'But now those who are younger than I have me in derision.' The outcasts’ children mock him in song; God Himself has changed sides: 'I cry to You, and You do not answer me' — 'You are turned to be cruel to me.' The ledger of a righteous life returns nothing: 'when I looked for good, there came evil.' — 'Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of those who weep.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
But now those who are younger than I have me in derision, Whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock.
verse value 4219
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "at·me" (עָלַי֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·I·disdained" (אֲשֶׁר־מָאַ֥סְתִּי, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "young" (צְעִירִ֥ים), "that·I·disdained" (אֲשֶׁר־מָאַ֥סְתִּי), "to·put" (לָ֝שִׁ֗ית). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "at·me" (root על, 90x in Job); "to·days" (root יום, 59x in Job); "than·me" (root מן, 33x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֤ה [and·now] (481) + שָׂ֥חֲק֣וּ [they·laugh] (414) + עָלַי֮ [at·me] (110) + צְעִירִ֥ים [young] (420) + מִמֶּ֗נִּי [than·me] (140) + לְיָ֫מִ֥ים [to·days] (130) + אֲשֶׁר־מָאַ֥סְתִּי [that·I·disdained] (1012) + אֲבוֹתָ֑ם [their·fathers] (449) + לָ֝שִׁ֗ית [to·put] (740) + עִם־כַּלְבֵ֥י [with·dogs·of] (172) + צֹאנִֽי [my·flock] (151) = 4219.
Metzudat David
'But now' — as if to say: but it is not so; for now the matter has been utterly reversed, since even men younger than I in years mock me — men of disreputable families, whose fathers I disdained even to set among the dogs that guarded my flock, to serve as watchmen alongside the dogs.
Metzudat Zion
Have ... in derision (sachaku) - They mocked. Younger (tze'irim) - An expression of smallness, as in "and they shall not be diminished (yitz'aru)" (Jeremiah 30:19).
Malbim
But now those who are younger than I have me in derision - Now everything is reversed, turned to its opposite, beginning with the honor he once had, which has now turned into disgrace. Whereas before, elders would rise and stand for him, now those younger than he mock him - deriding him over the very days when he disdained their fathers, deeming them unfit even to be with the dogs that guarded his flock.
Indeed, the strength of their hands, to what end should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age is perished.
verse value 476
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִּ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·hands" (יְ֭דֵיהֶם, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "also·strength·of" (גַּם־כֹּ֣חַ), "ripe·age" (כָּֽלַח). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·them" (root על, 90x in Job); "their·hands" (root יד, 44x in Job); "why" (root מה, 23x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: גַּם־כֹּ֣חַ [also·strength·of] (71) + יְ֭דֵיהֶם [their·hands] (69) + לָ֣מָּה [why] (75) + לִּ֑י [to·me] (40) + עָ֝לֵ֗ימוֹ [upon·them] (156) + אָ֣בַד [has·perished] (7) + כָּֽלַח [ripe·age] (58) = 476.
Rashi
Moreover, why did I need the strength of their hands in those days they were wicked, and they were useless, for trouble came because of them. old age Heb. כָּלַח, old age.
Ibn Ezra
'Ripe age' [kelach] — the days of old age; the sense is that they were in distress from the outset, so that their vigor fled [cf. 'his vigor had not fled,' Deuteronomy 34:7], and it is not known when they will reach old age.
Ralbag
'Ripe age' [kelach] — meaning: a span of time.
Metzudat David
'Indeed, the strength of their hands' — I did not disdain them only because they were of low standing, but also because I said: of what use to me is the strength of their hands? For it is so slight that it is not enough to save the flock from whatever comes to prey on it. 'Men in whom ripe age is perished' — such maturity as they had was wasted, for what benefit was there in their growing old, seeing that they were of low standing and feeble in strength?
Metzudat Zion
Ripe age (kelach) - Old age, as in "you shall come to your grave in a ripe age (bechelach)" (above, 5).
Malbim
(Verses 2-3) I also disdained the strength of their hands - even though they were young and capable of working with the strength of their hands, nonetheless I said, ‘What use are they to me,’ and I did not wish to take them to tend my flock, since their vigor had perished through want and hunger, solitary and alone; for because they suffered want and hunger and always sat solitary, cut off from other people, their vigor and their strength perished - fleeing into the parched land, forever roaming the dry waste, in a place that but yesterday was waste and desolation, in the desolate wildernesses.
They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation.
verse value 2046
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "dry·ground" (צִיָּ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·ones·gnawing" (הַעֹרְקִ֥ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "in·want" (בְּחֶ֥סֶר), "and·in·hunger" (וּבְכָפָ֗ן), "the·ones·gnawing" (הַעֹרְקִ֥ים). 8 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root שואה ("wasteness") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'dry·ground', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּחֶ֥סֶר [in·want] (270) + וּבְכָפָ֗ן [and·in·hunger] (158) + גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד [gaunt] (83) + הַעֹרְקִ֥ים [the·ones·gnawing] (425) + צִיָּ֑ה [dry·ground] (105) + אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ [gloom] (341) + שׁוֹאָ֥ה [wasteness] (312) + וּמְשֹׁאָֽה [and·desolation] (352) = 2046.
Rashi
Because of want and because of hunger they were in solitude. they would flee to desolation For in his days, they would drive them from civilization to go in darkness. darkness of waste and desolation broine in Old French, obscurity.
Ibn Ezra
'With want and famine' — the Targum renders it 'hunger.' 'Gaunt' — that is, a desolate place, without habitation. 'They gnaw the dry ground' — those who flee to the parched wilderness; the Targum renders it with two words, 'fled and escaped'; and 'in the gloom' means that by night they are in a place of desolation.
Ralbag
'Gaunt with want and famine' [galmud] — meaning: because of their want and their hunger, they are alone, without any companionship. 'They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation' — meaning: those who roam the parched land and come to it, roaming the place of darkness, which they call 'emesh' (night-gloom); and who roam the desolate places, that is, the wilderness, which they call 'sho'ah' and 'meshoah' (wasteness and desolation).
Metzudat David
'With want' — because of the lack of means, and because of famine, they sat alone, without the company of others, for they were ashamed to dwell among people. 'They gnaw the dry ground' — they would flee to a land of drought and desolation. 'In the gloom,' etc. — a place where people are not ordinarily found, in which to conceal their disgrace.
Metzudat Zion
And with famine (uvechafan) - An expression of hunger, as in "at destruction and famine (lechafan)" (above, 5). Gaunt (galmud) - Alone, as in "let that night be solitary (galmud)" (above, 3). They gnaw (ha'orkim) - [Meaning] those who flee, as in "I flee (borachat)" (Genesis 16:8), which Targum Onkelos renders "arakat." Gloom (emesh) - Meaning: darkness, in the darkness of night, as in "and gave judgment last night (vayochach amesh)" (Genesis 31). Wasteness and desolation (sho'ah umshoah) - An expression of darkness and desolation, as in "a day of wasteness and desolation" (Zephaniah 1:15); and the matter is doubled to convey the greatest degree of desolation.
They pluck salt-wort with wormwood; And the roots of the broom are their food.
verse value 2370
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "salt-wort" (מַלּ֣וּחַ, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·ones·plucking" (הַקֹּטְפִ֣ים, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "the·ones·plucking" (הַקֹּטְפִ֣ים), "salt-wort" (מַלּ֣וּחַ), "with·wormwood" (עֲלֵי־שִׂ֑יחַ). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·wormwood', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַקֹּטְפִ֣ים [the·ones·plucking] (244) + מַלּ֣וּחַ [salt-wort] (84) + עֲלֵי־שִׂ֑יחַ [with·wormwood] (428) + וְשֹׁ֖רֶשׁ [and·root·of] (806) + רְתָמִ֣ים [broom-plant] (690) + לַחְמָֽם [their·food] (118) = 2370.
