Job 30:3

בְּחֶ֥סֶר וּבְכָפָ֗ן גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד הַֽעֹרְקִ֥ים צִיָּ֑ה אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ שׁוֹאָ֥ה וּמְשֹׁאָֽה
For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
Select a Hebrew word above to see its details.

בְּ חֶ֥סֶר
בְּ
Prefix — preposition in, at, by, with
חֶ֥סֶר
Root word poverty, want
Dictionary form: חֶסֶר · heh-SER

Noun — Common, masculine singular, absolute state

In the KJV here: for want
for want ×1 poverty ×1
More options
lack — Broadest modern term; fits most contexts naturally.
need — Emphasizes unmet necessity; slightly softer register.
poverty — Stress material deprivation; good for social/economic contexts.
want — Modernizes KJV 'for want'; still natural in contemporary English.
deprivation — Stronger, formal tone; highlights suffering from absence.
scarcity — Useful when emphasizing shortage of resources or goods.

BDB2987 H2639

BDB2986 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB2988

חֶ֫סֶר noun masculineProv 28:22 want, poverty — always absolute; יְבֹאֶנּוּ ׳ח Prov 28:22 want shall come to him; || כָּפָן hunger Job 30:3.

poverty, want
ḥeser
lack; hence, destitution
  • poverty, want

וּ בְ כָפָ֗ן
וּ
Prefix — connector and (sometimes: but, so, then)
בְ
Prefix — preposition in, at, by, with
כָפָ֗ן
Root word famine
Dictionary form: כָּפָן · kaw-PAWN

Noun — Common, masculine singular, absolute state

In the KJV here: and famine
and famine ×2
More options
famine — Standard modern term; broadly understood in any context.
hunger — Emphasizes the personal, felt experience of food deprivation.
starvation — Stronger register; highlights severity and life-threatening lack.
food shortage — Plainer, less dramatic; suits prose or explanatory contexts.

BDB4147 H3720

BDB4146 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB4148

כָּפָן noun [masculine] hunger, famine (Aramaism; on form compare LagBN 144), Job 5:22; Job 30:3.

famine
kāpān
hunger (as making to stoop with emptiness and pain)
  • hunger, famine, painful hunger

גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד
גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד
Root word desolate, solitary
Dictionary form: גַּלְמוּד · ɡahl-MOOD

Adjective — masculine singular, absolute state

In the KJV here: they were solitary
and am desolate ×1 shall be desolate ×1 solitary ×1 they were solitary ×1
More options
isolated — Broadly useful; fits social or physical abandonment.
forsaken — Emphasizes emotional weight of abandonment.
barren — Good when context stresses emptiness or unfruitfulness.
lonely — More personal, interior register; suits individual lament.
destitute — Highlights lack of support or resources alongside aloneness.
abandoned — Strong relational sense; implies others have left.

BDB1668 H1565

BDB1667 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB1669

גַּלְמוּד adjective hard, barren (Late Hebrew id. lonely NHWB; Arabic rock, stony (of land); Aramaic גַּלְמוּדָה compare BaNB 208) — ׳ג Job 3:7 + 2 t. Job; feminine גַּלְמוּדָה Isa 49:21 — hard, barren, unproductive, mostly figurative: Job 15:34 of company of wicked men, where probably a substantive see De Di; Job 30:3 through want and famine (they are) stiff (lifeless; RV gaunt); of exiled Zion as bereaved and barren woman Isa 49:21 so of night of Job's birth Job 3:7.

desolate, solitary
galmûd
sterile (as wrapped up too hard); figuratively, desolate
  • hard, barren, harsh, bleak
    • harsh, bleak (of a company of wicked men)
      • "barren (of women)

הַֽ עֹרְקִ֥ים
הַֽ
Prefix — article the
עֹרְקִ֥ים
Root word fleeing, sinews
Dictionary form: עָרַק · aw-RAHK

Verb — Qal, Participle Active, masculine plural, absolute state simple action — "he did" ongoing action — try "___ing" or "one who ___s"

In the KJV here: fleeing
and my sinews ×1 fleeing ×1
More options
sinew — Anatomical sense; prefer in bodily/physical contexts.
tendon — More precise modern anatomical term for sinew.
flee — Verbal sense; use when motion/escape is in view.
gnaw — Some scholars read a sense of gnawing; rare usage.

