Job 29 6

Job 29:6 kjv

When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

Job 29:6 nkjv

When my steps were bathed with cream, And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!

Job 29:6 niv

when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.

Job 29:6 esv

when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

Job 29:6 nlt

My steps were awash in cream,
and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

Job 29 verses

Job 29 6 Meaning

Job 29:6 describes Job's former state of extraordinary and seemingly effortless prosperity. Through poetic and hyperbolic imagery, he illustrates a past life filled with such lavish abundance and divine favor that his daily walk ("steps") was metaphorically bathed in luxurious "butter" (cream or curd), and even a barren "rock" miraculously produced "streams of oil" for him. This verse paints a picture of complete ease, richness, and supernatural provision, signifying God's tangible blessings upon his life.

Job 29 6 Context

Job 29 is part of Job’s third and final soliloquy, where he laments his present dire circumstances by nostalgically recounting his past glory and prosperity. This chapter serves as a profound contrast to his current suffering, where he has lost everything—his children, wealth, health, and social standing. In verses 1-6, Job recalls the golden age of his life, specifically when "God's friendship was with my tent" (v.4). Job 29:6 highlights the immense material blessing he experienced, emphasizing not just natural fertility but a sense of miraculous or divine favor that made his life uniquely easy and abundant. His lament underlines his core question: why has such a blessed and righteous man now faced such unparalleled calamity? This historical period, likely set in the patriarchal age, saw material wealth as a sign of divine favor, and Job’s description of "butter" and "oil" were primary symbols of opulence, sustenance, and prosperity in ancient Near Eastern agricultural and nomadic societies.

Job 29 6 Word Analysis

• When: Kî (כִּי) - A temporal conjunction, setting the stage by looking back to a specific, highly favored time in Job's past. It denotes a period that is now tragically absent.
• My steps: Haliḵāy (הֲלִיכַי) - Literally "my goings," referring not merely to his feet or physical steps, but his entire path of life, his conduct, activities, and daily movements. It implies a sense of ease and prosperity in every aspect of his existence.
• Were washed: Rāḥaṣ (רָחַץ) - "To wash, bathe." The verb suggests an overwhelming and continuous supply, as if Job's daily walk was not just dabbed with or walking through butter, but truly immersed in or purified by it. This is a hyperbolic image of cleansing luxury, far removed from the dirt and toil of ordinary life. It signifies a profound level of ease and purity that wealth afforded.
• With butter: Bā-ḥēm’â (בַּחֵמְאָה) - "With curds," "with fat." This refers to creamy milk products, often associated with richness and luxury. In the arid ancient Near East, milk and its derivatives (butter, cheese, curd) were symbols of fertility, bounty, and nourishing sustenance from prosperous flocks. Its abundance here signifies lavish comfort and richness of life.
• And the rock: Wĕ-ṣūr (וְצוּר) - "And rock," "and cliff." A naturally barren and often rugged formation. In the biblical context, "rock" is often a metaphor for God's strength and steadfastness, and God Himself provided water from the rock for Israel. Here, it signifies an unlikely and seemingly impossible source of abundance, emphasizing the miraculous nature of Job's prosperity.
• Poured out: Yāṣūq (יָצוּק) - "Poured," "cast," from the root yāṣaq (יָצַק). Suggests an abundant, flowing, and perhaps forceful outflow. It highlights an act of divine provision that transcends natural means.
• Streams of oil: Pal-gê šemen (פַּלְגֵי שֶׁמֶן) - "Channels/streams of oil." Shemen (שֶׁמֶן) is olive oil, a vital commodity in ancient times for food, light, anointing, and medicine. Like "butter," it symbolized wealth, blessing, and health. "Streams" (palgey) implies an inexhaustible and overflowing supply, rather than a mere trickle. This phrase is a powerful hyperbole; rocks do not naturally yield streams of oil.
• For me: Lî (לִי) - Emphasizes the personal nature of this extraordinary blessing, underscoring that this immense favor was directed specifically towards Job.

• "When my steps were washed with butter": This phrase powerfully depicts an extraordinary state of effortless prosperity and luxury in Job's daily existence. His entire life's path was enveloped in ease and rich provision, as though he moved through an unending flow of wealth. This goes beyond simple comfort to convey opulence and distinction, where even the common act of walking was imbued with a sense of rich cleanliness.
• "And the rock poured out streams of oil for me": This second hyperbolic image intensifies the sense of supernatural abundance. By describing a barren rock yielding copious streams of valuable oil, Job emphasizes that his prosperity transcended natural circumstances and reflected direct divine intervention. It parallels the miracle of water from the rock for Israel, suggesting God's ability to provide bountifully from unexpected or impossible sources, indicating a unique and exceptional favor bestowed upon Job.

Job 29 6 Bonus Section

• The exaggerated imagery in this verse serves to highlight the supernatural degree of God's blessing on Job's life, implying a prosperity that was far beyond mere good fortune or hard work. It sets up the central problem of the book: why would a man so exceedingly blessed by God suddenly face such utter desolation?
• This verse can be seen as an 'Edenic' depiction of prosperity, reflecting a harmony and abundance that suggests divine approval and a favored status, linking Job's former state to an almost prelapsarian ideal.
• The repeated theme of oil and butter (fat) throughout Scripture often symbolizes prosperity, joy, and the Spirit's anointing. Job's use of this imagery underlines his perception that his past wealth was inherently tied to God's pleasure and favor upon him, not merely material gain.

Job 29 6 Commentary

Job 29:6 poetically portrays Job’s past life as one of immense, almost miraculous, prosperity, marked by God’s bountiful provision. The imagery of "steps washed with butter" symbolizes an existence steeped in ease and luxury, where even the ordinary act of movement was a display of abundant wealth and divine blessing. The subsequent phrase, "the rock poured out streams of oil for me," further amplifies this, emphasizing that his prosperity was not merely a result of natural fertility or human effort but stemmed from a supernatural source. Like the water provided from a rock in the wilderness for Israel, Job implies his unique fortune came from God, who can make barrenness flow with riches. This verse stands in stark contrast to his current plight, where all such blessings have seemingly vanished, thereby deepening the profound theological dilemma explored in the book of Job: why does the righteous suffer? Job uses this memory of unparalleled divine favor as a key point in his argument that he has been unjustly afflicted, setting the stage for the book's theological dialogue.