -- Yesterday. Time past, i.e. Yesterday or last night.">by night.</a> </span><span class="reftext">4</span>They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/24-5.htm">Job 24:5</a></span><br />Indeed, like wild donkeys in the desert, the poor go to work foraging for food; the wasteland is food for their children.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/4-9.htm">Lamentations 4:9</a></span><br />Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/107-4.htm">Psalm 107:4-5</a></span><br />Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no path to a city in which to dwell. / They were hungry and thirsty; their soul fainted within them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/58-7.htm">Isaiah 58:7</a></span><br />Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/14-18.htm">Jeremiah 14:18</a></span><br />If I go out to the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/4-16.htm">Ezekiel 4:16-17</a></span><br />Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water by measure. / So they will lack food and water; they will be appalled at the sight of one another wasting away in their iniquity.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/25-35.htm">Matthew 25:35</a></span><br />For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/15-14.htm">Luke 15:14-16</a></span><br />After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need. / So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. / He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/8-35.htm">Romans 8:35</a></span><br />Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/4-11.htm">1 Corinthians 4:11</a></span><br />To this very hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_corinthians/11-27.htm">2 Corinthians 11:27</a></span><br />in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/11-37.htm">Hebrews 11:37-38</a></span><br />They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated. / The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/2-15.htm">James 2:15-16</a></span><br />Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. / If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/6-8.htm">Revelation 6:8</a></span><br />Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/47-13.htm">Genesis 47:13</a></span><br />There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.</p><p class="hdg">solitary.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/24-13.htm">Job 24:13-16</a></b></br> They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof… </p><p class="hdg">fleeing into</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/24-5.htm">Job 24:5</a></b></br> Behold, <i>as</i> wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness <i>yieldeth</i> food for them <i>and</i> for <i>their</i> children.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/hebrews/11-38.htm">Hebrews 11:38</a></b></br> (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and <i>in</i> mountains, and <i>in</i> dens and caves of the earth.</p><p class="hdg">in former time.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/leviticus/13-52.htm">Biting</a> <a href="/job/24-5.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/job/16-7.htm">Desolate</a> <a href="/job/26-7.htm">Desolation</a> <a href="/job/24-19.htm">Dry</a> <a href="/job/28-24.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/job/5-22.htm">Famine</a> <a href="/job/27-22.htm">Flee</a> <a href="/job/26-13.htm">Fleeing</a> <a href="/job/28-5.htm">Food</a> <a href="/job/17-6.htm">Former</a> <a href="/genesis/41-27.htm">Gaunt</a> <a href="/job/28-3.htm">Gloom</a> <a href="/job/15-34.htm">Gloomy</a> <a href="/zephaniah/3-3.htm">Gnaw</a> <a href="/job/18-10.htm">Ground</a> <a href="/2_samuel/13-4.htm">Haggard</a> <a href="/job/28-9.htm">Hard</a> <a href="/job/29-24.htm">Hope</a> <a href="/job/5-22.htm">Hunger</a> <a href="/job/24-8.htm">Lack</a> <a href="/job/28-18.htm">Need</a> <a href="/job/29-19.htm">Night</a> <a href="/job/14-11.htm">Parched</a> <a href="/job/28-3.htm">Places</a> <a href="/1_samuel/30-31.htm">Roamed</a> <a href="/job/3-7.htm">Solitary</a> <a href="/job/27-19.htm">Time</a> <a href="/job/24-16.htm">Want</a> <a href="/job/24-5.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/job/18-13.htm">Wasted</a> <a href="/jeremiah/17-6.htm">Wastelands</a> <a href="/zephaniah/1-15.htm">Wasteness</a> <a href="/job/24-5.htm">Wilderness</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/job/39-24.htm">Biting</a> <a href="/job/38-26.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/job/38-27.htm">Desolate</a> <a href="/job/30-14.htm">Desolation</a> <a href="/job/30-6.htm">Dry</a> <a href="/job/30-6.htm">Earth</a> <a href="/psalms/33-19.htm">Famine</a> <a href="/job/30-10.htm">Flee</a> <a href="/psalms/3-1.htm">Fleeing</a> <a href="/job/30-4.htm">Food</a> <a href="/psalms/77-5.htm">Former</a> <a href="/psalms/109-24.htm">Gaunt</a> <a href="/job/34-22.htm">Gloom</a> <a href="/job/30-6.htm">Gloomy</a> <a href="/job/30-17.htm">Gnaw</a> <a href="/job/30-6.htm">Ground</a> <a href="/2_samuel/13-4.htm">Haggard</a> <a href="/job/30-21.htm">Hard</a> <a href="/job/30-15.htm">Hope</a> <a href="/job/38-39.htm">Hunger</a> <a href="/job/31-19.htm">Lack</a> <a href="/job/30-25.htm">Need</a> <a href="/job/30-17.htm">Night</a> <a href="/job/30-30.htm">Parched</a> <a href="/job/37-8.htm">Places</a> <a href="/1_samuel/30-31.htm">Roamed</a> <a href="/psalms/25-16.htm">Solitary</a> <a href="/job/34-23.htm">Time</a> <a href="/job/31-19.htm">Want</a> <a href="/job/30-13.