BDB6412 H6207

BDB6411 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB6413

[עָרַק] verb gnaw (Arabic id.; Syriac Pa`el);

**Syriac in Lexicons, and Pa`el; but Syriac usually flee, as ᵑ7. —
Qal Participle plural הַעֹרְקִים צִיָּה Job 30:3 they who gnaw the dry (ground; figurative of scanty subsistence); suffix עֹרְקַי vJob 30:17 my gnawing (pains) do not sleep.

fleeing, sinews
ʿāraq
to gnaw, i.e., (figuratively) eat (by hyberbole); also (participle) a pain
  • (Qal) to gnaw, chew

צִיָּ֑ה
צִיָּ֑ה
Root word dry, wilderness, drought, land, place, …
Dictionary form: צִיָּה · tsih-YAW

Noun — Common, feminine singular, absolute state

In the KJV here: into the wilderness
and dry ×2 a dry ×1 a dry land ×1 and the dry ×1 and the solitary place ×1 barren ×1 drought ×1 for thee in a dry ×1
More options
arid land — Neutral, geographic; suits prose narrative contexts well.
wasteland — Emphasizes desolation; good for prophetic or poetic passages.
parched ground — Highlights extreme dryness; vivid in simile or metaphor.
desert — Broadly understood; use when barrenness is the main idea.
drought — Preferred when the focus is on lack of water, not location.
barren wilderness — Strongest desolation nuance; reserve for heightened poetic register.

BDB7049 H6723

BDB7048 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB7050

צִיָּה noun feminine dryness, drought; — absolute ׳צ Hos 2:5+; plural צִיּוֺת Ps 105:41 — drought Job 24:19 (|| חֹם); elsewhere of land (often || מִדְבָּר, עְַרָבָה etc.): ׳אֶרֶץ צ land of drought, desert Hos 2:5 (simile), Jer 2:6; Jer 50:12 (figurative), Jer 51:43; Isa 41:18; Isa 53:2 (in simile), Ps 107:35 + צָמָא Ezek 19:13 (figurative), + שְׁמָמָה Joel 2:20, + עָיֵף Ps 63:2 (figurative); ׳צ =desert Isa 35:1; Zeph 2:13; Job 30:3; Ps 78:17 plural Ps 105:41.

dry, wilderness, drought, land, place, …
ṣiyyâ
aridity; concretely, a desert
  • dryness, drought, desert

אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ
אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ
Adverb yesternight, time, yesterday
Dictionary form: אֶמֶשׁ · eh-MESH

Adverb

In the KJV here: in former time
yesternight ×2 in former time ×1 thee yesternight ×1 yesterday ×1
More options
last night — Most natural modern equivalent for 'yesternight'.
yesterday — Use when context emphasizes the previous day broadly.
the night before — Clarifies nocturnal timing when 'last night' is ambiguous.
recently — Suits the broader 'former time' sense in figurative contexts.
the other night — Informal; good for narrative or conversational prose.

BDB569 H570

BDB568 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB570

אֶ֫מֶשׁ adverb yesterday (etymology dubious; MV after Fl De on Job 30:3 compare Sta§ 256 c derive from √ משׁה = Arabic , whence , evening; see also in Thes, & compare Assyrian mušu, night COTGloss, Ethiopic but also Arabic = Assyrian amšatu, yesterday) = last night Gen 19:34; Gen 31:29; Gen 31:42 (אָ֑מֶשׁ); = recently 2Kgs 9:26. — Job 30:3 שׁוֺאָה ׳א is difficult & uncertain Thes MV and others darkness, gloom of wasteness, so RV, but dubious, compare Di; G. Hoffm. reads ׳אֵם שׁ = the mother of (all) the ruined ( said of the desert).

אֱמֶת אֲמִתַּי see אמן.

אַמְתַּ֫חַת see מתח.

yesternight, time, yesterday
ʾemeš
yesterday or last night
  • yesterday, last night
    • "recently (figuratively)

שׁוֹאָ֥ה
שׁוֹאָ֥ה
Root word desolation, destruction, desolate, destructions, storm, …
Dictionary form: שׁוֹא · shoh

Noun — Common, feminine singular, absolute state

In the KJV here: desolate
and desolation ×1 and in the desolation ×1 desolate ×1 from their destructions ×1 himself into that very destruction ×1 let destruction ×1 like a storm ×1 neither of the desolation ×1
More options
devastation — Broad, vivid modern term for severe destruction.
ruin — Concise and widely understood; suits narrative contexts.
destruction — Modernized from KJV; direct and forceful.
desolation — Retains wasteland imagery; good for poetic or prophetic texts.
catastrophe — Emphasizes sudden, overwhelming disaster.
wasteland — Noun form stressing resultant emptiness over the act.

BDB8498 H7722

BDB8497 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB8499

[שׁוֺא] noun [masculine] ravage (?); — plural suffix שֹׁאֵיהֶם Ps 35:17 rescue me from their ravages (si vera lectio); ᵐ5 κακουργία; Ol Dy Gr CheComm. plausibly שַׁאֲגָם their roaring, compare vPs 35:16 vPs 35:17 c; We Du שֹׁאֲגִים.

