Job 6 18

Job 6:18 kjv

The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.

Job 6:18 nkjv

The paths of their way turn aside, They go nowhere and perish.

Job 6:18 niv

Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go off into the wasteland and perish.

Job 6:18 esv

The caravans turn aside from their course; they go up into the waste and perish.

Job 6:18 nlt

The caravans turn aside to be refreshed,
but there is nothing to drink, so they die.

Job 6 verses

Job 6 18 Meaning

Job 6:18 describes the fate of travelers or caravans who, depending on what they expect to be reliable water sources, find these sources have failed or become deceptive. They turn aside from their established paths, venture into empty, desolate wilderness, and consequently perish from thirst and the harsh conditions. This serves as a powerful metaphor for Job's experience of his friends' perceived betrayal and the crushing disappointment he feels. He likens their purported comfort and support to these unreliable streams, leading him to a state of profound despair and feeling abandoned to destruction.

Job 6 18 Context

Job 6:18 is part of Job’s intense response to Eliphaz the Temanite, who has accused Job of secret sin being the cause of his suffering. In chapter 6, Job eloquently describes the unbearable nature of his affliction, proclaiming that if his suffering were truly weighed, it would exceed the sand of the seas. He laments the bitterness of his soul and even wishes for God to put an end to his life (Job 6:1-13).

The immediate context leading up to verse 18 is Job's direct critique of his friends (Job 6:14-17). He describes them as deceitful and unreliable, likening them to seasonal streams or wadis in the desert that swell with melting snow in winter but dry up completely during the heat of summer. Travelers in the desert, dependent on these wadis, journey to them full of hope, only to find them dry and utterly devoid of water. Verse 18 directly follows this analogy, illustrating the devastating consequence of such deception: the caravans are turned aside by these illusory water sources, ultimately straying into the barren wasteland, where they are doomed to perish from thirst. Job bitterly applies this metaphor to his friends, whose counsel and comfort have proven utterly dry and unhelpful in his profound distress, leaving him feeling utterly desolate and facing ruin.

Job 6 18 Word Analysis

• The paths (אורחות, ʾōrəḥôṯ): This plural noun signifies common roads, well-trodden ways, or customary routes. It refers to established or expected travel paths. The word emphasizes predictability and presumed safety in ancient desert travel. For travelers, these "paths" were essential for survival, connecting known water sources and destinations. Their turning aside indicates a significant deviation from what is safe and expected.
• of their way (נתיבתם, nəṯîḇāṯām): This also refers to a path or course, often implying a defined track or rut. The combination with "paths" reinforces the idea of a fixed itinerary or direction that the travelers had committed to following. The possessive suffix ("their") personalizes the path, showing it belongs to the particular travelers or caravans.
• are turned aside (ילפתו, yilpaṯû): Derived from the root לפת (lāpaṯ), meaning "to turn, twist, bend, turn aside." This verb in the Niph'al stem implies that the turning aside is either passive ("they are led astray," "they are enticed") or that the path itself bends, but ultimately suggests an involuntary deviation from their intended course. This isn't merely a casual deviation; it's a movement off the expected, life-sustaining route, often by deception or misguidance.
• they go to nothing (עלו תהו, ʿālû tōhû):
  • they go (עלו, ʿālû): From the verb עלה (ʿālāh), "to go up, ascend." In this context, it could signify going up into the dry streambeds, which would indeed be an elevation (though typically wadis are lower ground), or metaphorically, "ascending" into a state of utter desolation. It implies movement towards a specific, dire outcome.
  • to nothing (תהו, tōhû): A potent Hebrew term signifying "formlessness, emptiness, desolation, chaos." Famously used in Genesis 1:2 ("formless and void") to describe the primeval state of the earth before creation. Here, it vividly portrays a landscape utterly devoid of life, water, or sustenance—a terrifying void. It's more than just emptiness; it's the anti-creation, a state of unredeemed barrenness leading to extinction.
• and perish (יאבדו, yoʾḇĕdû): From the root אבד (ʾāḇaḏ), meaning "to perish, be lost, be destroyed, vanish." This is the ultimate, final consequence. It's not merely being stranded; it's a complete annihilation or death, leaving no hope or remnant. It underscores the fatality of relying on deception in a hostile environment.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "The paths of their way are turned aside": This phrase captures the fatal misdirection. The plural "paths" (אורחות) and "their way" (נתיבתם) together highlight a deliberate, pre-planned journey on recognized routes. The turning "aside" (ילפתו) signifies that the deviation is significant and takes them away from known safety. This movement is not arbitrary but prompted by the deceptive hope of finding water (from the unreliable streams described in the preceding verses).
• "they go to nothing, and perish": This second part succinctly presents the grim inevitability. "Go to nothing" (ʿālû tōhû) indicates entering a state of absolute desolation, akin to stepping into the primordial chaos where life cannot exist. This utter emptiness is the direct prelude to the final and absolute destruction conveyed by "perish" (yoʾḇĕdû). The connection between being led astray, entering the desolate, and ultimate death is thus clearly drawn, powerfully expressing Job’s deep disillusionment and his perception of facing imminent ruin.

