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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 30:4 They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/job/30-4.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/9/18_Job_30_04.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Job 30:4 - Job's Honor Turned into Contempt" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food." /><script type="application/javascript" 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align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad4.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/30-3.htm" title="Job 30:3">◄</a> Job 30:4 <a href="/job/30-5.htm" title="Job 30:5">►</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 />In the brush they gathered salt herbs, and their food was the root of the broom bush.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/job/30.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />They pluck wild greens from among the bushes and eat from the roots of broom trees.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/job/30.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes, and the roots of the broom tree for their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/job/30.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/job/30.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots <i>for</i> their meat.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/job/30.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots <i>for</i> their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/job/30.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Who pluck saltweed by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/job/30.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/job/30.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/job/30.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom tree.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/job/30.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“They pluck [and eat] saltwort (mallows) among the bushes, And their food is the root of the broom shrub.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/job/30.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/job/30.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/job/30.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />They pluck salt-wort by the bushes; And the roots of the broom are their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/job/30.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />They gather tasteless shrubs for food and firewood, <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/job/30.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />They pluck salt-wort by the bushes; and the roots of the broom are their meat.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/job/30.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />They pick saltwort from the underbrush, and the roots of the broom plant are their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/job/30.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />They pulled up the plants of the desert and ate them, even the tasteless roots of the broom tree! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/job/30.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"They would pluck off herbs from salt marshes to eat; and roots of the broom shrub for food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/job/30.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/job/30.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />By the brush they would gather herbs from the salt marshes, and the root of the broom tree was their food. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/job/30.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />They pluck salt herbs by the bushes. The roots of the broom are their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/job/30.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/job/30.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />They pluck salt herbs by the bushes. The roots of the broom tree are their food. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/job/30.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Those cropping mallows near a shrub, "" And their food [is] root of broom trees.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/job/30.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Those cropping mallows near a shrub, And broom-roots is their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/job/30.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Plucking off sea purslain upon the shrub, the root of broom their bread.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/job/30.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />And they ate grass, and barks of trees, and the root of junipers was their food. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/job/30.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />And they chewed grass and the bark from trees, and the root of junipers was their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/job/30.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />They plucked saltwort and shrubs; the roots of the broom plant were their food. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/job/30.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />they pick mallow and the leaves of bushes, and to warm themselves the roots of broom.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/job/30.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />For they had lost their power completely.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/job/30.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />For all strength was lost upon them<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/job/30.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />They pluck salt-wort with wormwood; And the roots of the broom are their food.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/job/30.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Who compass the salt places on the sounding <i>shore</i>, who had salt <i>herbs</i> for their food, and were dishonorable and of no repute, in want of every good thing; who also ate roots of trees by reason of great hunger.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/job/30-4.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=4415" 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">3</span>Gaunt from poverty and hunger, they gnawed the dry land, and the desolate wasteland by night. <span class="reftext">4</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/6998.htm" title="6998: haq·qō·ṭə·p̄îm (Art:: V-Qal-Prtcpl-mp) -- To pluck off or out. A primitive root; to strip off.">They plucked</a> <a href="/hebrew/4408.htm" title="4408: mal·lū·aḥ (N-ms) -- Mallow. From malach; sea-purslain.">mallow</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ă·lê- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">among</a> <a href="/hebrew/7880.htm" title="7880: śî·aḥ (N-ms) -- A bush, shrub, plant. From siyach; a shoot, i.e. shrubbery.">the shrubs,</a> <a href="/hebrew/8328.htm" title="8328: wə·šō·reš (Conj-w:: N-msc) -- A root. From sharash; a root.">and the roots</a> <a href="/hebrew/7574.htm" title="7574: rə·ṯā·mîm (N-mp) -- Broom plant, retem. Or rothem; from ratham; the Spanish broom.">of the broom tree</a> <a href="/hebrew/3899.htm" title="3899: laḥ·mām (Prep-l:: V-Qal-Inf:: 3mp) -- Bread, food. From lacham; food, especially bread, or grain.">were their food.