Rashi
They pluck salt-wort on shrubs When they were in the deserts, they would pluck for themselves salt-wort [that grew] on the trees of the forests and eat. salt-wort Heb. מלוח. It is the name of an herb. In Aramaic (Pes. 114a), it is called קַקוּלִין and in the language of the Mishnah מַלוּחִים (malves in French), mallows, as we learned in (Kiddushin 66a): “They brought up mallows on golden tables.” shrubs a tree, like (Gen. 21:15), “under one of the shrubs (השיחים).”
Ibn Ezra
'They pluck' — from 'you may pluck the ears with your hand' (Deuteronomy 23:25). 'Salt-wort' — related to the word for 'moist' (lach). 'With wormwood' — even the leaves of the shrub, which is a tree; and similarly, 'Isaac went out la-suach in the field' (Genesis 24:63) means to walk among the shrubs of the field.
Ralbag
'They pluck salt-wort upon the bushes' — meaning: out of their great want, they pick a plant called 'malu'ach' (salt-wort) that grows on the bush, to eat that plant, even though it is not fit to eat. 'And the roots of the broom are their food' [lachmam] — meaning: that is their nourishment, and for lack of food they make some use of it as their bread. The 'retamim' (broom-bush) is a plant called by that name. Or 'lachmam' may instead be an infinitive, with the lamed serving as an infinitive marker, and its meaning would then be 'to warm themselves' — for, dwelling in cold places without any shelter, they need something to keep them warm.
Metzudat David
'They pluck' — they would pluck, for their food, the saltwort plant and leaves of a tree, and the root of the broom bush served as their bread and sustenance — even though these are not things fit for human food.
Metzudat Zion
They pluck (hakotfim) - An expression of plucking, as in "you may pluck the ears (vekatafta melilot)" (Deuteronomy 23). Salt-wort (maluach) - The name of a certain herb; and so in the words of our sages, "our fathers used to eat maluchin," etc. (Kiddushin 66). Wormwood (alei siach) - [Meaning] the leaves of a tree, as in "under one of the bushes (hasichim)" (Genesis 21:15). Broom (retamim) - The name of a certain tree, as in "a broom bush (rotem echad)" (I Kings 19).
Malbim
They pluck - their food was that they would pluck saltwort mixed together with wormwood - the leaves of shrubs and the roots of broom bushes - for they would mix wild leaves and roots, and this was their bread.
They are driven forth from the midst of men; They cry after them as after a thief.
verse value 1145
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "from·the·midst" (מִן־גֵּ֥ו, 4 letters) and the longest is "they·are·driven·out" (יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "from·the·midst" (מִן־גֵּ֥ו), "they·are·driven·out" (יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ), "they·cry" (יָרִ֥יעוּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "after·them" (root על, 90x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·are·driven·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִן־גֵּ֥ו [from·the·midst] (99) + יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ [they·are·driven·out] (519) + יָרִ֥יעוּ [they·cry] (296) + עָ֝לֵ֗ימוֹ [after·them] (156) + כַּגַּנָּֽב [like·the·thief] (75) = 1145.
Rashi
from the midst From the midst of the city they were driven.
Ibn Ezra
'They are driven forth from the midst' — the Targum renders it 'midst'; and the sense is: they are driven out from among men because of their poverty, and people shout after them as after a thief.
Ralbag
'They are driven forth from the midst of men' [min gev] — meaning: they are driven out from the midst of the city.
Metzudat David
'From the midst' — they were driven out from the midst of the city, and people would shout after them, crying, 'Away! Away!' — just as one shouts after a thief when he is driven off.
Metzudat Zion
Midst (go) - This is the Aramaic/Targum term for "tokh" (midst). They cry (yari'u) - An expression of raising the voice.
Malbim
From the midst - for they were driven out from the midst of the city on account of the baseness of their deeds; whenever they came into the city, people would shout at them as at thieves, and the townspeople would cry out, saying:
In the clefts of the valleys must they dwell, In holes of the earth and of the rocks.
verse value 1630
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "holes·of" (חֹרֵ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·clefts·of" (בַּעֲר֣וּץ, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "in·clefts·of" (בַּעֲר֣וּץ), "to·dwell" (לִשְׁכֹּ֑ן), "holes·of" (חֹרֵ֖י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "earth" (root עפר, 24x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·dwell', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: בַּעֲר֣וּץ [in·clefts·of] (368) + נְחָלִ֣ים [valleys] (138) + לִשְׁכֹּ֑ן [to·dwell] (400) + חֹרֵ֖י [holes·of] (218) + עָפָ֣ר [earth] (350) + וְכֵפִֽים [and·rocks] (156) = 1630.
Rashi
in the crevices of the valleys There is a salty land that splits, where they would lie in the holes in the earth and the holes in the crevices of the rocks. and rocks Heb. וכפים, the Aramaic translation of סלעים, rocks. (Another explanation:) in the crevice of the streams That is the crevice that the stream makes around itself.
Ibn Ezra
'In the clefts' — a place a person would be afraid to go down into.
Ralbag
'In the clefts of the valleys' [ba'arutz nechalim] — meaning: this is the ravine that a stream cuts around itself. 'Holes of the earth and of the rocks' — meaning: burrows in the earth and clefts in the rocks.
Metzudat David
'In the clefts' — so as to be kept far away from people, they had to dwell in the crevices of the valleys and in the holes of the earth and the rocks.
Metzudat Zion
In the clefts (ba'arutz) - An expression of breakage and a ravine; related to the term "to shake the earth terribly (la'arotz ha'aretz)" (Isaiah 2). Holes (chorei) - Cavities, as in "the hole of the asp (chur paten)" (Isaiah 11). And of the rocks (uchefim) - The Targum's term for "sela" (rock) [in Aramaic] "keifa"; and so, "and they climbed up into the rocks (uvakefim)" (Jeremiah 4).
Malbim
(Verses 6-7) In the clefts of the valleys must they dwell - that they would not enter the city but dwell in the breaches of the valley, among holes of earth and rocks; and they would bray among the bushes and huddle together under the nettles - this is why people would shout at them, for inasmuch as they were...
Among the bushes they bray; Under the nettles they are gathered together.
verse value 1817
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "under" (תַּ֖חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "among·bushes" (בֵּין־שִׂיחִ֥ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "among·bushes" (בֵּין־שִׂיחִ֥ים), "they·bray" (יִנְהָ֑קוּ), "nettles" (חָר֣וּל). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "under" (root תחת, 20x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·bray', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בֵּין־שִׂיחִ֥ים [among·bushes] (430) + יִנְהָ֑קוּ [they·bray] (171) + תַּ֖חַת [under] (808) + חָר֣וּל [nettles] (244) + יְסֻפָּֽחוּ [they·are·gathered·together] (164) = 1817.
Rashi
under the nettles they gather (Orties in French), nettles. They would gather, as in (Isa. 14:1), “and join (ונספחו) the house of Jacob.”
Ibn Ezra
'Among the bushes' — trees. 'They bray' — like wild donkeys. 'Under the nettles' — from 'nettles have covered its face' (Proverbs 24:31); and it is a kind of thorn. 'They are gathered together' — from 'and they shall join themselves to the house of Jacob' (Isaiah 14:1); that is, they are gathered and collected.
Ralbag
'Among the bushes they bray' — meaning: among the trees they cry out. 'Under the nettles they are gathered together' [yesupachu] — meaning: under the thorns they are hurt and injured, as the thorns pierce their flesh, so that 'yesupachu' would then be related to the word 'sapachat' (a skin eruption); or the meaning of 'yesupach' may be that they gather and huddle together, from the same root as 'sappecheni na' ('attach me, I pray') (I Samuel 2:36).
Metzudat David
'Among the bushes' — among the trees they would cry out and moan like wild asses, from hunger, and beneath the thornbushes they would gather and assemble.
