Job 30 31

Job 30:31 kjv

My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

Job 30:31 nkjv

My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

Job 30:31 niv

My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing.

Job 30:31 esv

My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.

Job 30:31 nlt

My harp plays sad music,
and my flute accompanies those who weep.

Job 30 verses

Job 30 31 Meaning

Job 30:31 profoundly articulates the utter desolation Job experienced. It describes a complete transformation of his instruments, which were typically used for celebratory music and praise, into tools that produce sounds of deep mourning and sorrow. His once joyful life, once expressed through song and instrument, has been inverted to a constant dirge, echoing the bitter laments of those in profound distress and demonstrating the extent of his suffering.

Job 30 31 Context

Job 30:31 is part of Job's extensive response to his three friends, particularly in the third cycle of speeches (chapters 22-31). This verse falls within Job's final monologue (chapters 29-31), where he eloquently defends his innocence and laments his present plight. Chapter 29 beautifully recalls his former prosperity, respect, and influence as a wise and righteous leader in his community. Chapter 30, however, drastically shifts to his current humiliating and agonizing reality. He describes how he is scorned by the lowest members of society, suffering unbearable physical pain, experiencing social ostracism, and feeling abandoned by God. This specific verse (30:31) serves as a poignant summary of his internal and external devastation, illustrating that not only his body and social standing are ravaged, but even the very essence of his spirit, represented by the music he makes, has turned to a lamentation. The cultural context emphasizes the "kinnor" (harp) and "ugab" (pipe) as common instruments for festivity, joy, and worship, making their transformation into symbols of sorrow a powerful statement of utter despair, contrasting sharply with his earlier life of honor and celebration. It implicitly refutes the "retribution theology" espoused by his friends, which insists that such suffering could only be due to sin.

Job 30 31 Word analysis

• My harp: (Hebrew: כִּנּוֹר, kinnor).

  • This refers to a stringed instrument, specifically a lyre or a harp, akin to a guitar or lute.
  • Significance: The kinnor was widely associated with praise (Psa 33:2, Psa 43:4, Psa 98:5) and joy. David famously played the kinnor (1 Sam 16:23) to soothe Saul and praise the LORD. It symbolized prosperity and divine blessing.
  • In Job's hands, its sound represented a joyful, well-ordered life, now twisted.

• is tuned to: (Hebrew: נֶהְפַּךְ, nehpakh).

  • This verb literally means "is turned," "is changed," "is overthrown," or "is transformed." It implies a complete and radical reversal, not just an adjustment.
  • Significance: It's stronger than mere 'tuning.' It's an active, irreversible state of conversion from one thing to its opposite. This highlights the severity and completeness of Job's reversal of fortune.

• mourning: (Hebrew: אֵבֶל, ’evel).

  • This noun means "mourning," "lamentation," "sorrow," "grief."
  • Significance: It signifies the ritualized and profound sorrow associated with death or great loss. The implication is that Job's life is now one continuous funeral lament.

• and my pipe: (Hebrew: וְעֻגָבִּי, ve‘ugabbi).

  • This refers to a wind instrument, likely a flute or a reed pipe.
  • Significance: The ugab was also commonly used for merrymaking, feasting, and general rejoicing (Gen 4:21). Its sound signified lightheartedness and happiness. It parallels the kinnor in being an instrument of joy, reinforcing the pervasive nature of his despair.

• to the voice of: (Hebrew: לְקוֹל, l’qol).

  • This literally means "to the sound of" or "to the voice of."
  • Significance: It emphasizes the auditory nature of his plight. The instruments do not just represent mourning; they emit the very sound of it, making his inner agony audible and pervasive.

• those who weep: (Hebrew: בּוֹכִים, bokhim).

  • This is the participle, meaning "those who are weeping," "weepers."
  • Significance: It paints a vivid picture of communal sorrow. Job identifies with all who suffer and weep, illustrating his isolation and identification with the most afflicted. It's not just personal weeping, but the very "voice" or sound made by a group in sorrow.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• My harp is tuned to mourning: This phrase captures the absolute inversion of Job's spiritual and emotional state. What once produced sounds of joy and divine connection now yields only the resonance of deep sorrow, marking the death of his former life and all its joys. The phrase implies an involuntary transformation; Job did not "tune" his harp to mourning, but circumstances have turned it there.

• and my pipe to the voice of those who weep: This parallelism intensifies the theme. If the harp represents his inner lament, the pipe, directed to the voice of those who weep, suggests Job's life resonates with and contributes to a chorus of universal human suffering. It is a surrender of all personal sources of happiness to an all-consuming sorrow that allies him with the afflicted.

• Overall significance of instrument imagery: The use of musical instruments is particularly powerful. Music in the Bible often accompanies deep emotion, whether joy or sorrow. For Job, his instruments, which should embody his inner harmony and joy, now testify to his brokenness and despair. This isn't a temporary sadness; it’s a fundamental change in the very essence of his being and expression, signifying that every aspect of his existence has been subsumed by grief. It visually and audibly symbolizes a profound, internal disruption and his isolation in suffering, serving as a counter-argument to his friends' simplified theology.

Job 30 31 Bonus section

• Ancient Near Eastern Context: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, music played a vital role in both celebratory and funerary rites. The kinnor and ugab were widespread in celebrations, processions, and even cultic praise. Their appropriation for mourning by Job underscores his sense of societal dislocation and personal death while still alive. This makes Job's imagery instantly recognizable and profoundly resonant for the original audience.
• A Symbol of Lament Psalms: The imagery of instruments turned to mourning finds echoes in various Lament Psalms where the psalmists describe their sorrow, turning their "song" into wailing. Job here encapsulates the experience of corporate lament within his personal plight, showing a connection between individual suffering and the wider human experience of sorrow.
• The Inevitable Sorrow: The verb "nehpakh" ("is turned") implies a force outside of Job's control. He didn't choose for his music to become mourning; it was an imposition, a cruel fate. This reinforces the idea that Job's suffering is unmerited and that he is a passive recipient of overwhelming calamity.

Job 30 31 Commentary

Job 30:31 is a profoundly moving testament to Job's desolation, summarizing the overwhelming grief that has consumed his life. By stating that his musical instruments—the harp (kinnor) and pipe (ugab), normally symbols of festivity, praise, and joy—have been completely transformed into tools of lamentation, Job underscores the depth of his suffering. This is not mere sadness; it is a total inversion of his existence. Every source of delight has become a spring of sorrow. His life, once a symphony of prosperity and blessedness, has become a relentless dirge.

The power of this verse lies in its vivid imagery and its comprehensive scope. It's not just that Job feels sad; his very means of expression, even his capacity for joy, have been repurposed for grief. He identifies himself not only as one who weeps, but as one whose very essence produces the sound of weeping. This complete surrender to sorrow reflects his utter physical, social, and spiritual abandonment, driving home his innocence in suffering, as such unmitigated woe could not conceivably be earned. It stands in stark contrast to his past described in Job 29, demonstrating how swiftly and comprehensively a life can be overturned by calamity, without direct implication of sin, thus challenging conventional wisdom.