Tyndale Open Study NotesJob 30

Job compares his past happiness, honor, and wealth with his current loss of social dignity and divine friendship (chapters 29 and 30). He ends his speech with broad vows of innocence (chapter 31).

In the past, the most important members of society praised Job (29:11). Now, the least important made fun of him and spit in his face (30:1, 10). Compare with Psalms 35:15; 69:12; Mark 14:65; 15:17–20.

They live in scary valleys (wadis), caves (holes), and among rocks.

The miserable life of those making fun of Job was like:

• Israel’s situation under Midianite abuse (Judges 6:2).

• David’s life when he fled from King Saul (1 Samuel 22:1–2).

• The prophet Elijah’s life as he waited for the Lord’s instruction (1 Kings 17:3–8).

they mock me: See also 17:6; compare with Psalm 69:12; Lamentations 3:14, 63.

• keep far from me: See also 19:13–15; compare Psalm 88:8; Proverbs 19:7; Matthew 26:56.

• Spitting in someone's face showed extreme dislike or hatred (Deuteronomy 25:9; Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67; 27:30; Mark 14:65).

• The series of images here shows a military attack on a city with strong defenses. Job had already used this image to describe God's attack on him (Job 19:10–12).

• The word translated as snares might refer to ramps raised against a city's walls. A siege ramp was a large sloped structure of earth and stones that armies built against city walls. These ramps allowed attacking soldiers to climb up to the top of the walls during a battle.

Terrors: See also 6:4; 7:14; compare with Psalm 88:15.

He seizes me by the collar: The Hebrew in this verse is hard to translate. It might mean Job feels like God is choking him and he is a throw him into the mud (compare 30:19).

dust and ashes: Earlier, Job sat among the ashes in pain (2:8). Later, he would sit in dust and ashes to "repent" (42:6).

You do not answer: Job often complained about this (9:16; 19:7; 23:2–9; 31:35). But God soon responded (38:1).

Job felt like he was caught in a storm and blown around like useless "straw" or "chaff" (9:17; 21:18; 27:21; Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13).

Before his testing began, people respected Job in the public square (29:7–10, 21–25). He helped those in need (29:11–17).

Job might have been expressing how he saw himself, how others saw him, or both. By saying he was a brother of jackals, a companion to owls, Job might have been describing his deep grief (Micah 1:8). People associated jackals with things devastated or ruins (see Psalm 63:10; Isaiah 13:22; 34:13; 35:7; Jeremiah 9:11; 10:22; 49:33; 51:37; Lamentations 5:18; Ezekiel 13:4; Malachi 1:3).

People with a comfortable life had skin protected from the sun and wind. Dark skin suggested physical and social decline (Lamentations 4:8; 5:10).