God’s Word Translation
Job 8:11
11“Can papyrus grow up where there is no swamp? Can rushes grow tall without water?
Job 8:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
- New International Version (NIV)Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water?
Context of Job 8:11
9We have only been around since yesterday, and we know nothing. Our days on earth are only a fleeting shadow. 10Won’t their words teach you? Won’t they share their thoughts with you? “Can papyrus grow up where there is no swamp? Can rushes grow tall without water? 12Even if they were fresh and not cut, they would wither quicker than grass. 13The same thing happens to all who forget God. The hope of the godless dies.
Read all of Job 8Job 8:11 word by word
הֲיִֽגְאֶה־גֹּ֭מֶא בְּלֹ֣א בִצָּ֑ה יִשְׂגֶּה־אָ֥חוּ בְלִי־מָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 8:11
- Exodus 2:3When she couldn’t hide him any longer, she took a basket made of papyrus plants and coated it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in it and set it among the papyrus plants near the bank of the Nile River.
- Isaiah 19:5The water in the Nile River will be dried up, and the river will be dry and empty.
Commentaries on Job 8:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Can the rush grow - The word גמא gome, which we translate rush, is, without doubt, the Egyptian flag papyrus, on which the ancients wrote, and from which our paper derives its name. The Septuagint, who made their Greek translation in Egypt, (if this book made a part of it), and knew well the import of each word in both languages, render גמא gome by papyrus, thus: ̔ ; Can the Papyrus flourish without water? Their translation leaves no doubt concerning the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Can the rush - This passage has all the appearance of being a fragment of a poem handed down from ancient times. It is adduced by Bildad as an example of the views of the ancients, and, as the connection would seem to imply, as a specimen of the sentiments of those who lived before the life of man had been abridged. It was customary in the early ages of the world to communicate knowledge of all kinds by maxims, moral sayings, and proverbs; by apothegms…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-19Verses 8-19 Bildad discourses well of hypocrites and evil-doers, and the fatal end of all their hopes and joys. He proves this truth of the destruction of the hopes and joys of hypocrites, by an appeal to former times. Bildad refers to the testimony of the ancients. Those teach best that utter words out of their heart, that speak from an experience of spiritual and divine things. A rush growing in fenny ground, looking very green, but withering in dry…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11Papyrus reeds can grow as high as three to four and one-half meters (ten to fifteen feet).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. rush--rather, "paper-reed": The papyrus of Egypt, which was used to make garments, shoes, baskets, boats, and paper (a word derived from it). It and the flag, or bulrush, grow only in marshy places (such as are along the Nile). So the godless thrives only in external prosperity; there is in the hypocrite no inward stability; his prosperity is like the rapid growth of water plants.Read the comment
Topics related to Job 8:11
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 8
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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