Job 29 19

Job 29:19 kjv

My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

Job 29:19 nkjv

My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lies all night on my branch.

Job 29:19 niv

My roots will reach to the water, and the dew will lie all night on my branches.

Job 29:19 esv

my roots spread out to the waters, with the dew all night on my branches,

Job 29:19 nlt

For I am like a tree whose roots reach the water,
whose branches are refreshed with the dew.

Job 29 verses

Job 29 19 Meaning

Job 29:19 describes Job's former state of deep and continuous prosperity, stability, and refreshing blessings from God. It employs the metaphor of a tree with roots reaching deep into abundant water and branches continually refreshed by dew. This imagery portrays a life sustained by divine favor, characterized by unwavering foundation and constant renewal, ensuring fruitful and luxuriant growth. Job recalls a time when his source of vitality was inexhaustible, and his life was continually replenished and fruitful, never experiencing scarcity or drought.

Job 29 19 Context

Job 29 forms part of Job's final soliloquy before Elihu and God speak. In this chapter, Job is recalling his past life of immense honor, influence, and blessing. He contrasts his previous exalted status, where he was respected by all and held a position of wise leadership, with his current state of suffering, rejection, and despair. Verse 19, using rich agricultural metaphors, underscores the deep sense of security, stability, and unending favor that characterized his life before calamity struck. This detailed description of past blessings intensifies the incomprehensibility of his present pain and frames his deep spiritual dilemma. The cultural context emphasizes the absolute dependence of life and prosperity in arid regions on water and dew, making this imagery incredibly potent for the original audience who understood that a well-watered, dew-refreshed plant symbolized life, wealth, and divine blessing.

Job 29 19 Word analysis

• My root (שֹׁרֶשׁ, shoreš): Refers to the foundation or base. In the context of a plant, it signifies deep-seated stability and the source of its nourishment and life. It implies strong, vital connection to sustenance.
• was spread out (פָּתוּחַ, pāṯūaḥ): Means open, unbound, extended freely. It indicates unrestrained and vigorous growth of the root system, reaching widely to absorb ample resources. This signifies unhindered and extensive access to sustenance.
• by the waters (אֱלֵי מַיִם, ʾēlê mayim): Literally "to waters." This denotes proximity to a perennial and abundant water source. It means constant and sufficient supply, symbolizing endless provision and refreshment.
• and the dew (וְטַל, vəṭal): Refers to the moisture that settles on surfaces at night, especially vital in dry climates. It signifies a fresh, constant, and heavenly source of nourishment that appears gently yet consistently.
• lay all night (יָלִין, yālîn): Means to lodge or remain for the night. This highlights the consistency and continuous presence of the dew. It emphasizes that the blessing was not fleeting but enduring throughout every dark period.
• upon my branch (עַל קְצִירִי, ʿal qeṣīrī): While qeṣīrī literally refers to "harvest" or "cut portion," in this botanical context and alongside "dew," it is widely interpreted as "branch" or "foliage." It implies the visible, growing, and fruit-bearing part of the plant. This suggests constant vitality and ongoing productivity and fruitfulness.

Words-group by words-group analysis data

• My root was spread out by the waters: This phrase powerfully conveys deep, fundamental security and an unhindered, constant connection to the source of life and nourishment. It speaks of a flourishing foundation. This imagery parallels the blessing on the righteous person whose foundation is firm (Ps 1:3).
• and the dew lay all night upon my branch: This second phrase emphasizes a continuous, consistent, and gentle supply of divine favor and refreshment, impacting the visible aspects of his life. It speaks of daily, unfailing provision and constant renewal, ensuring vitality and ongoing fruitfulness, not just from the ground up, but also from above. This dual imagery paints a complete picture of an utterly blessed existence.

Job 29 19 Bonus section

The agricultural imagery used by Job highlights an essential theological point: the source of all true flourishing. It positions God as the ultimate provider of all sustenance, growth, and refreshment. The consistency of "all night" dew suggests blessings that are pervasive and persistent, covering periods when natural light or obvious provision might be absent. It hints at a reliance on God's sustaining grace that functions even during challenging times, underscoring Job's bewilderment at the reversal of such deeply ingrained patterns of divine blessing in his life. The Hebrew word for root, shoreš, also has connotations of origin or offspring, subtly connecting his personal vitality to his posterity and lineage, both of which also faced devastation in the book of Job.

Job 29 19 Commentary

Job 29:19 presents Job's deeply personal recollection of an abundant life, characterized by a unique harmony with God's provision. The double imagery of roots spread by abundant waters and branches constantly bathed in dew symbolizes not just prosperity but an unwavering, deeply rooted spiritual and material stability. It points to a profound sense of security stemming from an unending supply of divine sustenance (the roots drawing from waters) and consistent, refreshing blessing from above (the dew upon the branches). This verse articulates Job's perception that his former blessings were not transient but permanent, akin to a thriving ecosystem sustained by natural and unfailing resources. For Job, this was a logical outcome of his blameless and upright life, intensifying his distress and confusion regarding his sudden and catastrophic loss of this apparent divine guarantee. The imagery is of life-giving power from every direction—below and above—reflecting a life utterly encompassed by favor.