BDB8499 H7722

BDB8498 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB8500

שׁוֺאָה, שֹׁאָה noun feminine devastation, ruin, waste; — absolute ׳שׁו Isa 10:3 +, שֹׁאָה Isa 47:11; Zeph 1:15; Job 30:14 (+ Job 38:27 van d. H. Gi, but see Baer's note); construct שֹׁאַת Prov 3:25 —

1. devastation, ruin, as coming on person, Isa 10:3; Isa 47:11 (Babylon personified), Ps 35:8 a Ps 63:10 שֹׁאַת רְשָׁעִים Prov 3:25 (object genitive; || פַּחַד); וּמְשׁוֺאָה ׳(יוֺם)שׁ Zeph 1:15 probably = devastating storm, in simile Ezek 38:9 (|| עָנָן), Prov 1:27 (Qr; Kt שׁאוה; || סוּפָה). — Ps 35:8b read probably שַׁחְתֹּה his pit, ᵑ6 We (compare vPs 35:7).
2. concretely, ruin, waste, of the desert, Job 30:3 (reading אֶרֶץ for אֶמֶשׁ Ol; otherwise below 1), וּמְשׁוֺאָה ׳שׁ Job 38:27 (|| מִדְבָּר vJob 38:26); = ruins Job 30:14.

desolation, destruction, desolate, destructions, storm, …
šôʾ
a tempest; by implication, devastation
  • (n m) ravage
    • "(n f) devastation, ruin, waste
    • devastation, ruin
      • "ruin, waste (of land)

וּ מְשֹׁאָֽה
וּ
Prefix — connector and (sometimes: but, so, then)
מְשֹׁאָֽה
Root word waste, desolation
Dictionary form: מְשׁוֹאָה · meh-shoh-AW

Noun — Common, feminine singular, absolute state

In the KJV here: and waste
and waste ×2 and desolation ×1
More options
desolation — Broad, formal term; fits prophetic and poetic contexts.
ruin — Concrete and vivid; good for narrative or descriptive passages.
devastation — Emphasizes the process and severity of destruction.
wasteland — Spatial nuance; highlights the resulting barren landscape.
destruction — General-purpose; suits contexts of total annihilation.
desolate place — Nominal phrase; stresses the emptied, abandoned state.

BDB5406 H4876 H4875

BDB5405 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB5407

מַשּׁוּאוֺת noun feminine plural deceptions Ps 73:18; Ps 74:3, but meaning not suitable; read probably מְשׁוֺאוֺת, see מְשׁוֺאָה below שׁוא (so Klo NowHup Bae).

BDB8500 H4875

BDB8499 | BIBLICAL HEBREW | BDB8501

מְשׁוֺאָה, מְשֹׁאָה noun feminine desolation; —

1. singular only in ׳שֹׁאָה וּמ Zeph 1:15; Job 30:3; Job 38:27, see foregoing; plural (מַשּׁוּאוֺת, read) מְשׁוֺאוֺת, so Klo Hup-Now CheComm. Bae Du Ps 74:3 ruins (of temple) and Ps 73:18 ruins (of one's life, figurative; but Du here derives from נשׁא: deceptions; yet compare synonym שַׁמָּה vPs 73:19).

waste, desolation
mĕšôʾâ
(a) ruin, abstractly (the act) or concretely (the wreck)
  • desolation, ruin

This book is chanted to the poetic accent system (used only in Job, Psalms, and Proverbs). Each group below ends at one of its pausing accents — translate a group as one unit.
בְּחֶ֥סֶר וּבְכָפָ֗ן Revia Gadol — a lesser break גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד Ole We-Yored — the strongest pause of a poetic verse הַֽעֹרְקִ֥ים צִיָּ֑ה Atnach — a major pause — here second to ole we-yored אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ Revia Mugrash — a lesser break שׁוֹאָ֥ה וּמְשֹׁאָֽה Silluq — end of the verse

בְּחֶסֶר וּבְכָפָן גַּלְמוּד הַֽעֹרְקִים צִיָּה אֶמֶשׁ שׁוֹאָה וּמְשֹׁאָֽה׃
3
For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
Cross References

Job 24:5

הֵן פְּרָאִים׀ בַּֽמִּדְבָּר יָצְאוּ בְּפָעֳלָם מְשַׁחֲרֵי לַטָּרֶף עֲרָבָה לוֹ לֶחֶם לַנְּעָרִֽים׃
5
Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children.

Hebrews 11:38

ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἄξιος ὁ κόσμος ἐν ἐρημίαις πλανώμενοι καὶ ὄρεσιν καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς
38
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Job 24:13

הֵמָּה׀ הָיוּ בְּֽמֹרְדֵי-אוֹר לֹֽא-הִכִּירוּ דְרָכָיו וְלֹא יָשְׁבוּ בִּנְתִיבֹתָֽיו׃
13
They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.
Job 30:2
Read Job 30
Job 30:4