Job 30 29

Job 30:29 kjv

I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.

Job 30:29 nkjv

I am a brother of jackals, And a companion of ostriches.

Job 30:29 niv

I have become a brother of jackals, a companion of owls.

Job 30:29 esv

I am a brother of jackals and a companion of ostriches.

Job 30:29 nlt

Instead, I am considered a brother to jackals
and a companion to owls.

Job 30 verses

Job 30 29 Meaning

Job, in the depths of his immense suffering, expresses his profound sense of desolation and alienation from human society. He identifies himself not with people, but with creatures of the wilderness known for their mournful cries and habitation of ruins. This stark imagery communicates his utter humiliation, loneliness, and complete spiritual and physical degradation, as if he has become an outcast fit only for the company of wild beasts.

Job 30 29 Context

Job chapter 30 marks a dramatic and devastating shift in Job's lament, immediately following his reminiscence of former glory and respect in chapter 29. Here, Job descends into the profound depths of his current suffering. He recounts how he, once revered, is now mocked and despised by the lowest of society (v. 1-8). He describes his relentless physical pain (v. 16-19), the overwhelming sense of God's absence and judgment (v. 20-23), and the unyielding sorrow that has engulfed him (v. 26-28). Verse 29 provides the culmination of this social and existential degradation. His previous identity as a chief and wise judge among his people has been utterly obliterated, replaced by an existence of an outcast whose only perceived kinship is with the creatures of ruin. This intense imagery directly challenges the conventional wisdom of his time, which held that such desolation was solely the consequence of wickedness, raising a polemic against simplistic theological frameworks.

Job 30 29 Word analysis

• I am (אֲנִי, ani): This Hebrew pronoun is emphatically placed, drawing sharp attention to Job's personal identity and current state. It highlights his solitary and individualized suffering, emphasizing that this is his personal experience of degradation.
• a brother (אָח, akh): The term signifies kinship, close relationship, or belonging. However, Job shockingly declares brotherhood not with fellow humans or esteemed individuals, but with creatures typically associated with wildness, mourning, and desolation. This denotes a reversal of natural order, illustrating his complete social ostracization and loss of human connection.
• to jackals (לְתַנִּים, l'tannim): From tan (תַּן), meaning "dragon" or "serpent" in some contexts, but more commonly understood as "jackal" or "wild dog" in desolate wilderness settings. These animals are nocturnal, inhabit ruins, and are known for their mournful, wailing cries. They are often biblical symbols of utter desolation, ruin, and uninhabited places (Isa 34:13, Jer 9:11).
• and a companion (וְרֵעַ, v'reia'): Meaning "friend" or "intimate associate." This word further strengthens the sense of shared existence and identity. It is not merely a fleeting encounter but a deeply felt alignment with the nature of these desolate creatures.
• to owls (לִבְנוֹת יַעֲנָה, livnot ya'anah): Literally "daughters of the ostrich." While some translations use "ostriches" (KJV) or "screech owls" (NIV, NASB), the imagery universally conveys a creature of the wilderness. Ostriches are large birds that inhabit deserts, known for their desolate sounds, which can be mournful cries, and their association with uninhabited, lonely places (Lam 4:3; Mic 1:8). The phrase reinforces the idea of deep sorrow and identification with the sounds and inhabitants of ruin.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "I am a brother to jackals and a companion to owls": This complete phrase powerfully conveys Job's utterly alienated existence. The doubling of terms ("brother" and "companion") and creature types ("jackals" and "owls") amplifies his self-degradation and profound isolation. He has no human peers or company; his companionship is found only in creatures symbolic of desolation, expressing the depths of his despair and the inversion of his former status. He sees himself as having devolved to a state below human dignity, dwelling in spiritual and physical ruin.

Job 30 29 Bonus section

• The profound contrast with Job's former eminence in chapter 29 cannot be overstated. From being a revered community leader whose footsteps were "bathed in cream" (Job 29:6) and whose advice was sought by princes (Job 29:25), he is now equated with howling beasts of prey inhabiting waste places. This inversion highlights the extreme nature of his fall and the overturning of societal norms.
• The choice of nocturnal animals like the jackal and the owl suggests that Job's suffering is pervasive, consuming even his nights with despair and wailing, rather than rest.
• This verse contributes significantly to the book's challenge to simplistic retribution theology, where righteousness ensures prosperity and suffering indicates sin. Job, a righteous man, experiences a fate associated with extreme wickedness, forcing a reevaluation of God's ways and the nature of suffering.

Job 30 29 Commentary

Job 30:29 offers one of the most poignant expressions of profound suffering and self-identification with utter degradation in the Bible. Stripped of his wealth, health, and social standing, Job finds himself reduced to a state so abject that he declares kinship not with humans, but with creatures of the wilderness—the jackal and the owl (or ostrich). These animals, native to desolate and ruined places, are noted for their mournful, piercing cries, especially at night. For Job to call himself their "brother" and "companion" means he not only inhabits their desolate world but also shares their lament and isolation. He feels he emits the same sorrowful wails. This imagery powerfully underscores his complete loss of human dignity, companionship, and his acute emotional pain, portraying a man utterly cast out, mourning a life that has been brutally reduced to ruin.