Job 6 6

Job 6:6 kjv

Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

Job 6:6 nkjv

Can flavorless food be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

Job 6:6 niv

Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the sap of the mallow?

Job 6:6 esv

Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt, or is there any taste in the juice of the mallow?

Job 6:6 nlt

Don't people complain about unsalted food?
Does anyone want the tasteless white of an egg?

Job 6 verses

Job 6 6 Meaning

Job 6:6 expresses Job's profound sense of suffering and disillusionment by using the metaphor of unappetizing food. He laments the worthlessness and utter blandness of his life, his pain, and the unhelpful words of his friends. The verse is a rhetorical question that powerfully asserts that just as no one willingly eats bland, tasteless food, Job cannot tolerate or find any value in his present experience or the hollow comfort offered by his companions. His soul finds no savor or nourishment in anything.

Job 6 6 Context

Job 6 is part of Job’s passionate response to Eliphaz’s initial speech (Job 4-5). Eliphaz had accused Job of likely sin, suggesting that his suffering was a divine punishment, and had offered traditional, yet unhelpful, counsel to "seek God." Job's anguish is overwhelming, and he finds Eliphaz's words to be utterly useless and devoid of comfort. This chapter opens with Job wishing for his suffering to be weighed, declaring that it is heavier than the sand of the seas (Job 6:2-3). He rejects his friends’ simplistic understanding of divine justice and his own suffering. Job 6:6 specifically comes as he is defending his bitter lament and asking why his friends would expect him to swallow his misery without complaint, equating his situation to consuming food utterly devoid of flavor or appeal. Historically, salt was not just a seasoning but a crucial preservative and a symbol of covenant fidelity and purification in ancient Near Eastern cultures. Job’s analogy directly challenges the wisdom tradition that assumes prosperity for the righteous and immediate affliction for the wicked, demonstrating that his suffering transcends such easy explanations. His words implicitly polemicize against a superficial view of spiritual nourishment or comfort that fails to truly address the depths of human despair.

Job 6 6 Word Analysis

• Can (הֲלֹ֤א - hălōʾ): This is a rhetorical particle in Hebrew, typically expecting a strong affirmative "no" or a strong "yes" in an exclamation. Here, it implies a resounding "no," making Job’s statement emphatically declarative. It’s an exclamation of exasperation, not a genuine inquiry.
• that which is unsavory (טָפֵ֗ל - ṭāphēl): The Hebrew word ṭāphēl carries multiple nuances:
  • Meaning: Bland, insipid, unseasoned, tasteless. It can also mean "foolish" or "senseless" in a figurative sense, extending the metaphor from food to words or counsel. In architectural contexts, it could refer to something "plastered over" (Ezek 13:10-15), suggesting superficiality or concealment rather than true substance.
  • Significance: Job is saying his suffering, his situation, and perhaps even his friends’ advice are completely devoid of any good or palatable quality. There's no inherent pleasantness, comfort, or wisdom to be found. It is profoundly unsatisfying.
  • Original Context: In a culture where salt was crucial for preserving food and making it palatable, ṭāphēl signifies food that is utterly undesirable and potentially harmful, suggesting rot or decay due to lack of preservation.
• be eaten without salt (בְּלִי־מֶ֖לַח יֵאָכֵ֑ל - bĕlî-mĕlaḥ yēʾākēl):
  • Salt (מֶ֣לַח - melaḥ): A highly valuable commodity in the ancient world, essential for seasoning, preservation, and ritual purification. It was also a symbol of permanence and fidelity, hence "covenant of salt" (Num 18:19).
  • Significance: The question is rhetorical. Food without salt is perceived as inedible, repulsive, or lacking essence. Job's rhetorical question emphasizes that certain things are so fundamental that their absence makes the whole thing worthless. His life, his very existence, currently lacks this essential "salt" of meaning, hope, or pleasantness.
• Or (אִם־ - ʾim): Connects the two parallel rhetorical questions, reinforcing the underlying sentiment.
• is there any taste (טַ֗עַם - ṭaʿam):
  • Meaning: Taste, savor, discretion, judgment, or discernment. This word links the physical sense of taste to a mental or spiritual apprehension of meaning or worth.
  • Significance: Job is asking if there is any reason, wisdom, or pleasure in what he is enduring. Just as a physical object has no enjoyable taste, his spiritual and emotional experience has lost all discernment or inherent value. It underscores a loss of delight and profound desolation.
• in the white of an egg? (בְּרִ֥יר חַלָּמֽוּת׃ - bĕrîr ḥallāmûṭ): This phrase is notoriously difficult to translate and interpret, with scholarly debate.
  • Possible Meanings:
    • "White of an egg": Represents something bland, slippery, and essentially tasteless, devoid of a distinct flavor profile. This aligns with the previous phrase.
    • "Mucus of mallow/purslane": Mallow (ḥallāmûṭ) is often identified as a marsh plant with little to no taste, sometimes even used as a famine food (Job 30:4). "Slime" or "mucus" (rîr) from such a plant would imply something insipid, disagreeable, or even disgusting.
  • Significance: Regardless of the precise botanical identification, the intent is clear: something utterly devoid of taste, savor, or appeal; something either bland to the point of being undesirable or actively repellent. Job views his circumstances (and perhaps his friends' words) as being like this repulsive, tasteless, or utterly insipid substance. It deepens the image of the unpalatability of his existence.