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/job/33-21.htm">Wasted</a> <a href="/psalms/107-4.htm">Wastelands</a> <a href="/isaiah/24-10.htm">Wasteness</a> <a href="/job/38-26.htm">Wilderness</a><div class="vheading2">Job 30</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/30-1.htm">Job's honor is turned into extreme contempt</a></span><br><span class="reftext">15. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/30-15.htm">and his prosperity into calamity</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/30.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/job/30.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Gaunt from poverty and hunger</b><br>This phrase highlights the severe physical condition of those Job describes, emphasizing their emaciation due to extreme deprivation. In the ancient Near Eastern context, poverty and hunger were often seen as signs of divine disfavor or judgment. The imagery of being "gaunt" suggests a skeletal appearance, which is a powerful depiction of suffering. This condition contrasts with the prosperity Job once enjoyed, as described earlier in the book. Theologically, it reflects the theme of reversal of fortunes, a common motif in wisdom literature, where the righteous may suffer while the wicked prosper, challenging simplistic retributive justice.<p><b>They gnawed the dry land</b><br>The act of "gnawing" the dry land suggests a desperate attempt to find sustenance in barren conditions. This imagery evokes the harshness of the wilderness, where survival is a constant struggle. In biblical times, the land was often seen as a source of life and blessing, but here it is depicted as inhospitable and unyielding. This phrase may also allude to the curse of the ground in <a href="/genesis/3-17.htm">Genesis 3:17-19</a>, where the earth produces thorns and thistles, making human labor arduous. The dry land symbolizes spiritual desolation, paralleling Job's own sense of abandonment and despair.<p><b>And the desolate wasteland by night</b><br>The "desolate wasteland" underscores the isolation and danger faced by those who wander in such places. In the ancient world, the wilderness was often associated with chaos and evil, a place where demons and wild beasts roamed. The mention of "by night" adds to the sense of vulnerability and fear, as night was a time when dangers were heightened. This setting can be seen as a metaphor for Job's own spiritual and emotional state, feeling abandoned in a dark and hostile world. The desolation also echoes the prophetic imagery found in books like Isaiah and Jeremiah, where wastelands symbolize the consequences of sin and divine judgment.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/job.htm">Job</a></b><br>The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and integrity who undergoes severe trials and suffering.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_desolate_land.htm">The Desolate Land</a></b><br>Represents the barren and inhospitable environment where the outcasts dwell, symbolizing spiritual and physical desolation.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_outcasts.htm">The Outcasts</a></b><br>Those who are marginalized and impoverished, living in extreme conditions of poverty and hunger.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_suffering.htm">Understanding Suffering</a></b><br><a href="/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3</a> highlights the reality of suffering and poverty, reminding us that such conditions are part of the fallen world. Christians are called to empathize with those who suffer and to offer support and compassion.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_transience_of_wealth_and_status.htm">The Transience of Wealth and Status</a></b><br>Job's reflection on the outcasts serves as a reminder that material wealth and social status are temporary. Believers should focus on eternal values and treasures in heaven.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_in_trials.htm">God's Sovereignty in Trials</a></b><br>Even in desolation, God remains sovereign. Job's account encourages believers to trust in God's ultimate plan and purpose, even when circumstances seem bleak.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/c/compassion_for_the_marginalized.htm">Compassion for the Marginalized</a></b><br>The plight of the outcasts in <a href="/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3</a> challenges Christians to actively seek justice and mercy for the marginalized, reflecting God's heart for the poor and needy.