Job 1 18

Job 1:18 kjv

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

Job 1:18 nkjv

While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

Job 1:18 niv

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, "Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother's house,

Job 1:18 esv

While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,

Job 1:18 nlt

While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: "Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home.

Job 1 verses

Job 1 18 Meaning

Job 1:18 reveals the third wave of devastating news to Job, describing the swift and coordinated raid by the Chaldeans who plundered his immense camel herds and brutally killed his servants, leaving only one messenger to relay the catastrophe. This verse emphasizes the relentless and compounding nature of the trials Job faced, as one tragedy immediately followed another, intensifying his shock and grief.

Job 1 18 Context

Job 1:18 falls within the opening chapter of the Book of Job, which sets the stage for the dramatic theological and existential questions explored throughout the book. Prior to this verse, the reader is introduced to Job as a man of unparalleled integrity and immense wealth in the land of Uz. The narrative shifts to a heavenly court scene where Satan challenges Job's piety, alleging it is conditional upon his prosperity. God grants Satan permission to test Job by stripping him of his possessions and family, though Job's life is to be spared. Verses 13-17 detail three rapid, successive catastrophes: Sabeans taking oxen and donkeys and killing servants; "fire of God" destroying sheep and more servants; and then Chaldeans attacking the camels and their attending servants (this verse, 1:18). Each report is delivered by a sole survivor, one after another, creating an immediate, crushing blow of multiple losses that leave Job in utter desolation, losing livelihood, assets, and human lives, all before he can even fully process the previous bad news. This setup powerfully challenges the simplistic retribution theology prevalent in the Ancient Near East and debated by Job's friends—that suffering is always a direct result of sin.

Job 1 18 Word analysis

• While he was yet speaking: עֹ֛וד ה֣וּא מְדַבֵּ֔ר ('od hu' medabber). This phrase creates a sense of rapid, immediate, and unrelenting disaster. It is a literary device common in Hebrew narrative, used here to highlight the intensity and compounded nature of Job's suffering. There is no respite between the blows, indicating a comprehensive, orchestrated assault.
• another messenger came: וְזֶ֗ה בָּא֙ (v'zeh ba'). The singular "another" (v'zeh, lit. "and this one") underscores the chilling efficiency of the catastrophe. It’s a separate, distinct report of a new calamity, amplifying the sense of targeted and sequential destruction rather than random, chaotic events.
• and said: וַיֹּאמַר֙ (vayomer). A common Hebrew verb, yet here it carries the weight of delivering utterly devastating news.
• The Chaldeans made a raid: כַּשְׂדִּ֞ים עָשׂ֤וּ גְדוּד֙ (kasdim asu gedud).
  • Chaldeans (Kasdim): Hailing from Mesopotamia (future Babylon), they were a historically recognized group known for their martial prowess, predatory raids, and eventual political dominance. Their inclusion roots the disaster in recognizable external human conflict.
  • made a raid (asu gedud): Literally "made a troop/band," signifying an organized military incursion, not a random act of banditry. This was a targeted and calculated attack for plunder and destruction.
• in three bands: שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה רָאשִׁ֔ים (sheloshah ra'shim). Literally "three heads." This phrase denotes separate detachments or divisions of the raiding party, suggesting strategic planning, overwhelming force, and multi-pronged assault, which would have made defense virtually impossible.
• and swept down on the camels: וַֽיִּפְשְׁט֖וּ עַל־הַגְּמַלִּ֑ים (vayifshtu al-haggammalim).
  • swept down (vayifshtu): Implies a rapid, sudden, and comprehensive overwhelming of the targets. It's a swift predatory movement.
  • the camels (haggammalim): Job's possession of 3,000 camels (Job 1:3) represented immense wealth, vital for commerce and long-distance travel. Their loss was an economic catastrophe, demonstrating a profound blow to Job's standing and livelihood.
• and carried them off: וַיִּקָּחֻ֖ם (vayikkachum). "Took them away." This verb emphasizes the seizure and removal of property, reinforcing the robbery aspect of the raid.
• and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword: וַיַּכּ֥וּ אֶת־הַנְּעָרִ֖ים לְפִי־חָֽרֶב (vayyakku 'et-hanne'arim l'fi-charev).
  • struck down (vayyakku): Indicates violent death.
  • the servants (hanne'arim): Refers to the male attendants or young men who cared for the camels. Their lives, valuable to Job and their families, were senselessly extinguished. This aspect adds immense human suffering beyond material loss.
  • with the edge of the sword (l'fi-charev): Literally "by the mouth of the sword," a common biblical idiom emphasizing execution, utter destruction, and the merciless nature of the attack.
• and I alone have escaped to tell you: וָאֶמָּלְטָ֣ה רַֽק־אֲנִ֗י לְהַגִּ֥יד לָֽךְ (va'emmaletah rak-'ani l'haggid lach). This repeated phrase, echoing the previous messengers, highlights the devastating completeness of each incident. It leaves no doubt about the scale of destruction, amplifying the horror and isolation for Job as the sole recipient of each final, unchallengeable report.

Job 1 18 Bonus section

The repeated motif of "I alone have escaped to tell you" across the messenger reports in Job 1 serves a significant literary and theological purpose. It not only establishes the totality of the destruction in each incident but also isolates Job as the sole repository of these horrors. This structure denies him any communal processing of grief for specific events before the next one hits, thus amplifying the overwhelming weight of his trials. Furthermore, the varying origins of the destruction (Sabeans, divine fire, Chaldeans) demonstrate that affliction, orchestrated by the accuser, can come from any quarter, whether human antagonism, apparent acts of God, or natural forces, leaving the victim utterly exposed. This chapter, culminating with Job's worship even after the news in verse 18, profoundly challenges the retribution principle that assumes suffering is always due to personal sin, a concept deeply ingrained in both ancient Israelite thinking and surrounding Near Eastern cultures. Job's unblemished character prior to these events (Job 1:1, 8) sets up a profound theological debate for the remainder of the book.

Job 1 18 Commentary

Job 1:18 brings the third, and most financially ruinous, report of loss to Job's doorstep, immediately following two others. The precision of the "three bands" of Chaldeans highlights a coordinated, effective assault, distinguishing it from accidental or natural calamities. The targeting of 3,000 camels signifies a profound economic devastation, as these beasts were not only immense wealth but also critical to trade and transportation in the ancient world. Coupled with the brutal slaughter of the accompanying servants, this tragedy transcends mere material loss, embedding deep human suffering. The relentless succession of these calamitous events, emphasized by "while he was yet speaking," is crucial; Job has no time to grieve one loss before another lands, intensifying the psychological torment. This serves to maximize the "test" permitted by God, pushing Job to the limits of human endurance and challenging his faith. The nature of these attacks—coming from both "natural" (fire, though divinely attributed here) and "human" (Sabeans, Chaldeans) sources—demonstrates the comprehensive way calamity can strike, showing Satan's multi-faceted strategy to break Job.