Metzudat Zion
They bray (yinhaku) - This is borrowed from the cry of the wild ass, as it is written, "does the wild ass bray (hayinhak pere)" (above, 6). Nettles (charul) - A kind of thornbush, as in "a possession of nettles (mimshak charul)" (Zephaniah 2:9). They are gathered together (yesupachu) - They join and assemble, as in "attach me, please (sefacheni na)" (I Samuel 2).
They are children of churls, indeed, children of ignoble men; They were scourged out of the land.
verse value 1094
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "they·were·scourged" (נִ֝כְּא֗וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·churl" (בְּֽנֵי־נָ֭בָל, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "sons·of·churl" (בְּֽנֵי־נָ֭בָל), "also·sons·of" (גַּם־בְּנֵ֣י), "without·name" (בְלִי־שֵׁ֑ם). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·the·land" (root ארץ, 48x in Job); "without·name" (root בלי, 22x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'without·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּֽנֵי־נָ֭בָל [sons·of·churl] (144) + גַּם־בְּנֵ֣י [also·sons·of] (105) + בְלִי־שֵׁ֑ם [without·name] (382) + נִ֝כְּא֗וּ [they·were·scourged] (77) + מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ [from·the·land] (386) = 1094.
Rashi
were broken (in my days) from the land for I would humble them. [נִכְאוּ is] an expression of (Isa. 66:2), “of crushed spirit (נכה רוח).”
Ibn Ezra
'They were scourged out' — more stricken and lowly than the land itself, or than the people of the land; as in 'and all the earth came to Egypt' (Genesis 41:57).
Ralbag
'They were scourged' [nikh'u] — meaning: this is of the same sense as 'nekheh ruach' (crushed in spirit), and it is in the nif'al form; the sense being that they are lower and more downtrodden than the very earth.
Metzudat David
'Children of churls' — and behold, their children — the ones now mocking me — are called 'children of churls,' and also 'children with no name,' because their father had no name known outside his own home. And behold, from of old, they too were broken and crushed out of the land, for because of their father's lowly standing they found no one to show them favor.
Metzudat Zion
Churl (naval) - Thus is called a person of low worth and despicable. They were scourged (nich'u) - [Meaning] crushed and broken, as in "you shall moan, utterly stricken (nechaim)" (Isaiah 16:7).
Malbim
Children of churls, indeed, children of ignoble men - therefore they were scourged out of the land, and were not permitted to associate with the assembly of people.
And now I have become their song, Indeed, I am a byword to them.
verse value 1671
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·song" (נְגִינָתָ֣ם, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "their·song" (נְגִינָתָ֣ם), "and·I·am" (וָאֱהִ֖י), "to·a·byword" (לְמִלָּֽה). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·have·become" (root היה, 50x in Job); "to·a·byword" (root מלה, 34x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·become', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְ֭עַתָּה [and·now] (481) + נְגִינָתָ֣ם [their·song] (553) + הָיִ֑יתִי [I·have·become] (435) + וָאֱהִ֖י [and·I·am] (22) + לָהֶ֣ם [to·them] (75) + לְמִלָּֽה [to·a·byword] (105) = 1671.
Ralbag
'I have become their song' [neginatam hayiti] — meaning: I became a mockery to them, as though I were a piece of their song. 'A byword' [le-milah] — meaning: they speak of nothing but me.
Metzudat David
'And now' — and behold, now they lord it over me, and I have become their song, for they make mocking verse of the misfortunes that have befallen me; and I have become a byword to them, for the whole subject of their talk is me.
Malbim
And now I have become their song - they make songs of me to mock me; and I am a byword to them - for until now they had no byword on their tongue, since they were far from other people, but now I am their byword.
They abhor me, they flee far from me, And spare not to spit in my face.
verse value 1803
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "spittle" (רֹֽק, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·abhor·me" (תִּ֭עֲבוּנִי, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "are·far" (רָ֣חֲקוּ), "not·withheld" (לֹא־חָ֥שְׂכוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·from·my·face" (root פנים, 68x in Job); "from·me" (root מן, 33x in Job); "not·withheld" (root חשך, 25x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תִּ֭עֲבוּנִי [they·abhor·me] (538) + רָ֣חֲקוּ [are·far] (314) + מֶ֑נִּי [from·me] (100) + וּ֝מִפָּנַ֗י [and·from·my·face] (186) + לֹא־חָ֥שְׂכוּ [not·withheld] (365) + רֹֽק [spittle] (300) = 1803.
Ralbag
'They spare not to spit' — meaning: they did not refrain from spitting when they saw me, out of their great contempt for me.
Metzudat David
'They abhor me' — they despised me and kept themselves far from me, and did not refrain from spitting in my presence; and it is a disgraceful thing to spit in a person's face.
For He has loosed my cord, and afflicted me, And they have cast off the bridle before me.
verse value 2790
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 2790 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "He·loosed" (פִ֭תַּח, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·my·cord" (כִּֽי־יִתְרִ֣י, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "for·my·cord" (כִּֽי־יִתְרִ֣י), "and·bridle" (וְ֝רֶ֗סֶן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·my·face" (root פנים, 68x in Job); "and·He·afflicted·me" (root ענה, 60x in Job); "they·let·go" (root שלח, 22x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·He·afflicted·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words.
Rashi
For He untied my bowstring He untied the string of my bow (that I said above that my bow would become stronger); i.e., He weakened my strength—He Who has the power to do so. and they have cast off the bridle My bridle, with which they were bridled to me—they cast it off before me because they no longer fear me.
Ibn Ezra
'For He has loosed my cord' — the opposite of 'my bow is in my hand' (Job 29:20); that is, the reverse of being armed and strong. 'And they have cast off the bridle before me' — at first they had a bridle upon them, like a beast, out of fear of me; but now they have cast off the bridle before me. Some say that when a horse grows old, its bridle is removed and it is abandoned, and men and boys make sport of it, and likewise here 'they have cast off the bridle before me' — but this is far-fetched.
Ralbag
'For my cord' [yitri] — meaning: related to the word 'meitarav' (its cords). 'Has loosed' [patach] — meaning: untied. 'And they have cast off the bridle before me' — meaning: the bridle of fear which they had of me before these troubles befell me, they have cast off and removed from before me.
Metzudat David
'For He has loosed my cord' — the One who has it in His power to loosen it loosened the string of my bow, so that I can no longer shoot; and by this He has afflicted my strength, for I am now handed over into their power, unable to fight against them. Meaning: the Omnipresent has drained my strength. 'And the bridle' — the power I once held over them, to direct them however I wished, like one who holds a horse's bridle to steer it along the way — behold, now they have thrown off and cast away the bridle before me. Meaning: they have thrown off the yoke and slipped out from under my hand.
Metzudat Zion
My cord (yitri) - This is the bowstring, as in "they make ready their arrow upon the string (yeter)" (Psalms 11:2). Loosed (pattach) - An expression of untying, as in "You have loosed my bonds (pitachta lemoserai)" (Psalms 116). And bridle (veresen) - This is what is placed in a horse's mouth to steer it along the way, as in "with bit and bridle (metheg varesen)" (Psalms 32).
Malbim
For He has loosed my cord - the cords and bonds by which I am bound in suffering, He has loosed, and afflicted me with force. But the bridle that was upon them out of fear of me - the bridle by which they were bound because of their fear of me - they have now cast off before me. So that whereas before I was free and they were bound by the bridle, now it is the reverse.
Upon my right hand rise the brood; They entangle my feet, And they cast up against me their ways of destruction.
verse value 2147
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "against·me" (עָ֝לַ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·right" (עַל־יָמִין֮, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "upon·right" (עַל־יָמִין֮), "brood" (פִּרְחַ֢ח), "rise" (יָ֫ק֥וּמוּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·me" (root על, 90x in Job); "rise" (root קום, 22x in Job); "they·let·go" (root שלח, 22x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·let·go', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־יָמִין֮ [upon·right] (210) + פִּרְחַ֢ח [brood] (296) + יָ֫ק֥וּמוּ [rise] (162) + רַגְלַ֥י [my·feet] (243) + שִׁלֵּ֑חוּ [they·let·go] (344) + וַיָּסֹ֥לּוּ [and·they·cast·up] (112) + עָ֝לַ֗י [against·me] (110) + אׇרְח֥וֹת [ways·of] (615) + אֵידָֽם [their·destruction] (55) = 2147.
