Job 6 17

Job 6:17 kjv

What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.

Job 6:17 nkjv

When it is warm, they cease to flow; When it is hot, they vanish from their place.

Job 6:17 niv

but that stop flowing in the dry season, and in the heat vanish from their channels.

Job 6:17 esv

When they melt, they disappear; when it is hot, they vanish from their place.

Job 6:17 nlt

But when the hot weather arrives, the water disappears.
The brook vanishes in the heat.

Job 6 verses

Job 6 17 Meaning

Job 6:17 vividly describes the deceptive nature of desert streams that swell with water during cold seasons but quickly diminish and disappear as soon as heat arrives. Through this powerful metaphor, Job expresses his profound disappointment in his friends, whose comfort and sympathy proved to be as unreliable and fleeting as these temporary watercourses. He implies that their support vanished precisely when his need was greatest, under the intense heat of his suffering.

Job 6 17 Context

Job 6:17 is part of Job’s first response (chapters 6-7) to Eliphaz's speech (chapter 5). Having endured unimaginable loss and suffering, Job feels betrayed and deeply wronged by his friends' accusations and lack of genuine sympathy. Instead of comfort, they offered theological arguments that subtly, and sometimes overtly, suggested Job’s suffering was due to his sin. Job begins this chapter by wishing for death and expressing the immense burden of his grief. He likens his despair to the bitterness of a wild ass's fodder without salt. His critique intensifies from Job 6:14, where he states that even "one who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty." The metaphor of the vanishing streams (6:15-21) then directly illustrates the ephemeral nature of his friends' perceived loyalty and support. Their counsel provided no true refreshment in his desert of despair, disappearing just when the need for genuine, steadfast empathy was at its peak.

Historically and culturally, Job's imagery resonates deeply with life in arid Middle Eastern regions. Wadis (seasonal streambeds) were vital sources of water during specific periods, fed by rain or melting snow. However, they were notoriously unreliable, quickly drying up under the relentless sun. The polemic against contemporary beliefs implicitly critiques any trust placed solely in natural provisions or human relationships as ultimate sources of comfort or blessing. It redirects focus to the Creator's unwavering faithfulness, standing in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of the created world and its inhabitants.

Job 6 17 Word analysis

• When it is hot / בְּעֵת יְחַמּוּ (bəʿēṯ yeḥammū)
  • בְּעֵת (bəʿēṯ): "In the time of," "when." This prepositional phrase emphasizes the specific moment or condition. It points to a crucial period of change.
  • יְחַמּוּ (yeḥammū): From the root חָמַם (ḥāmam), meaning "to be warm, to grow hot." It implies rising temperature. Here, it denotes the arrival of intense heat, metaphorically the period of Job’s severe trials and desperate need. The context of desert wadis makes "hot" literal.
• they vanish / יְזֹבּוּ (yəzōbbū)
  • From the root זָבַב (zābab), meaning "to flow away," "trickle," "drain off," "cease." This verb conveys the idea of the water flowing off or drying up. It emphasizes the complete disappearance of what was once abundant. The transition from flowing to drying is quick.
• when it is warm / בְּחֹם (bəḥōm)
  • בְּחֹם (bəḥōm): "In the heat," "at the heat." This phrase reiterates the preceding idea, perhaps emphasizing the intensity or the cumulative effect of the heat. It signifies the relentless pressure or prolonged suffering Job endures.
• they disappear from their place / יִדְעֲכוּ מִמְּקוֹמָם (yiḏʿăḵū miməqōmām)
  • יִדְעֲכוּ (yiḏʿăḵū): From the root דָּעַךְ (dāʿaḵ), meaning "to be quenched," "to be extinguished," "to cease," "to vanish," "to disappear." This verb implies a complete cessation, like a flame being put out. It denotes the complete absence of water.
  • מִמְּקוֹמָם (miməqōmām): "From their place." מִן (min) means "from," and מָקוֹם (māqōm) means "place," "location." This phrase highlights the absence from where one would expect them to be. The streambeds are visibly empty where water once flowed. This underscores the deceptive hope they offered.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "When it is hot, they vanish": This opening phrase immediately sets up the metaphor of fleeting, unreliable water sources in a hot, arid climate. It highlights the conditional nature of their presence and the suddenness of their disappearance with changing conditions. The heat acts as a catalyst for their non-existence, just as Job's severe affliction revealed the true nature of his friends' support.
• "when it is warm, they disappear from their place": This second part re-emphasizes the previous idea, using slightly different but complementary verbs and synonyms for heat. The repetition strengthens the imagery and highlights the totality of their disappearance. "From their place" makes the absence particularly poignant—they are not just reduced, but utterly gone from where they should have been a source of life. This double emphasis drives home Job's profound disillusionment and the total failure of his friends' comfort.

Job 6 17 Bonus section

The imagery of Job 6:15-21 concerning the unreliable wadi is a foundational metaphor throughout the Old Testament to convey deceit, instability, and false hope, particularly in prophetic critiques. While Job 6:17 focuses on the disappointment from human failure, this desert phenomenon often serves as a type for anything that promises sustenance but fails to deliver, prompting a search for true, eternal springs of life, such as God Himself (Jer 2:13, 17:13). It highlights a core spiritual principle: dependence on any finite, temporal source for ultimate fulfillment or help will inevitably lead to disappointment. This verse also implicitly contrasts Job's spiritual integrity, which, though tried by the fires of affliction, did not "dry up," unlike his friends' transient empathy. His enduring faith in the unseen God would prove more constant than the most "reliable" natural phenomenon or human bond.

Job 6 17 Commentary

Job 6:17 encapsulates Job's deep disillusionment with his friends, whom he likens to unreliable wadis – seasonal streams found in arid regions. These streams, fed by winter rains or melting snow, appear to offer abundant life, drawing travelers and camels. Yet, as the scorching desert sun emerges, the waters quickly evaporate or sink into the ground, leaving behind only parched, rocky beds. This vivid metaphor powerfully illustrates how Job perceived his friends' initial sympathy. In the "cold" of his past prosperity, their support might have seemed flowing and assured. But in the "heat" of his catastrophic suffering and deepest need, their comfort proved utterly insufficient and evanescent.

The "heat" is both literal—the oppressive desert sun—and metaphorical—the intense suffering and trial that Job endures. His friends, rather than providing the refreshing sustenance he desperately needed, delivered cold, accusatory doctrines that only deepened his thirst for genuine comfort. This verse is a poignant lament about the failure of human solace and a bitter indictment of fair-weather companionship, teaching us the transience of all earthly supports when true adversity strikes. It implicitly underscores the need for a source of comfort that is eternal and unwavering, in stark contrast to the human and natural unreliability described.