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/spiritual_desolation.htm">Spiritual Desolation</a></b><br>The physical desolation described can also symbolize spiritual barrenness. Believers are encouraged to seek spiritual nourishment through God's Word and community.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_job_30.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Job 30</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/did_people_live_on_'saltwort'_and_'juniper'.htm">Job 30:3–5 – Is there any historical or scientific record of people actually living off “saltwort” and “juniper roots,” or is this purely metaphorical language? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_job_3_align_with_god's_justice.htm">How can Job's complaint in Job 3 align with a just and sovereign God, if he questions the value of his own birth?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_job_9_8's_sea-walking_metaphorical.htm">Job 9:8 portrays God walking on the sea, yet there is no historical or scientific evidence of such a literal phenomenon--should this be seen as metaphorical?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_can_job_3_3_imply_a_day_is_'cursed'.htm">How can Job 3:3 imply that a specific calendar day could be 'cursed,' and what would that logically accomplish?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/job/30.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 3.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">For want and famine they were solitary</span>; rather, <span class="accented">they were gaunt</span> (<span class="accented">see the</span> Revised Version). Compare the descriptions given to us of the native races of Central Africa by Sir S. Baker, Speke, Grant, Stanley, and others. <span class="cmt_word">Fleeing into the wilderness</span>; rather, <span class="accented">gnawing the wilderness</span>; <span class="accented">i.e.</span> feeding on such dry and sapless roots and fruits as the wilderness produces. In former time desolate and waste; or, <span class="accented">on the eve of wasteness and desolation</span>. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/job/30-3.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Gaunt</span><br /><span class="heb">גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד</span> <span class="translit">(gal·mūḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1565.htm">Strong's 1565: </a> </span><span class="str2">Sterile, desolate</span><br /><br /><span class="word">from poverty</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּחֶ֥סֶר</span> <span class="translit">(bə·ḥe·ser)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2639.htm">Strong's 2639: </a> </span><span class="str2">Lack, destitution</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and hunger,</span><br /><span class="heb">וּבְכָפָ֗ן</span> <span class="translit">(ū·ḇə·ḵā·p̄ān)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3720.htm">Strong's 3720: </a> </span><span class="str2">Hunger, famine</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they gnawed</span><br /><span class="heb">הַֽעֹרְקִ֥ים</span> <span class="translit">(ha·‘ō·rə·qîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6207.htm">Strong's 6207: </a> </span><span class="str2">To gnaw, eat, a pain</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the dry land,</span><br /><span class="heb">צִיָּ֑ה</span> <span class="translit">(ṣî·yāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6723.htm">Strong's 6723: </a> </span><span class="str2">Aridity, a desert</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and the desolate</span><br /><span class="heb">שׁוֹאָ֥ה</span> <span class="translit">(šō·w·’āh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7722.htm">Strong's 7722: </a> </span><span class="str2">A tempest, devastation</span><br /><br /><span class="word">wasteland</span><br /><span class="heb">וּמְשֹׁאָֽה׃</span> <span class="translit">(ū·mə·šō·’āh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4875.htm">Strong's 4875: </a> </span><span class="str2">Desolation</span><br /><br /><span class="word">by night.</span><br /><span class="heb">אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ</span> <span class="translit">(’e·meš)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_570.htm">Strong's 570: </a> </span><span class="str2">Yesterday, last night</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/job/30-3.htm">Job 30:3 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/job/30-3.htm">OT Poetry: Job 30:3 They are gaunt from lack and famine (Jb) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/job/30-2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 30:2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 30:2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/job/30-4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 30:4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 30:4" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>