</a> </span><span class="reftext">5</span>They were banished from among men, shouted down like thieves,…<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="/lamentations/4-9.htm">Lamentations 4:9-10</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. / The hands of compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/4-38.htm">2 Kings 4:38-39</a></span><br />When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.” / One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were.<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="/isaiah/44-12.htm">Isaiah 44:12-13</a></span><br />The blacksmith takes a tool and labors over the coals; he fashions an idol with hammers and forges it with his strong arms. Yet he grows hungry and loses his strength; he fails to drink water and grows faint. / The woodworker extends a measuring line; he marks it out with a stylus; he shapes it with chisels and outlines it with a compass. He fashions it in the likeness of man, like man in all his glory, that it may dwell in a shrine.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/14-1.htm">Jeremiah 14:1-6</a></span><br />This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: / “Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem. / The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/3-18.htm">Genesis 3:18</a></span><br />Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/102-4.htm">Psalm 102:4</a></span><br />My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/27-7.htm">Proverbs 27:7</a></span><br />The soul that is full loathes honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/5-13.htm">Isaiah 5:13</a></span><br />Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving and their masses are parched with thirst.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/34-29.htm">Ezekiel 34:29</a></span><br />And I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/4-2.htm">Matthew 4:2-4</a></span><br />After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. / The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” / But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/15-16.htm">Luke 15:16</a></span><br />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="/mark/1-6.htm">Mark 1:6</a></span><br />John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/3-4.htm">Matthew 3:4</a></span><br />John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.<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.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.</p><p class="hdg">for their meat</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_kings/4-38.htm">2 Kings 4:38,39</a></b></br> And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and <i>there was</i> a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets <i>were</i> sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/amos/7-14.htm">Amos 7:14</a></b></br> Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I <i>was</i> no prophet, neither <i>was</i> I a prophet's son; but I <i>was</i> an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/luke/15-16.htm">Luke 15:16</a></b></br> And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/1_kings/19-5.htm">Broom</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Brush</a> <a href="/genesis/22-13.htm">Brushwood</a> <a href="/exodus/22-6.htm">Bushes</a> <a href="/job/28-10.htm">Cut</a> <a href="/job/30-3.htm">Food</a> <a href="/job/27-19.htm">Gather</a> <a href="/job/27-19.htm">Gathered</a> <a href="/2_kings/4-39.htm">Herbs</a> <a href="/1_kings/19-5.htm">Juniper</a> <a href="/job/21-21.htm">Leaves</a> <a href="/job/28-26.htm">Making</a> <a href="/job/6-6.htm">Mallows</a> <a href="/nehemiah/13-9.htm">Meal</a> <a href="/job/20-21.htm">Meat</a> <a href="/2_kings/9-26.htm">Pick</a> <a href="/job/24-9.htm">Pluck</a> <a href="/job/20-25.htm">Pulling</a> <a href="/job/29-19.htm">Root</a> <a href="/job/29-19.htm">Roots</a> <a href="/job/6-6.htm">Salt</a> <a href="/genesis/2-5.htm">Shrub</a> <a href="/job/29-8.htm">Themselves</a> <a href="/job/24-20.htm">Tree</a> <a href="/job/6-17.htm">Warm</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/29-18.htm">Wormwood</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/psalms/120-4.htm">Broom</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Brush</a> <a href="/job/38-40.htm">Brushwood</a> <a href="/job/30-7.htm">Bushes</a> <a href="/job/33-6.htm">Cut</a> <a href="/job/31-17.htm">Food</a> <a href="/job/34-14.htm">Gather</a> <a href="/job/30-7.htm">Gathered</a> <a href="/psalms/105-35.htm">Herbs</a> <a href="/psalms/120-4.htm">Juniper</a> <a href="/job/39-14.htm">Leaves</a> <a href="/job/35-9.htm">Making</a> <a href="/job/6-6.htm">Mallows</a> <a href="/job/33-20.htm">Meal</a> <a href="/job/31-31.htm">Meat</a> <a href="/psalms/80-12.htm">Pick</a> <a href="/psalms/25-15.htm">Pluck</a> <a href="/job/30-18.htm">Pulling</a> <a href="/job/31-12.htm">Root</a> <a href="/job/36-30.htm">Roots</a> <a href="/job/39-6.htm">Salt</a> <a href="/jeremiah/17-6.htm">Shrub</a> <a href="/job/30-12.htm">Themselves</a> <a href="/psalms/1-3.htm">Tree</a> <a href="/job/31-20.htm">Warm</a> <a href="/proverbs/5-4.htm">Wormwood</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>They plucked mallow among the shrubs</b><br>This phrase describes a desperate situation where individuals are forced to gather wild plants for sustenance. Mallow is a plant that grows in arid regions and is often associated with poverty and survival. In biblical times, it was not considered a desirable food source, indicating the dire circumstances of those who consumed it. The act of plucking mallow among the shrubs suggests a scavenging lifestyle, highlighting the theme of suffering and degradation. This imagery connects to the broader context of Job's lament about his fallen state and the reversal of fortunes. The use of wild plants for food can also be seen in other biblical passages, such as <a href="/2_kings/4-39.htm">2 Kings 4:39</a>, where wild gourds are gathered during a famine.<p><b>and the roots of the broom tree were their food</b><br>The broom tree, known for its hardy nature and ability to thrive in desert conditions, provides a stark image of survival in harsh environments. Its roots, though not typically consumed, are mentioned here as a last resort for nourishment. This reflects the extreme poverty and desperation faced by those who rely on such sources for sustenance. The broom tree is also mentioned in <a href="/1_kings/19-4.htm">1 Kings 19:4</a>, where Elijah rests under it, symbolizing a place of refuge and desolation. The consumption of its roots underscores the theme of suffering and the lengths to which people will go to survive. This imagery serves as a metaphor for Job's own experience of loss and hardship, as he identifies with those who are marginalized and destitute.