Rashi
On my right on my right, stand “little sprouts” as [with] any other simple person, because I am no longer so esteemed in their sight [that they] subordinate themselves before Me. they push away my feet If the place is crowded, they push me away. and they cast up against me their ways of destruction Any shameful way [i.e., act] that they have to do, they make their way before me or beside me [to perform it] and they have no fear.
Ibn Ezra
'The brood' — young ones, so called because they are just sprouting up. 'They entangle my feet' — they put thorns in the way. 'And they cast up' — from 'a piercing brier' (Ezekiel 28:24).
Ralbag
'Upon my right hand rise the brood' [parchach] — meaning: upon my right hand rise the young; they are called this because the blossom (perach) appears at the very start of the fruit's forming, and in the same vein the Sages spoke of 'pirchei kehunah' (young priests, literally 'blossoms of the priesthood'). 'They thrust aside [my feet]' [shilechu] — meaning: they pushed away. 'And they cast up [against me]' [vayasolu] — meaning: and they tread out a path.
Metzudat David
'Upon my right hand' — the young men grew bold enough to come and stand at my right hand, and when the space felt cramped to them, they shoved and thrust at my feet, pushing them further out of the way — a manner of disgrace. 'They cast up against me their ways of destruction' — the paths they walk to torment and break me, they have turned into a highway, a well-trodden road against me, from how constantly they travel them.
Metzudat Zion
The brood (parchach) - Its meaning is one whose beard has just begun to sprout and grow; and so in the words of our sages, "young priests (parchei kehunah)" (Middot 5); the third radical is doubled, as in "on a rainy day (beyom sagrir)" (Proverbs 27).
Malbim
Upon my right hand - meaning that now a rabble of leprous youths rise at my right hand, whom until now my own feet would have driven out of society. And they cast up against me their ways of destruction - the very path of calamity that was theirs, they who were driven out and loathed by people - they have paved against me; they have made of me a beaten highway against myself, so that now I am as far removed from people as their own ruin was.
They break up my path, They further my calamity, Even men who have no helper.
verse value 2349
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֖א, 2 letters) and the longest is "my·path" (נְֽתִיבָ֫תִ֥י, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "they·break·up" (נָֽתְס֗וּ), "my·path" (נְֽתִיבָ֫תִ֥י), "to·my·calamity" (לְהַוָּתִ֥י). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 142x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·profit', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: נָֽתְס֗וּ [they·break·up] (516) + נְֽתִיבָ֫תִ֥י [my·path] (872) + לְהַוָּתִ֥י [to·my·calamity] (451) + יֹעִ֑ילוּ [they·profit] (126) + לֹ֖א [not] (31) + עֹזֵ֣ר [helper] (277) + לָֽמוֹ [to·them] (76) = 2349.
Rashi
They break up my path Heb. נתסוּ. [My] good [path] and do not care for it. נתסוּ is like נתצוּ the “sammech” replacing the “zaddi.” they serve to increase my calamity they continue to provoke me.
Ralbag
'They further my calamity' [ul-havati yo'ilu] — meaning: they help bring about my ruin.
Metzudat David
'They break up my path' — the path I would walk, they have broken up and torn down. Meaning: they prevent me from doing as I wish. 'They further my calamity' — they act to intensify my ruin and my devastation, even though they gain no help or benefit from it; nonetheless they do it out of hatred for me.
Metzudat Zion
They break up (nitesu) - Related to "they tore down (netatzu)" with a tzadi, since [the letters] zayin-samekh-shin-resh-tzadi interchange; it is an expression of breaking. My calamity (lehavati) - [Meaning] my ruin, as in "he grew strong in his mischief (ya'oz behavato)" (Psalms 52). They further (yo'ilu) - From the term "to'elet" (benefit).
Malbim
They break up - even these, from whom I expected benefit - that is, my companions, whom I thought would be of use to me in my situation and would help me in time of trouble - they themselves broke up my good path; that is, they condemned me and stripped me of my righteousness and my honor, and gave me no help - I found no one to help me - for, on the contrary, they turned into enemies to me.
As through a wide breach they come; In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me.
verse value 2618
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "wide" (רָחָ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "they·roll·themselves" (הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "like·breach" (כְּפֶ֣רֶץ), "they·roll·themselves" (הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "under" (root תחת, 20x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·come', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כְּפֶ֣רֶץ [like·breach] (390) + רָחָ֣ב [wide] (210) + יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ [they·come] (427) + תַּ֥חַת [under] (808) + שֹׁ֝אָ֗ה [ruin] (306) + הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ [they·roll·themselves] (477) = 2618.
Rashi
As [through] a wide breach in a fence, through which everyone comes and passes through, so they come together against me to embarrass me. under darkness they roll i.e., they come rolling along in secret until they reach me, to provoke me, so that I should not be able to escape from them.
Ibn Ezra
'As through a wide breach they come' — the hardships, that is, the paths of their calamity, roll themselves upon me in a place of desolation; and the sense is that there is no one to help me.
Ralbag
'As through a wide breach they come' — meaning: as through a wide breach through which water bursts in a flood, so they come upon me.
Metzudat David
'As through a wide breach' — just as through a wide breach water pours in a great flood, so do many gather together to come upon me and torment me; and under cover of darkness they surround and encircle me, so that I will not sense them coming and be able to slip away before they arrive.
Metzudat Zion
They come (ye'etayu) - They come, as in "the morning comes (ata voker)" (Isaiah 21).
Malbim
As through a breach - they came upon me like a breach of water, that is, water bursting forth broadly from a bursting of the clouds (a cloudburst), and when the storm-cloud came and it darkened, they rolled down from the cloud together with the burst of water to sweep me away. This is a figure for the flood of their evil words, which were like a cloud covering his sun, and the wicked waters passed over his head.
Terrors are turned upon me, They chase mine honor as the wind; And my welfare has passed away as a cloud.
verse value 3212
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "upon·me" (עָלַ֗י, 3 letters) and the longest is "terrors" (בַּלָּ֫ה֥וֹת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 110: are·turned, upon·me. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "are·turned" (הׇהְפַּ֥ךְ), "like·the·wind" (כָּ֭רוּחַ), "my·honor" (נְדִבָתִ֑י). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·me" (root על, 90x in Job); "like·the·wind" (root רוח, 29x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·honor', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: הׇהְפַּ֥ךְ [are·turned] (110) + עָלַ֗י [upon·me] (110) + בַּלָּ֫ה֥וֹת [terrors] (443) + תִּרְדֹּ֣ף [pursues] (684) + כָּ֭רוּחַ [like·the·wind] (234) + נְדִבָתִ֑י [my·honor] (466) + וּ֝כְעָ֗ב [and·like·cloud] (98) + עָבְרָ֥ה [passed] (277) + יְשֻׁעָתִֽי [my·welfare] (790) = 3212.
Rashi
turned upon me Heb. הָהְפַךְ, [equivalent to] נֶהְפַּךְ. Terrors demons. as a spirit An evil [spirit]. my nobility The noble spirit that rested upon me from the beginning.
Ibn Ezra
'Terrors are turned upon me' — some say that in former days, had terrors come upon me, 'my dignity would flee' — explaining 'my dignity' as 'my fortune.' And the sense, to my mind: my fortune is chased off by the wind of the terrors and driven away, and my deliverance ceases to reach me, swiftly, like a passing cloud.
