Job 17 6

Job 17:6 kjv

He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.

Job 17:6 nkjv

"But He has made me a byword of the people, And I have become one in whose face men spit.

Job 17:6 niv

"God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit.

Job 17:6 esv

"He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit.

Job 17:6 nlt

"God has made a mockery of me among the people;
they spit in my face.

Job 17 verses

Job 17 6 Meaning

Job 17:6 articulates Job's despair that God has transformed him into a public spectacle of scorn and disgust. He laments being reduced to a common saying or byword that signifies extreme misfortune, and a person so utterly detestable that others openly express their contempt by spitting in his presence. This reflects his profound experience of not only physical suffering and social isolation but also deep spiritual anguish arising from his perception of God's active role in his degradation.

Job 17 6 Context

Job 17 falls within Job's third cycle of speeches, representing his desperate final words to his friends, as they have offered no comfort or understanding but rather unrelenting accusations based on their rigid retribution theology. In this chapter, Job intensifies his lament, declaring that his hope is gone (v. 1), his spirit broken (v. 1), and he feels entirely abandoned by God and alienated from his peers. He appeals directly to God, seeking an oath from Him to guarantee justice (v. 3), asserting his innocence, even while sensing his imminent death. This verse (17:6) specifically articulates the peak of Job's social humiliation and his profound feeling that God Himself is the cause of this public disgrace, destroying his reputation among "the peoples." It reflects Job's immense physical pain compounded by extreme emotional, social, and spiritual agony, as his cultural standing and honor are systematically stripped away.

Job 17 6 Word analysis

• He: Refers to God, highlighting Job's firm conviction that his humiliation is not merely incidental but divinely ordained or, at the very least, permitted and orchestrated by the Almighty. This direct accusation reveals the depth of Job's wrestling with God's character.
• made me: Implies God's active agency and responsibility in Job's current state. Job sees God as the one who has brought about his public disgrace and social ostracism, rather than just passively allowing it.
• a byword (מָשָׁל, māšāl): Transliteration: māšāl. Meaning: proverb, parable, byword, taunt, object of scorn, a common saying of disgrace. It signifies that Job has become a notorious example of extreme misfortune and a topic of common mocking discussion. This term is often associated with public humiliation and divine judgment in the Bible (e.g., Deut 28:37; Jer 24:9). For Job, the injustice lies in being a byword despite his righteousness.
• of the peoples: Expands the scope of his degradation beyond his immediate circle or even his local community. His calamity has become widely known, observed, and commented upon by diverse groups, amplifying his sense of global shame and profound isolation.
• and I am: This phrase seamlessly links Job's past perceived state as God's making ("He has made me") to his current existence as a direct consequence.
• one before whom men spit (תֹפֶת, tōpet): Transliteration: tōpet. Meaning here: "one to be spat upon," something utterly vile, loathsome, and abhorrent. This is a powerful, visceral image of extreme disgust and contempt. Spitting was a grave act of public derision, signifying complete rejection and a belief that the recipient was ritually defiled or morally reprehensible (e.g., Num 12:14; Deut 25:9). This tōpet is a rare word derived from a root meaning "to spit," distinct in meaning from the geographic place Tophet associated with child sacrifice.
• Words-group: "He has made me a byword of the peoples": This phrase captures Job's profound despair that God Himself has engineered his public disgrace and allowed his reputation to be ruined. It expresses his bitter perception that God has elevated him as a negative example of suffering humanity, thus stripping him of his social standing and personal honor. It serves as a direct, sorrowful accusation against divine justice as Job understands it.
• Words-group: "and I am one before whom men spit": This intensified expression conveys the deepest possible social degradation. It moves beyond verbal scorn to a physical, publicly demonstrated act of revulsion. It indicates that Job is viewed not merely as unfortunate but as inherently unclean, morally bankrupt, or cursed to the degree that people express palpable, physical disgust. This makes his suffering uniquely personal and isolating, as he is literally rendered repulsive to human contact.

Job 17 6 Bonus section

• The term māšāl (byword) typically describes a pithy saying or proverb, often conveying wisdom or a moral lesson. In Job's case, the bitter irony is that his life has become a 'proverb' for profound suffering and disgrace, demonstrating a complete reversal of his previous esteemed status.
• The raw imagery of spitting finds its most poignant biblical fulfillment in the New Testament accounts of Jesus being spat upon (Matt 26:67; Mk 14:65; Lk 18:32). This foreshadows a perfect innocent Man enduring the very peak of human contempt, far beyond even Job's intense experience, aligning the innocent sufferer in Job with the ultimate suffering servant.
• In ancient Near Eastern societies, personal honor and reputation were paramount. The public degradation Job describes—becoming a "byword" and "one before whom men spit"—was often considered worse than physical pain or material loss, representing the ultimate stripping of one's identity and value within the community.

Job 17 6 Commentary

Job 17:6 encapsulates the depth of Job's public humiliation and his anguished belief that God is directly responsible for it. He feels completely abandoned by God, not only in terms of physical healing and restoration but also concerning his reputation and standing in society. In a culture where prosperity signaled divine favor and suffering implied divine wrath, Job's utter degradation—becoming a public "byword" and an object of "spitting"—was the ultimate manifestation of presumed divine judgment. This verse vividly illustrates Job's struggle to reconcile his blamelessness with the unmerited, intense shame inflicted upon him. His complaint, born from extreme personal agony, exposes the flaw in simplistic retribution theology. It showcases how divine permission of suffering can involve not just physical pain or loss of possessions, but the complete dismantling of one's honor and public identity, challenging the conventional human understanding of divine justice in the face of profound, seemingly irrational anguish. Job’s plight reminds believers that even the righteous can experience immense public scorn and humiliation, aligning them paradoxically with the path of the suffering Messiah.