Job 2:8
"And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes."

Commentary

Gill's Exposition

And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal,.... His mouth was shut, his lips were silent, not one murmuring and repining word came from him, amidst all this anguish and misery he must be in; much less anything that looked like cursing God and blaspheming him, as some are said to do, because of their pains and their sores, Rev 16:11 ; but Job bore his with the utmost patience; he took a piece of a broken pot, which perhaps lay in the ashes among which he sat, and scraped himself with it; either

as some think to allay the itching, or rather to remove the purulent matter that ran from his boils; which he used instead of linen rags to wipe them with, having no surgeon to come near him, to mollify his ulcers with ointment, to supple them with oil, and lay healing plasters upon them; there were none to do any of these things for him; his maids and his servants, and even his wife, stood at some distance from him; the smell of him might be so nauseous, that it was intolerable, he was obliged to do what was done himself, which is here mentioned; though it seems something strange and unnatural, considering his case; Schmidt thinks that this scraping was done by him as a rite and ceremony used by mourners in those times and countries, and which Job would not omit though his body was full of sores: and he sat down among the ashes; which was often done in cases of mourning and humiliation, see Jon 3:6 ; and which Job did to humble himself under the mighty hand of God upon him; whether these ashes were outside or inside the house is not certain; some think they were outside, and that he had no house to dwell in, nor bed to lie on, nor couch to sit upon, and therefore was obliged to do as he did; but the contrary is evident from Job 7:13 ; others say, that his disease being the leprosy, he was obliged to sit alone and outside; but it is not certain that that was his disease; and besides, the law concerning lepers did not as yet exist; and had it, it would not have been binding on Job, who was not of the Israelitish nation: the vulgar notion that Job sat upon a dunghill outside the city has no other foundation than the Septuagint version of this passage, which is a wrong one; for his sitting in ashes, there might be a reason in nature, and it might be chosen on account of his disease; for ashes are a drier, and an abstersive of ulcers, and Galen (f) says they are used in fresh wounds to stop the flow of the blood. (f) De simpl. Med. ad Paternian. apud Schenchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 661.

Source: Gill's Exposition (Public Domain)

Hebrew Word Studies (7 words)

H3947 לָקַח
Definition:

22+,לָקָח֑Genesis 27:36+ (קָחEzekiel 17:5is textual error; omitted byᵐ5ᵑ6Co, compare Ges§ 19, 3. a); suffixלְקָחַנִיGenesis 24:7,לְקָחָםJeremiah 27:20(forקָחָםHosea 11:3read probablyאֶקָּחֵםᵐ5ᵑ7Ew St 22+,לָקָח֑Genesis 27:36+ (קָחEzekiel 17:5is textual error; omitted byᵐ5ᵑ6Co, compare Ges§ 19, 3. a); suffixלְקָחַנִיGenesis 24:7,לְקָחָםJeremiah 27:20(forקָחָםHosea 11:3read probablyאֶקָּחֵםᵐ5ᵑ7Ew St

Possible Meanings:
  • learning (semantic_range)
  • teaching (semantic_range)
  • what is received (semantic_range)
  • instruction (semantic_range)
  • teaching (semantic_range)
H2789 חֶרֶשׂ
Definition:

219t.,חָ֑רֶשׂNumbers 5:174t.; plural constructחַרְשֵׂיIsaiah 45:9; suffixחֲרָשֶׂיהָEzekiel 23:34. —1earthenware:׳כְּלִיאחearthen vesselJeremiah 32:14; especially PLeviticus 6:21;Leviticus 11:33;Leviti 219t.,חָ֑רֶשׂNumbers 5:174t.; plural constructחַרְשֵׂיIsaiah 45:9; suffixחֲרָשֶׂיהָEzekiel 23:34. —1earthenware:׳כְּלִיאחearthen vesselJeremiah 32:14; especially PLeviticus 6:21;Leviticus 11:33;Leviti

Possible Meanings:
  • magic art (semantic_range)
  • magic drug (semantic_range)
  • skilled in magic arts (semantic_range)
  • drugs (semantic_range)
H1623 גָּרַד
Definition:

8.Topical LexiconLiteral Action DescribedThe verb denotes the physical act of scraping or scratching something away, usually with a sharp or rough instrument. In the ancient world this action ranged f 8.Topical LexiconLiteral Action DescribedThe verb denotes the physical act of scraping or scratching something away, usually with a sharp or rough instrument. In the ancient world this action ranged f

Possible Meanings:
  • scrape (semantic_range)
  • scrape one’s self (semantic_range)
H1931 הוּא
Definition:

23Kt, seeהוּא.הוּאmasculineהִיאfeminine(plural masculineהֵ֫מָּה,הֵם; feminineהֵ֫נָּה,הֵן[the latter only with prefixes]; see these words),pronoun of the 3rd person singular,he, she, used also(in both 23Kt, seeהוּא.הוּאmasculineהִיאfeminine(plural masculineהֵ֫מָּה,הֵם; feminineהֵ֫נָּה,הֵן[the latter only with prefixes]; see these words),pronoun of the 3rd person singular,he, she, used also(in both

H3427 יָשַׁב
Definition:

8,19וישב,Judges 1:13ואשב,dwell; Phoenicianישבdwell; ZinjirliישבsitDHMSendsch. 58; Assyrianašâbu,sit,dwell, DlHWB 244; Arabicleap, jump, Himyer. dialectsit, Lane2919; EthiopicII. 1secum cohabitare face 8,19וישב,Judges 1:13ואשב,dwell; Phoenicianישבdwell; ZinjirliישבsitDHMSendsch. 58; Assyrianašâbu,sit,dwell, DlHWB 244; Arabicleap, jump, Himyer. dialectsit, Lane2919; EthiopicII. 1secum cohabitare face

Possible Meanings:
  • remain (semantic_range)
H8432 תָּוֶךְ
Definition:

10+; constructתּוֺךְGenesis 1:6+;תּוֺכִי,תּוֺכוֺ, etc., 2 feminine singularתּוֺכֵּ֫ כִיPsalm 116:19;Psalm 135:9,תּוֺכֹהEzekiel 48:15,21,תּוֺכֲכֶםGenesis 23:9+,תּוֺכָ֫הְנָהEzekiel 16:53(Ges§ 91f); —mid 10+; constructתּוֺךְGenesis 1:6+;תּוֺכִי,תּוֺכוֺ, etc., 2 feminine singularתּוֺכֵּ֫ כִיPsalm 116:19;Psalm 135:9,תּוֺכֹהEzekiel 48:15,21,תּוֺכֲכֶםGenesis 23:9+,תּוֺכָ֫הְנָהEzekiel 16:53(Ges§ 91f); —mid

Possible Meanings:
  • midst (semantic_range)
H0665 אֵפֶר
Definition:

27+; constructNumbers 19:9,10 —ashesof red heifer, used in purificationsNumbers 19:9,10; on head, as sign of humiliation2 Samuel 13:19; contritionDaniel 9:3(""צוֺם,שַׂק),Jonah 3:6(""שַׂק) compareJob 4 27+; constructNumbers 19:9,10 —ashesof red heifer, used in purificationsNumbers 19:9,10; on head, as sign of humiliation2 Samuel 13:19; contritionDaniel 9:3(""צוֺם,שַׂק),Jonah 3:6(""שַׂק) compareJob 4

Possible Meanings:
  • covering (semantic_range)
  • bandage (semantic_range)

Interlinear data not available for this verse yet.

---

Get the daily verse delivered free

Create Free Account

Automatic daily verse emails after signup

← Chapter 2 All Chapters