Ralbag
'My honor' [nedivati] — meaning: my soul; and so too 'my welfare' [yeshu'ati]. He calls the soul 'nediva' (noble) because it is from its nobility that each of the limbs receives its due portion, and he also calls it 'yeshu'ah' (welfare) because it is what saves the body and preserves it for the span of its days, as has been explained in the natural sciences.
Metzudat David
'Terrors are turned upon me' — a company of terrors has turned itself to come upon me, pursuing my very self as the wind pursues the chaff of the mountains; and the deliverance that regularly came to me before — behold, now it has passed swiftly away, like a cloud that hurries on from its place.
Metzudat Zion
My honor (nedivati) - Thus is the soul called, because it is the possessor of nobility; and so it is said, "and let a willing spirit (ruach nedivah) sustain me" (Psalms 51:14).
Malbim
'Terrors are turned upon me' — whereas he had earlier likened the coming of trouble to the coming of a cloud that pours out water, the cloud coming and being borne along by the wind that brings the clouds, here, regarding the departure of hope and salvation, it is just the reverse: the very wind that bore the cloud toward him now pursues his honor and his soul off to the other side, to drive it far away from him. And instead of the cloud of trouble standing over his head, his welfare is now like a cloud that has passed on, leaving no rain of salvation and no generous wind.
And now my soul is poured out within me; Days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
verse value 2513
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "within·me" (עָ֭לַי, 3 letters) and the longest is "they·seize·me" (יֹ֖אחֲז֣וּנִי, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "is·poured·out" (תִּשְׁתַּפֵּ֣ךְ), "they·seize·me" (יֹ֖אחֲז֣וּנִי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "within·me" (root על, 90x in Job); "days·of·affliction" (root יום, 59x in Job); "my·soul" (root נפש, 35x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·soul', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֗ה [and·now] (481) + עָ֭לַי [within·me] (110) + תִּשְׁתַּפֵּ֣ךְ [is·poured·out] (1200) + נַפְשִׁ֑י [my·soul] (440) + יֹ֖אחֲז֣וּנִי [they·seize·me] (92) + יְמֵי־עֹֽנִי [days·of·affliction] (190) = 2513.
Rashi
And now to this trouble my soul pours out like a man whose spirit is troubled, for... days of affliction in which I am [now] seize me and coerce me to pour out my soul.
Ibn Ezra
'And now my soul is poured out within me' — and the view closer to my own is that 'the reversal' concerns all the terrors, and that 'all the terrors chase, like the wind, my dignity' — meaning my soul; as in 'and let a willing spirit sustain me' (Psalms 51:12). 'Like a cloud that has passed' — so has my welfare passed away; and therefore now my soul is poured out within me, for days of affliction have seized me.
Ralbag
'My soul is poured out' — meaning: my life is poured out.
Metzudat David
'And now' — since salvation has passed me by, my soul, which is within me, pours itself out and wants to depart, because the days of affliction have taken hold of me, and no salvation comes to bring me out of their grip.
Metzudat Zion
Affliction (oni) - From the term "inui" (suffering) and torments.
Malbim
'(16–17) And now my soul is poured out within me' — like the pouring of water from the clouds. 'Have taken hold upon me' — he speaks figuratively, as though the days themselves take hold of him, while the night pecks at his very bones — by way of a parable: one man holds a person fast while a second pecks at him; the day holds him fast so that he cannot flee, and the night torments him with afflictions. (And the point of the parable is that, had it always been night, he would have died from his suffering; but the day gives him fresh strength and holds him fast so that he does not die, so that he will be ready for the torments of the night.) And 'my sinews' — the vessels through which the blood circulates — 'take no rest,' for on account of the fever the blood races about at great speed.
In the night my bones are pierced, and fall from me, And my sinews take no rest.
verse value 1590
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "they·lie·down" (יִשְׁכָּבֽוּן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "is·pierced" (נִקַּ֣ר), "and·my·sinews" (וְ֝עֹרְקַ֗י), "they·lie·down" (יִשְׁכָּבֽוּן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 142x in Job); "from·upon·me" (root על, 90x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·upon·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: לַ֗יְלָה [night] (75) + עֲ֭צָמַי [my·bones] (210) + נִקַּ֣ר [is·pierced] (350) + מֵעָלָ֑י [from·upon·me] (150) + וְ֝עֹרְקַ֗י [and·my·sinews] (386) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִשְׁכָּבֽוּן [they·lie·down] (388) = 1590.
Rashi
are picked off Heb. נקר, like (Num. 16:14), “will you put out (תנקר) the eyes of those people?” (forer in French, to bore). The worms pick my flesh off my bones. my sinews Heb. עֹרְקַי. My sinews have no rest. Sinew in Arabic is “orek.” So did Dunash explain it (Teshuvoth Dunash p.85). Another explanation: עֹרְקַי, my pursuers who cause me to flee. (Machbereth Menachem p. 139)
Ibn Ezra
'In the night my bones are pierced' — this refers back to 'my affliction' mentioned above. 'And my sinews' — in the language of Kedar (Arabic), 'my sinews.'
Ralbag
'Pierced' [niqar] — meaning: bored through. 'And my sinews take no rest' — meaning: my throbbing arteries do not rest; that is, their movement never quiets down, even in sleep, because of the intensity of the pain and the great, unnatural heat within me.
Metzudat David
'In the night' — at night my illness grows heavy, until my bones are pierced and broken away from me; and even my sinews do not lie still — meaning, even at the time one lies down to sleep, they do not rest from their movement, for they throb and pulse on account of the unnatural heat that is in them from the greatness of the illness.
Metzudat Zion
Pierced (nikkar) - An expression of piercing and breaking, as in "the ravens of the valley shall pick it out (yikruha)" (Proverbs 30:17). And my sinews (ve'orkai) - Thus are the sinews called, in the Arabic tongue.
By the great force of my disease is my garment disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat.
verse value 2646
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 2646 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "like·mouth·of" (כְּפִ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "it·girds·me" (יַאַזְרֵֽנִי, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "in·greatness·of·strength" (בְּרׇב־כֹּ֭חַ), "is·disfigured" (יִתְחַפֵּ֣שׂ), "my·garment" (לְבוּשִׁ֑י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·mouth·of" (root פה, 31x in Job); "in·greatness·of·strength" (root רב, 23x in Job). First appearance of the root לבוש ("my·garment") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·garment', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּרׇב־כֹּ֭חַ [in·greatness·of·strength] (232) + יִתְחַפֵּ֣שׂ [is·disfigured] (798) + לְבוּשִׁ֑י [my·garment] (348) + כְּפִ֖י [like·mouth·of] (110) + כֻתׇּנְתִּ֣י [my·tunic] (880) + יַאַזְרֵֽנִי [it·girds·me] (278) = 2646.
Rashi
is my garment changed My “garment” changes, layer after layer. When a person removes his garments and puts on other garments different from the first ones, he calls these בִּגְדֵי חֹפֶשׁ, like (I Kings 22:30), “I will disguise myself (התחפש) and go into battle.” This is translated into Aramaic by the word אשתני, I will change. like the opening of my shirt it girds me Like the opening of my shirt, which girds and encompasses my neck, so do my garments gird me all around.
Ibn Ezra
'By the great force' — that is, the affliction and the pain. 'My garment is disfigured' — that is to say, I do not name it, the disease, outright, because it distresses me to do so.
Ralbag
'Is disfigured' [yitchapes] — meaning: is altered. 'It binds me about as the collar of my coat' — meaning: just as the collar of a coat encircles the neck, so my illness encircles me.
Metzudat David
'By the great force' — because of the great force of my illness, my garment has to be changed all the time; for through the soiling of the sweat and the putrid discharge that flows from the boils, the garment becomes filthy, and I am forced to exchange it for another. 'As the collar of my coat' — just as my tunic, in its measure, encircles my whole body all around, so does the illness surround me on every side.