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/job.htm">Job</a></b><br>A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing intense suffering and questioning the reasons behind it.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_wilderness.htm">The Wilderness</a></b><br>The setting where the outcasts, described by Job, gather their food. It symbolizes desolation and hardship, reflecting Job's own feelings of abandonment and despair.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/o/outcasts.htm">Outcasts</a></b><br>The people Job describes in this chapter, who are marginalized and live in destitution, scavenging for food in the wilderness.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/s/salt_herbs.htm">Salt Herbs</a></b><br>Plants gathered by the outcasts for sustenance, indicating their extreme poverty and the harshness of their living conditions.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/b/broom_tree.htm">Broom Tree</a></b><br>A desert shrub whose roots were used as food by the impoverished, symbolizing the meager and bitter sustenance available to those in dire need.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_suffering.htm">Understanding Suffering</a></b><br>Job's description of the outcasts' plight serves as a metaphor for his own suffering. It reminds us that suffering can strip away dignity and lead to feelings of abandonment.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/e/empathy_for_the_marginalized.htm">Empathy for the Marginalized</a></b><br>This passage challenges us to empathize with those who are marginalized and to consider how we can support them in their physical and spiritual needs.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/spiritual_sustenance.htm">Spiritual Sustenance</a></b><br>Just as the outcasts rely on the roots of the broom tree for survival, we are reminded to seek spiritual sustenance in God's Word during our own times of hardship.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_reality_of_poverty.htm">The Reality of Poverty</a></b><br><a href="/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4</a> highlights the harsh realities of poverty, urging us to be mindful of the needs of the poor and to act with compassion and generosity.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/trust_in_god's_provision.htm">Trust in God's Provision</a></b><br>Despite the bleak circumstances, believers are encouraged to trust in God's provision and faithfulness, even when resources seem scarce.<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/is_the_trinity_in_the_old_testament.htm">What does 'broom tree' mean in the Bible?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_a_'broom_tree'_in_the_bible.htm">What does "broom tree" mean in the Bible?</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/evidence_of_'nameless_outcasts'_in_job's_era.htm">Job 30:8 - Do we have evidence of entire groups of 'nameless outcasts' in the Near East during Job's era, or is this an exaggerated literary trope?</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 4.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Who cut up mallows by the bushes</span>. One of the plants on which they feed is the <span class="accented">malluch</span>, not really a "mallow," but probably the <span class="accented">Atriplex halimus</span> which is "a shrub from four to five feet high, with many thick branches; the leaves are rather sour to the taste; the flowers are purple, and very small; it grows on the sea-coast in Greece, Arabia, Syria, etc., and belongs to the natural order <span class="accented">Chenopodiace"</span> (<span class="accented">see</span> Smith's 'Dict. of the Bible,' vol. 2. p. 215). <span class="cmt_word">And juniper roots for their meat</span>. Most moderns regard the <span class="accented">rothen</span> as the <span class="accented">Genista monosperma</span>, which is a kind of broom. It is a leguminous plant, having a white flower. and grows plentifully in the Sinaitic desert, in Palestine, Syria, and Arabia. The root is very bitter, and would only be used as food under extreme pressure, but the fruit is readily eaten by sheep, and the roots would, no doubt, yield some nourishment (see Dr. Cunningham Geikie's work,' The Holy Land and the Bible,' vol. 1. p. 258). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/job/30-4.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">They plucked</span><br /><span class="heb">הַקֹּטְפִ֣ים</span> <span class="translit">(haq·qō·ṭə·p̄îm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6998.htm">Strong's 6998: </a> </span><span class="str2">To pluck off or out</span><br /><br /><span class="word">mallow</span><br /><span class="heb">מַלּ֣וּחַ</span> <span class="translit">(mal·lū·aḥ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4408.htm">Strong's 4408: </a> </span><span class="str2">Sea-purslain</span><br /><br /><span class="word">among</span><br /><span class="heb">עֲלֵי־</span> <span class="translit">(‘ă·lê-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the shrubs,</span><br /><span class="heb">שִׂ֑יחַ</span> <span class="translit">(śî·aḥ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7880.htm">Strong's 7880: </a> </span><span class="str2">A bush, shrub, plant</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and the roots</span><br /><span class="heb">וְשֹׁ֖רֶשׁ</span> <span class="translit">(wə·šō·reš)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8328.htm">Strong's 8328: </a> </span><span class="str2">A root</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of the broom tree</span><br /><span class="heb">רְתָמִ֣ים</span> <span class="translit">(rə·ṯā·mîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7574.htm">Strong's 7574: </a> </span><span class="str2">Broom plant, retem</span><br /><br /><span class="word">were their food.</span><br /><span class="heb">לַחְמָֽם׃</span> <span class="translit">(laḥ·mām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3899.htm">Strong's 3899: </a> </span><span class="str2">Food, bread, grain</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/job/30-4.htm">Job 30:4 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/job/30-4.htm">OT Poetry: Job 30:4 They pluck salt herbs by the bushes (Jb) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/job/30-3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 30:3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 30:3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/job/30-5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 30:5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 30:5" /></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>