Words-group analysis:

• "Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?": This parallel structure employs two powerful, universally understood metaphors for things utterly undesirable. They underscore the absolute emptiness and unpleasantness of Job's situation. He feels like he is being forced to consume that which no sane person would willingly take in. The choice of salt is particularly potent given its multiple significances (preservation, flavor, covenant). The verse is a protest against being expected to find any good or reason in his calamity, or to silently accept the vapid comfort of his friends. It expresses total spiritual and emotional nausea.

Job 6 6 Bonus Section

• Theological Polemic: This verse subtly challenges the traditional wisdom theology of retribution, which often oversimplified suffering as direct punishment for sin. Job's complaint highlights that his experience does not fit neatly into such a formula; there is no 'salt' (meaning, purpose, or just reason from God's part in their understanding) in his suffering. He refuses to passively consume this 'unpalatable' theological framework presented by his friends.
• Job's Honesty: The rawness of Job’s language—his unreserved description of his life as 'tasteless' and 'insipid'—reflects a deeply honest portrayal of human lament. It permits the full expression of despair without requiring artificial piety.
• Relevance to Spiritual Hunger: The imagery speaks to the human soul's inherent need for spiritual nourishment, meaning, and a sense of God's presence, comparing their absence to physical starvation for the desired 'salt'. It prompts reflection on what truly 'tastes good' to our souls (e.g., God's Word, genuine community, divine truth) versus what is 'tasteless' or even harmful.
• Wisdom and Discernment: The word for 'taste' (ṭaʿam) also carries the nuance of discernment or judgment. Thus, Job might also be implying that there is no 'discernment' or 'sense' in his pain, or in his friends' advice. His suffering seems irrational and lacking any discernible purpose that would make it acceptable.

Job 6 6 Commentary

Job 6:6 is a profound cry from the depths of human suffering, articulating the unbearable blandness and spiritual tastelessness of extreme adversity. Through two rhetorical questions, Job vehemently asserts that his current pain and the emptiness of his comforters’ words are utterly unpalatable, akin to food devoid of salt or a substance utterly tasteless or even repulsive like the white of an egg (or tasteless plant sap). This verse powerfully conveys his perception that his life has lost all savor, joy, and meaning. He questions the expectation that he should endure such an insipid existence or receive such un-nourishing counsel without bitter complaint. It’s a lament of absolute spiritual nausea, demonstrating that his soul recoils from his circumstances just as a body would from inedible food. This verse underscores the necessity of true substance and empathy in human relationships, particularly in the face of immense suffering, highlighting how facile explanations and lack of genuine compassion only exacerbate distress.