Metzudat Zion
Is disfigured (yitchapes) - Its meaning is the exchanging and altering of one's garment for another, as in "disguise yourself, and go into the battle (hitchapes uvo bamilchamah)" (I Kings 22). As the collar (kefi) - Like the measure of, as in "every man according to (kefi) his eating" (Exodus 16:21). It binds me (ya'azreni) - It girds me, as in "the girdle of his loins (ezor motnav)" (Isaiah 11).
Malbim
'By the great force' — meaning, my garment, which binds me about like the collar of my coat, that is, the dust and ashes that are now his garment; for his body is clothed in dust and ashes, and it binds his body the way a collar binds a coat, clinging to his body just as the collar clings to the garment. This garment of his keeps disguising itself and forever changing 'by the great force' — sometimes his garment is dust, and sometimes his garment is ashes. And he goes on to explain what the garment is: 'for' —
He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes.
verse value 1977
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "He·has·cast·me" (הֹרָ֥נִי, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·have·become·like" (וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·the·mire" (לַחֹ֑מֶר), "and·I·have·become·like" (וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·dust" (root עפר, 24x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·mire', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֹרָ֥נִי [He·has·cast·me] (265) + לַחֹ֑מֶר [to·the·mire] (278) + וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל [and·I·have·become·like] (777) + כֶּעָפָ֥ר [like·dust] (370) + וָאֵֽפֶר [and·ashes] (287) = 1977.
Rashi
It directed me to the mud These boils directed me and taught me to sit in the mud, as we said above (2:8). “and he sat down in the ashes.” Another explanation: הוֹרַנִי means: it cast me, an expression of (Exod. 15:4), “He cast (ירה) into the sea.” and I was compared Was likened. And in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma (Buber, Vayishlach 8): Said Rabbi Berechiah, “Transpose the verse.” I was compared to Abraham in my righteousness, who called himself dust and ashes (Gen.18:27), and He judges me like the wicked of the Generation of the Dispersion (who rebelled against Him by building the tower), concerning whom it is written (Gen. 11:3): “and the mortar served them as clay.”
Ibn Ezra
'He has cast me into the mire' — He has thrown me down, and I have become like dust and ashes.
Ralbag
'He has cast me into the mire' [horani lachomer] — meaning: You have thrown me into the mud and the dust.
Metzudat David
'He has cast me into the mire' — this illness has thrown me into the mud, to cool in it the heat of the boils; and I have become comparable and similar to dust and ashes, in that I am cast to the ground just as they are.
Metzudat Zion
He has cast me (horani) - He has thrown me, as in "He has cast into the sea (yarah vayam)" (Exodus 15).
Malbim
'He has cast me' — Hashem has cast me into the mire, for I sit upon the clay of the earth; and because of this I am likened, at times to dust and at times to ashes — this being my garment, the tunic of my body that changes and disguises itself every time.
I cry to You, and You do not answer me; I stand up, and You look at me.
verse value 2499
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "at·me" (בִּֽי, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·You·look" (וַתִּתְבֹּ֥נֶן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "You·answer·me" (תַעֲנֵ֑נִי), "I·stand·up" (עָ֝מַ֗דְתִּי), "and·You·look" (וַתִּתְבֹּ֥נֶן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 142x in Job); "to·You" (root אל, 86x in Job); "You·answer·me" (root ענה, 60x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·answer·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲשַׁוַּ֣ע [I·cry] (377) + אֵ֭לֶיךָ [to·You] (61) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + תַעֲנֵ֑נִי [You·answer·me] (580) + עָ֝מַ֗דְתִּי [I·stand·up] (524) + וַתִּתְבֹּ֥נֶן [and·You·look] (908) + בִּֽי [at·me] (12) = 2499.
Rashi
I stood to see, to remain silent, and to understand, as in (Neh. 8:5), “And when he opened [it], all the people stood,” and no longer replied. and You ponder me You think about me to change my plagues.
Ralbag
'I stand up' [amadti] — meaning: I fell silent. 'And You look at me' — meaning: and You do not truly regard me.
Metzudat David
'I cry' — that is: if I cry out to You, You do not answer me; or if I stand still and am silent, You do not take note of me to save me from the evil. Here the word 'not' does double duty, as though it said, 'and You do not take note of me.' Or the meaning is: You do take note of me — only in order to change the strokes of my pain.
Metzudat Zion
I stand up (amadeti) - An expression of silence, as in "they stood still, they answered no more (amedu lo anu od)" (below, 32).
Malbim
'(20–21) I cry to You' — 'You have turned cruel to me' — meaning, I cry out for salvation, and my prayer is that You turn cruel to me and put me to death, so that I may be freed from my sufferings; 'and You do not answer me' — to grant my request. Rather, just the opposite: 'I stand up, and You look at me' — You watch over me so that I do not die, so that the days of my suffering may be drawn out. So I cry out to You that You turn cruel to me and hate me with the might of Your hand — in what way?
You are turned to be cruel to me; With the might of Your hand You hate me.
verse value 1848
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "You·hate·me" (תִשְׂטְמֵֽנִי, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "You·are·turned" (תֵּהָפֵ֣ךְ), "to·cruel" (לְאַכְזָ֣ר), "You·hate·me" (תִשְׂטְמֵֽנִי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Your·hand" (root יד, 44x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תֵּהָפֵ֣ךְ [You·are·turned] (505) + לְאַכְזָ֣ר [to·cruel] (258) + לִ֑י [to·me] (40) + בְּעֹ֖צֶם [with·might·of] (202) + יָדְךָ֣ [Your·hand] (34) + תִשְׂטְמֵֽנִי [You·hate·me] (809) = 1848.
Ralbag
'With the might of Your hand You hate me' — meaning: with the strength of Your power, You hate me.
Metzudat David
'You are turned' — are You not merciful? Yet You have turned to become cruel toward me. 'With the might' — with the strength of Your hand You show toward me the bearing of a grudge.
Metzudat Zion
You hate me (tistemeni) - An expression of bearing a grudge, as in "lest he hate us (yistemenu)" (Genesis 50).
You lift me up to the wind, You cause me to ride upon it; And You dissolve my substance.
verse value 3642
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "You·lift·me·up" (תִּשָּׂאֵ֣נִי, 5 letters) and the longest is "You·cause·me·to·ride" (תַּרְכִּיבֵ֑נִי, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "You·lift·me·up" (תִּשָּׂאֵ֣נִי), "to·wind" (אֶל־ר֭וּחַ), "You·cause·me·to·ride" (תַּרְכִּיבֵ֑נִי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·wind" (root רוח, 29x in Job); "You·lift·me·up" (root נשא, 28x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·cause·me·to·ride', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words.
Rashi
You lift me up to the spirit of the demons. You cause me to ride [on it], and weakness melts me away Weakness and feebleness of strength melted me away. and weakness melts me away Heb. ותמגגני, a feminine form, the subject of which is תֻּשִיָה, and this “tav” is not like the “tav” of “You lift me up (תשאני).”
Ibn Ezra
'You lift me up to the wind' — through thoughts all night long You mount things upon my soul, and the tushiyah — which is akin to wisdom — dissolves me, as in 'the hills shall melt' (Amos 9:13). And another interpretation: You have lifted me up on the wind and made me ride, so that I truly understand that 'You dissolve me' is the reverse of 'You make me ride.'
Ralbag
'And You dissolve my substance' [vatemogegeni tushiyah] — meaning: You melt away and strip from me the competence and orderly conduct by which I used to govern myself.
Metzudat David
'You lift me up' — You have lifted me on high, to a place where the force of the wind holds sway, and there You have made me ride, so that it tosses me about with violent motions; and by this You dissolve me, wasting away my strength — this being a figure for the wondrous nature of the sufferings.
Metzudat Zion
You dissolve me (uttemogegeni) - From the term "hamagah" (melting) and "hamasah" (dissolving).
