Job 6 15

Job 6:15 kjv

My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

Job 6:15 nkjv

My brothers have dealt deceitfully like a brook, Like the streams of the brooks that pass away,

Job 6:15 niv

But my brothers are as undependable as intermittent streams, as the streams that overflow

Job 6:15 esv

My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away,

Job 6:15 nlt

My brothers, you have proved as unreliable as a seasonal brook
that overflows its banks in the spring

Job 6 verses

Job 6 15 Meaning

Job 6:15 expresses Job’s profound disappointment and bitter lament over his friends, likening their supposed loyalty and comfort to the unpredictable and temporary nature of wadis. These seasonal streambeds offer water during the wet season but vanish completely during the hot, dry months, precisely when water is most desperately needed. This verse encapsulates Job's perception of his friends as fair-weather companions who, instead of offering true support in his deep distress, have proven utterly unreliable and even treacherous, leaving him isolated in his suffering.

Job 6 15 Context

Job 6:15 is part of Job's deeply emotional and desperate response to his first "comforter," Eliphaz (Job 6-7). Following Eliphaz's stern rebuke and suggestion that Job's suffering must be due to sin, Job feels utterly misunderstood and unfairly judged. He has previously expressed the overwhelming nature of his pain, comparing it to "sands of the sea" (v. 3), and desiring immediate death (v. 8-9). He now turns his anger and sorrow toward his friends, who he expected would offer compassion and solidarity but instead delivered condemnation. The imagery of the deceptive wadi, dry when desperately needed, serves as a poignant metaphor for their failure to provide the spiritual and emotional sustenance Job craved during his deepest anguish. This verse highlights a turning point where Job's focus shifts from only lamenting his personal suffering to articulating his profound disappointment in human support.

Job 6 15 Word analysis

• My brothers (אַחַי - `achai`): The possessive "my" emphasizes the personal nature of the relationship and thus the intensity of the betrayal. These were not strangers but people with whom Job shared a bond of brotherhood, implying close kinship or intimate friendship in the ancient Near East, where loyalty and mutual support were paramount expectations. The use of this term heightens the sting of their actions.
• are faithless (בָּגְדוּ - `bagəḏû`): Derived from the Hebrew root `בגד` (bagad), meaning "to deal treacherously," "act faithlessly," or "betray." This is a strong verb indicating more than a simple lack of help; it implies a violation of trust or a breaking of a presumed covenant of support. It suggests an active betrayal, an unreliability that leads to spiritual and emotional harm, paralleling actions of covenant-breaking against God (e.g., Isa 24:16) or one's neighbor (e.g., Jer 12:1). Job is not just lamenting their absence but accusing them of a moral failing.
• like a wadi (כְמוֹ־נָחַל - `kə-mōw nāḥal`): The word `נָחַל` (nahal) refers to a seasonal stream, torrent, or "wadi" (Arabic term adopted into English). In arid and semi-arid regions like the Middle East, wadis are characterized by rapid, often destructive floods during the brief rainy seasons, followed by long periods of complete dryness. This powerful simile perfectly illustrates the friends' behavior: they are present (or seemed promising) during times of ease but vanish precisely when their support, like water in a desert, is most vital. They are unreliable and deceitful in their offering of help.
• like wadis in the channels (כַּאֲפִיק נְחָלִים - `ka-ʼăfîq nəḥālîm`): `אפיק` (aphîq) means "channel," "streambed," or "riverbed." The repetition and specific reference to the "channels of wadis" amplify the imagery. It specifies the physical setting of these unreliable water sources. The visible empty channel creates an expectation of water which is never met during the crucial dry season, thereby compounding the disappointment and revealing a deceptive appearance. It emphasizes that even the potential promise of their friendship, the "channel" of support, turns out to be barren.
• that vanish (יַעֲבֹרוּ - `yaʿăḇōrū`): From the root `עבר` (abar), meaning "to pass over," "pass away," "cross over," or "disappear." This verb succinctly captures the complete disappearance of the water—and by extension, the friends' loyalty—when it is most needed. It denotes a swift, unlamented departure, leaving nothing but emptiness. The verb also carries a sense of "passing beyond expectation" or "exceeding limits," indicating how the friends’ betrayal surpasses normal bounds of disappointment.

• "My brothers are faithless": This phrase functions as a direct and stinging accusation, laying bare the relational breakdown. It immediately establishes the nature of the friends' action as a betrayal, a rupture of an implied covenant of trust and mutual support expected among close associates. The depth of Job's hurt is rooted in this fundamental breach.
• "like a wadi, like wadis in the channels that vanish": This extended simile is the core of Job's indictment. It highlights the capricious and ephemeral nature of his friends' compassion and support. The multi-layered imagery of the wadi's promise of life during seasonal rains and its cruel abandonment in times of drought serves as a profound parallel to how Job perceived his companions—appearing full of life and solace when times were good, but becoming barren and absent when his life became a parched desert of suffering. It vividly communicates both their unreliability and the agonizing emptiness left in their wake.

Job 6 15 Bonus section

The disappointment Job expresses here resonates deeply with the universal human experience of conditional friendship. It underscores the profound theological point woven throughout Job's narrative: in moments of extreme testing, human support often falters, leaving the sufferer to grapple with their afflictions alone or to turn towards God as the sole reliable source of comfort and strength. The wadi imagery, drawn from the arid climate of the ancient Near East, would have immediately evoked a powerful sense of broken expectation for Job's original audience, as reliable water sources were paramount for survival. The verse can be seen as Job's growing disillusionment with earthly comforts and an indirect prelude to his eventual reliance on God's mysterious plan.

Job 6 15 Commentary

Job 6:15 distills Job’s profound anguish into a cutting accusation against his friends, framing their behavior not merely as a lack of help, but as active betrayal. The metaphor of the wadi is central to this understanding; these seasonal streams, full during times of abundance, notoriously disappear during droughts. For Job, his friends are precisely like these deceptive watercourses: they were present (or could be expected to be present) when life was good, but when Job entered a profound spiritual and physical desert, their compassion dried up. This left Job feeling utterly abandoned and exposed, realizing that the very source from which he had hoped to draw comfort and support had proved barren and deceitful. The verse exposes the painful truth that human help and sympathy are often contingent on circumstances, highlighting the sharp contrast between fickle human loyalty and God's unwavering faithfulness. This lament is not just about physical needs, but a deep spiritual and emotional thirst for true friendship that remained unquenched.