Job 6 18 Bonus Section

• The imagery in Job 6:18, drawing on the harrowing realities of desert travel, serves not only as a lament but also as a subtle polemic against superficial wisdom or false theology. Job's friends, embodying conventional wisdom that attributes suffering directly to sin, are effectively acting as these "deceptive wadis." They offer seemingly profound insights (full waters) but provide no true comfort or solution to Job's innocent suffering, leading him to a "spiritual desert" rather than restoration.
• The Hebrew term tōhû (nothing), as seen in Gen 1:2 and Jer 4:23, carries immense theological weight. Its use here indicates more than just a physical desert; it implies a reversion to primordial chaos, a state where creation is unformed, unorganized, and devoid of life. For Job to feel he is going "to tōhû" suggests a personal experience of dissolution, a dismantling of his structured existence, and a terrifying brush with non-being or existential desolation. It reflects the extreme depths of his anguish, feeling himself on the brink of ultimate disintegration.
• This verse emphasizes the dangerous consequence of misplacing trust. While the physical illustration involves travelers trusting deceitful streams, the spiritual application points to the danger of trusting in human wisdom, unreliable foundations, or anything that draws one away from the true source of life and truth. It reinforces the biblical principle that salvation and true solace come from the Lord alone, who is the Living Water (Jer 2:13, John 4:10).

Job 6 18 Commentary

Job 6:18 crystallizes Job’s profound despair and disillusionment with his friends, whom he views as having offered false hope. The verse is an extension of the powerful metaphor initiated in the preceding verses (6:15-17), where Job compares his friends to treacherous winter torrents or wadis that fail precisely when most needed. These are streams that appear full and promising in the wet season, luring desert travelers who rely on them as vital water sources. However, as the harsh summer heat descends, these streams dry up completely, revealing nothing but empty, desolate riverbeds.

The consequence, as depicted in this verse, is dire: travelers, having deviated from their secure, accustomed paths in pursuit of these deceptive streams, venture "to nothing" – into a barren wasteland. This "nothing" (תֹהוּ, tohu) is a terrifying emptiness, an abyss devoid of sustenance, where existence itself seems to unravel. The outcome is absolute: they "perish." Job sees his friends' lack of genuine comfort and empathy not as mere absence, but as an active betrayal that exacerbates his suffering, analogous to those deceptive wadis. Their empty words have led him deeper into desolation, rather than offering relief.

The verse profoundly communicates Job's sense of abandonment and the extreme precariousness of his situation. His perceived support system (his friends) has proven utterly unreliable, causing him to feel further lost and exposed to a spiritual "wasteland" where he is rapidly perishing. This highlights the vital need for true comfort, discernment, and steadfast reliability in relationships, especially during profound suffering. It is a stark warning against relying on anything, or anyone, that promises support but ultimately leads to despair and destruction.