Malbim
'You lift me up to the wind' — that the parts of my body should come apart, and I be borne away from this world to the wind, where You would mount me to ride up on a chariot and horses of wind, heavenward; 'and You dissolve my substance' — that through weakness my body would melt and dissolve, and the parts of my composition would come apart into their elements.
For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living.
verse value 2378
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "death" (מָ֣וֶת, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·I·know" (כִּֽי־יָ֭דַעְתִּי, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "for·I·know" (כִּֽי־יָ֭דַעְתִּי), "appointment" (מוֹעֵ֣ד), "to·all·living" (לְכׇל־חָֽי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·I·know" (root ידע, 73x in Job); "You·will·bring·me" (root שוב, 39x in Job); "to·all·living" (root כל, 31x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'You·will·bring·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־יָ֭דַעְתִּי [for·I·know] (524) + מָ֣וֶת [death] (446) + תְּשִׁיבֵ֑נִי [You·will·bring·me] (772) + וּבֵ֖ית [and·house·of] (418) + מוֹעֵ֣ד [appointment] (120) + לְכׇל־חָֽי [to·all·living] (98) = 2378.
Rashi
For I knew For I knew that You would return me to death, a place which is a meeting place for all living, namely the grave.
Ibn Ezra
'And to the house appointed' — a house that is made ready, for all the living.
Ralbag
'And to the house appointed for all living' — meaning: the house that is appointed for every living being, namely, the grave.
Metzudat David
'For I know' — that, given the greatness of my wasting away, I know that You will swiftly and speedily bring me back to death, to come to the grave, the place appointed for all the living.
Metzudat Zion
Appointed (mo'ed) - Designated and prepared.
Malbim
'For' — since I know that this dissolution and weakness will bring me back to death, for the end will be that through weakness I return to death, which is the house appointed for all the living, since all are destined to die.
Surely none shall put forth his hand to a ruinous heap, Neither because of these things shall help come in one’s calamity,
verse value 1100
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. Verse gematria: 1100 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·in·his·calamity" (אִם־בְּ֝פִיד֗וֹ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "not·in·heap" (לֹֽא־בְ֭עִי), "he·shall·put·forth·hand" (יִשְׁלַח־יָ֑ד), "if·in·his·calamity" (אִם־בְּ֝פִיד֗וֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·shall·put·forth·hand" (root שלח, 22x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·shall·put·forth·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַ֣ךְ [indeed] (21) + לֹֽא־בְ֭עִי [not·in·heap] (113) + יִשְׁלַח־יָ֑ד [he·shall·put·forth·hand] (362) + אִם־בְּ֝פִיד֗וֹ [if·in·his·calamity] (143) + לָהֶ֥ן [to·them] (85) + שֽׁוּעַ [cry] (376) = 1100.
Rashi
But not with destruction was the Judge accustomed to stretch forth His hand; with destruction, like (Micah 1:6), “into a heap (לעי) in the field.” if with His misfortune If He would send a misfortune, which is a breach upon His creatures. He would dandle them He would dandle them with partial consolations. And so did our Sages (Pesikta d’Rav Kahana p. 1 27a) explain it: The Holy One, blessed be He, does not smite a nation and leave it desolate, but He brings misfortune to one and dandles it with its fellow that suffered already, and it is consoled thereby. He brought misfortune upon Assyria and dandled it with Egypt, as it is said (Nahum 3:8): “Are you better than the great No- Amon?” He brought misfortune upon Egypt and dandled them with Assyria, as it is said (Ezek. 31: 3): “Behold Assyria was [a cedar] in the Lebanon.” The words להן שוע may also be interpreted as: Prayer and supplication avail them.
Ibn Ezra
'A ruinous heap' — like mapalah, 'a heap of ruin,' referring to the grave; and the sense is that no one stretches out a hand to help him in the grave. And at the time of calamity — that is, the collapse — wealth will not avail for lives; shua means riches, that is, money; and the wealthy person himself is also called shoa, with a cholam, as in 'the rich is not distinguished from the poor' (Job 34:19).
Ralbag
'Bei' — meaning: its root is 'ba'ah' (to entreat), following the pattern of the word 'meri', and its sense would then be 'prayer'; or the letter bet may instead be functioning as a prefix, in which case the sense would be 'in desolation.' 'In his calamity' [befido] — meaning: in his disaster. 'Help' [shua] — meaning: a cry, a prayer; or it may be related to the word 'nedivut' (generosity).
Metzudat David
'Surely none shall put forth his hand to a ruinous heap' — but I take comfort that He will not deal a further blow into the grave; for in the ruin of the grave there will be relief for the sufferings, for then they will depart; but I no longer hope to return to my former state.
Metzudat Zion
A ruinous heap (be'i) - [Meaning] a grave made like a mound and heap; related to the term "a heap of the field (le'i hasadeh)" (Micah 1). In one's calamity (befido) - An expression of ruin, as in "and the ruin of them both (ufid shneihem)" (Proverbs 24). Help (shua) - From the term "yeshu'ah" (salvation), with the yod dropped; just as it is said, "the increase of the mountains (bul harim)" (below, 40), from "yevul" (produce).
Malbim
'Surely none shall put forth his hand to a ruinous heap' — meaning, it is only into the grave that death will no longer put forth its hand; for once a person is buried, he is then safe from death's hand and its blows, since after he has died and been buried, he will not die a second time. 'Neither because of these things shall help come in one's calamity' — meaning, if help does come (to all the living) through their ruin and their being broken: one who is broken by the calamity of death is thereby saved from this bitter life, to find rest in the rubble of the grave. It is then, and only then, that they are safe from death's hand and its blow — but so long as they live, the hand of death must inevitably overtake them.
If I have not wept for the one who was in trouble, And if my soul grieved not for the needy.
verse value 1662
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "if·not" (אִם־לֹ֣א, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·hard·of·day" (לִקְשֵׁה־י֑וֹם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "I·have·wept" (בָ֭כִיתִי), "to·hard·of·day" (לִקְשֵׁה־י֑וֹם), "grieved" (עָֽגְמָ֥ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·soul" (root נפש, 35x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·hard·of·day', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אִם־לֹ֣א [if·not] (72) + בָ֭כִיתִי [I·have·wept] (442) + לִקְשֵׁה־י֑וֹם [to·hard·of·day] (491) + עָֽגְמָ֥ה [grieved] (118) + נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י [my·soul] (440) + לָאֶבְיֽוֹן [to·the·needy] (99) = 1662.
Rashi
...whether I did not weep for one who had a difficult time [You] know and recognize whether I was not compassionate and [did not] weep for the poor, who had difficult times, and [whether] my soul [did not] grieve for the needy, that this befell me because of all these.
Ibn Ezra
'For the one who was in trouble' — one whose day was hard for him. 'Grieved' — worry, according to the context; and the word has no parallel elsewhere in Scripture. 'I have become a brother to jackals' (Job 30:29) — as in 'I will make a wailing like the jackals' (Micah 1:8); they are animals with a desolate, mournful cry.
Ralbag
'Grieved' [agmah] — meaning: worried.
Metzudat David
'If I have not wept' — did I not weep over the troubles of one whose day was hard for him, who bore the hardship of ill fortune? Did my soul not grieve over the affliction of the poor, being distressed at his trouble?
Metzudat Zion
Grieved (agmah) - [Meaning] sorrowed; and so in the words of our sages, "agmat nefesh" (anguish of soul) (Megillah 28).
Malbim
'(25–26) If' — he asks: did I not weep for the one whose day was hard? Did my soul not grieve for the needy? Did I not feel their distress? Is that why I was punished, in that I hoped for good and evil came? Was I not always troubled together with the luckless and the poor? Why then did this calamity befall me?
