God’s Word Translation
Job 2:8
8Job took a piece of broken pottery to scratch himself as he sat in the ashes.
Job 2:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
- New International Version (NIV)Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.
Context of Job 2:8
6The Lord told Satan, “He is in your power, but you must spare his life!” 7Satan left the Lord’s presence and struck Job with painful boils from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Job took a piece of broken pottery to scratch himself as he sat in the ashes. 9His wife asked him, “Are you still holding on to your principles? Curse God and die!” 10He said to her, “You’re talking like a godless fool. We accept the good that God gives us. Shouldn’t we also accept the bad?” Through all this Job’s lips did not utter one sinful word.
Read all of Job 2Job 2:8 word by word
וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ל֣וֹ חֶ֔רֶשׂ לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד בּ֑וֹ וְה֖וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב בְּתוֹךְ־הָאֵֽפֶר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 2:8
- Job 19:14My relatives and my closest friends have stopped coming. My house guests have forgotten me.
- Psalms 38:5My wounds smell rotten. They fester because of my stupidity.
- Luke 16:20There was also a beggar named Lazarus who was regularly brought to the gate of the rich man’s house.
- Job 42:6That is why I take back what I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show that I am sorry.”
- 2 Samuel 13:19Tamar put ashes on her head, tore the long-sleeved gown she had on, put her hands on her head, and went away crying.
- Isaiah 61:3⌞He has sent me⌟ to provide for all those who grieve in Zion, to give them crowns instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of ⌞tears of⌟ grief, and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness. They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, the Plantings of the Lord, so that he might display his glory.
- Ezekiel 27:30They cried loudly and bitterly over you. They put dust on their heads and covered themselves with ashes.
- Jonah 3:6When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
- Matthew 11:21“How horrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How horrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Commentaries on Job 2:8
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8And he took him a potsherd - The word used here חרשׁ chârâsh means a fragment of a broken vessel; see the notes at Isaiah 45:9. The Septuagint renders it ̓́ ostrakon - “a shell.” One object of taking this was to remove from his body the filth accumulated by the universal ulcer, compare Job 7:4-5; and another design probably was, to “indicate” the greatness of his calamity and sorrow. The ancients were accustomed to show their grief by significant…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-10Verses 7-10 The devil tempts his own children, and draws them to sin, and afterwards torments, when he has brought them to ruin; but this child of God he tormented with affliction, and then tempted to make a bad use of his affliction. He provoked Job to curse God. The disease was very grievous. If at any time we are tried with sore and grievous distempers, let us not think ourselves dealt with otherwise than as God sometimes deals with the best of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Job might have scraped his skin for relief. The ancient Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) says it was “to scrape away the pus.” The ashes might refer to a place where they placed lepers in isolation. But Job was probably showing his grief and how desperate he was (30:19; Genesis 18:27; 2 Samuel 13:19; Isaiah 58:5; Jonah 3:6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. a potsherd--not a piece of a broken earthen vessel, but an instrument made for scratching (the root of the Hebrew word is "scratch"); the sore was too disgusting to touch. "To sit in the ashes" marks the deepest mourning (Jon 3:6); also humility, as if the mourner were nothing but dust and ashes; so Abraham (Ge 18:27).Read the comment
Topics related to Job 2:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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