Job 30 4

Job 30:4 kjv

Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.

Job 30:4 nkjv

Who pluck mallow by the bushes, And broom tree roots for their food.

Job 30:4 niv

In the brush they gathered salt herbs, and their food was the root of the broom bush.

Job 30:4 esv

they pick saltwort and the leaves of bushes, and the roots of the broom tree for their food.

Job 30:4 nlt

They pluck wild greens from among the bushes
and eat from the roots of broom trees.

Job 30 verses

Job 30 4 Meaning

Job 30:4 describes the extreme destitution of the outcasts whom Job now finds mocking him. They are reduced to foraging for sustenance in the wilderness, consuming bitter and barely edible wild plants like saltwort (mallow) and the roots of the broom plant. This imagery vividly portrays their abject poverty, marginalization, and desperate struggle for survival, highlighting the dramatic reversal of Job's status when such people, whom he formerly would have scorned, now mock him.

Job 30 4 Context

Job chapter 30 marks a dramatic shift in Job's lament from the glorious past (chapter 29) to his present humiliating and utterly debased condition. He laments how he, once revered and protected by God, is now despised and scorned by individuals far beneath his former status, specifically young men and "worthless" people whom he previously would not have associated with his shepherd dogs. These individuals, described in verses 3-8, are the truly destitute of society: emaciated from want, driven to the wilderness and wastelands, surviving by desperate foraging for meager, bitter plants. Job highlights their degeneracy and social ostracization. This vivid portrayal of their squalid existence serves to magnify the extent of Job's fall – from being the most respected man to being mocked by those at the very bottom of society, a stark contrast to the retributive theology his friends champion.

Job 30 4 Word analysis

• who cut up / gather: The Hebrew does not use a common verb for "cut" or "gather" but implies such action from the context of consumption. The focus is on the type of food, highlighting desperate survival. It underscores that these people do not cultivate or even have permission to gather in typical places, but literally hack sustenance from harsh, wild terrain.
• mallows (מַלּוּחַ - malluakh): This refers to a plant known as saltwort (Atriplex halimus), or a type of purslane. It typically grows in salty, desolate ground. While technically edible, it is often bitter and unpleasant, only consumed when no other food source is available. It signifies the absolute bottom tier of dietary options, a food of sheer desperation, contrasting sharply with the abundance Job once enjoyed.
• by the bushes (עֲלֵי שִׂיחִים - ‘aley sîḥîm): Implies among wild shrubs or thickets, denoting areas unsuitable for cultivation, reflecting the nomadic and outcast lifestyle of those seeking these plants. They do not own land or have access to fields, highlighting their homelessness.
• and broom tree roots (שֹׁרֶשׁ רְתָמִים - shoresh retamim): The "broom tree" (Retama raetam) is a desert shrub common in arid regions. Its roots are exceptionally bitter and fibrous, making them extremely unpalatable and difficult to digest. Consuming them signifies the direst of famines, pushing beyond the usual boundaries of human sustenance. This plant is known for its tough, stringy roots that would require effort to extract and process for any attempt at consumption.
• for their food (לַחְמָם לָמוֹ - laḥmam lamo): Literally "their bread to them." "Bread" (lechem) often stands for food in general, but its usage here emphasizes that these inedible roots and plants are their sustenance, their basic meal. It underscores the absence of conventional food, symbolizing utter starvation and lack. The phrase emphasizes a shocking dietary extreme.

Words-group analysis

• who cut up mallows by the bushes, and broom tree roots for their food: This phrase creates a powerful image of people reduced to the most extreme forms of foraging. It paints a picture of societal outcasts, driven by hunger to subsist on the harshest, least nutritious, and most difficult-to-obtain resources in barren lands. This serves as a stark contrast to Job's former prosperity, underscoring the magnitude of his fall in status by showing that even these "lowest of the low" now mock him. It evokes the smell of desert dryness and the taste of bitter survival, bringing a tactile reality to Job's words.

Job 30 4 Bonus section

The reference to "saltwort" (mallow) suggests these people dwell near salt flats or arid regions, which are typically unproductive and desolate. This further illustrates their removal from settled, fertile areas and implies a nomadic or fugitive existence. The broom plant, when burned, produces intense heat, making it suitable for quick, intense fires for cooking in the wilderness (Psa 120:4), but its roots as food speak volumes about extreme famine. This detail emphasizes not only what they eat but where and how they live—truly on the fringe of society, surviving on whatever miserable scraps nature grudgingly provides.

Job 30 4 Commentary

Job 30:4 encapsulates the profound misery and societal abandonment of the people who now revile Job. The detailed description of their desperate diet—bitter saltwort from the desolate bushes and the nearly indigestible roots of the broom tree—is not merely descriptive; it's a testament to utter starvation and extreme marginalization. These are not just poor people; they are "beyond" the poor, reduced to a subhuman existence. This vivid portrayal highlights Job's dramatic downfall: to be scorned by those reduced to such an extreme existence intensifies his suffering and validates his perception of being an outcast himself. It also subtly critiques the retributive theology that underpins the friends' arguments, showing that not all who suffer abject poverty are necessarily more wicked than those who are ostensibly righteous. The verse effectively sets the scene for Job's continued lament, demonstrating that his present anguish is compounded by the contempt of society's most wretched, emphasizing a humiliation far beyond mere physical ailment.