Yet, when I looked for good, there came evil; And when I waited for light, there came darkness.
verse value 1289
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "when" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·waited" (וַאֲיַחֲלָ֥ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 19: and·came, and·came. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "I·looked·for" (קִ֭וִּיתִי), "and·I·waited" (וַאֲיַחֲלָ֥ה). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when" (root כי, 75x in Job); "and·came" (root בוא, 51x in Job); "to·light" (root אור, 30x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [when] (30) + ט֣וֹב [good] (17) + קִ֭וִּיתִי [I·looked·for] (526) + וַיָּ֣בֹא [and·came] (19) + רָ֑ע [evil] (270) + וַאֲיַחֲלָ֥ה [and·I·waited] (60) + לְ֝א֗וֹר [to·light] (237) + וַיָּ֥בֹא [and·came] (19) + אֹֽפֶל [darkness] (111) = 1289.
Rashi
For I hoped for good etc. That is to say that this reward was fit for me.
Metzudat David
'When I looked for good' — for a bitter punishment has come upon me: I hoped for good, and evil came, etc. — as though this sin were on my hands.
Metzudat Zion
And when I waited (va'ayachalah) - From the term "tochelet" (hope).
My inwards boil, and rest not; Days of affliction have come upon me.
verse value 1215
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "my·inwards" (מֵעַ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·rest" (וְלֹא־דָ֗מּוּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "my·inwards" (מֵעַ֖י), "boil" (רֻתְּח֥וּ), "and·not·rest" (וְלֹא־דָ֗מּוּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "days·of·affliction" (root יום, 59x in Job). Full calculation: מֵעַ֖י [my·inwards] (120) + רֻתְּח֥וּ [boil] (614) + וְלֹא־דָ֗מּוּ [and·not·rest] (87) + קִדְּמֻ֥נִי [have·come·upon·me] (204) + יְמֵי־עֹֽנִי [days·of·affliction] (190) = 1215.
Rashi
and did not become silent They cannot be silent.
Ralbag
'Boil' [rat'chu] — meaning: related to the word 'retichah' (boiling). 'And rest not' [velo damu] — meaning: and they did not cease from their boiling.
Metzudat David
'My inwards boil' — do my innards not boil? For my insides moaned in compassion for him, and did not fall silent from their boiling; and yet, despite all this, days of affliction confronted me.
Metzudat Zion
Boil (rotchu) - They grew hot, as in "make it boil well (ratach retacheha)" (Ezekiel 24:5); and it relates to the sense of compassion, just as it is said, "his compassion was kindled (nichmeru rachamav)" (Genesis 43:30) - which is likewise an expression of heat, as in "they are hot as an oven (kachanur nichmaru)" (Lamentations 5). Rest (damu) - [Meaning] were silent, as in "and kept silence for my counsel (vayidmu lemo atzati)" (above, 29). Have come upon me (kidmuni) - They came before me; and so, "why did the knees receive me (maduah kidmuni birkayim)" (above, 3).
Malbim
'My inwards boil, and rest not' — through the inner fever and the fire of sickness burning within me without cease. 'Days of affliction have come upon me' — for the day, even from without, likewise burns like a furnace, from the abundance of poverty and distress.
I go mourning without the sun; I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help.
verse value 1919
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "mourning" (קֹדֵ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·go" (הִ֭לַּכְתִּי, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "mourning" (קֹדֵ֣ר), "I·go" (הִ֭לַּכְתִּי), "sun" (חַמָּ֑ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "without" (root לא, 142x in Job); "I·go" (root הלך, 29x in Job); "I·stand·up" (root קום, 22x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sun', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: קֹדֵ֣ר [mourning] (304) + הִ֭לַּכְתִּי [I·go] (465) + בְּלֹ֣א [without] (33) + חַמָּ֑ה [sun] (53) + קַ֖מְתִּי [I·stand·up] (550) + בַקָּהָ֣ל [in·the·assembly] (137) + אֲשַׁוֵּֽעַ [I·cry·for·help] (377) = 1919.
Rashi
without the sun The sun did not gaze upon me, yet I am blackened.
Ralbag
'Without the sun' [bela chamah] — meaning: without sunlight; the sense being that my being blackened is not because the sun has scorched me.
Metzudat David
'Mourning,' etc. — meaning: like one who has grown dark of himself, and not because the sun has scorched him — such a person continues in his darkness, for that darkness, unlike the darkness that comes from the sun, does not depart even when he stands in the shade. So too, I do not hope that my sufferings will depart from me, for they came upon me without sin or transgression, so that I cannot suppose that they will scour away some sin and then depart. Therefore I have risen up in the midst of a great assembly and cried out, since either way, the sufferings will not depart.
Metzudat Zion
Mourning (koder) - An expression of blackness, as in "the sun and the moon are darkened (kadru)" (Joel 2).
Malbim
'I go mourning' — to the point that I go about blackened, without any sun, for I am darkened by my troubles, not because the sun has scorched me. 'I stand up' and 'cry for help' in the great assembly — then —
I have become a brother to jackals, And a companion to ostriches.
verse value 1873
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "brother" (אָ֭ח, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·have·become" (הָיִ֣יתִי, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "brother" (אָ֭ח), "to·jackals" (לְתַנִּ֑ים), "and·companion" (וְ֝רֵ֗עַ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·have·become" (root היה, 50x in Job); "and·companion" (root רע, 25x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·jackals', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָ֭ח [brother] (9) + הָיִ֣יתִי [I·have·become] (435) + לְתַנִּ֑ים [to·jackals] (530) + וְ֝רֵ֗עַ [and·companion] (276) + לִבְנ֥וֹת [to·daughters·of] (488) + יַעֲנָֽה [ostrich] (135) = 1873.
Rashi
I was a brother to jackals etc. Jackals and ostriches spend all their days wailing.
Ralbag
'To jackals' [latanim] — meaning: whose cry is a cry of wailing, and so too the cry of ostriches [benot ya'anah]. 'Black' [shachor] — meaning: related to the word 'shachrut' (blackness).
Metzudat David
'I have become a brother' — I am like the jackals and the ostriches, for they cry out and shriek constantly, without pause, and so do I as well.
Metzudat Zion
To jackals (lithanim) - A kind of serpent. And a companion (vera) - And a friend. To ostriches (livnot ya'anah) - A kind of bird.
Malbim
'I have become a brother to jackals' — in their eyes I seem as though I were a jackal, 'and a companion to ostriches,' whose nature is to wail and cry out continually — and no one pays heed to have mercy on my cry.
My skin is black, and falls from me, And my bones are burned with heat.
verse value 1683
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "is·black" (שָׁחַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·my·bone·is·burned" (וְעַצְמִי־חָ֝֗רָה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·my·bone·is·burned" (וְעַצְמִי־חָ֝֗רָה), "from·heat" (מִנִּי־חֹֽרֶב). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·me" (root על, 90x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: ע֭וֹרִי [my·skin] (286) + שָׁחַ֣ר [is·black] (508) + מֵעָלָ֑י [from·me] (150) + וְעַצְמִי־חָ֝֗רָה [and·my·bone·is·burned] (429) + מִנִּי־חֹֽרֶב [from·heat] (310) = 1683.
Rashi
dried out Heb. חרה, an expression of a thing that is burned and dried through the heat of the fire, like (Jer. 6:29), “The bellows is heated (נחר)”; (Ezek. 15:4), “and the middle of it is burned (נחר).”
Ibn Ezra
'Is black' — from the word shachor, 'black.'
Ralbag
'Are burned' [charah] — meaning: dried up.
Metzudat David
'My skin is blackened, and falls from me' — my skin above has turned black, and my bones have been scorched by the heat of the illness.
Metzudat Zion
Are burned (charah) - An expression of dryness, as in "the bellows is scorched (nichar mapuach)" (Jeremiah 6). Heat (chorev) - An expression of heat, as in "in the day the drought consumed me (achalani chorev)" (Genesis 31).
Malbim
'My skin' — the two halves of this verse correspond to the two halves of the one before it. 'I have become a brother to jackals' — for the jackal wails, and its hide is also black; so too, 'my skin is black, and falls from me,' like the hide of the jackal. And 'a companion to ostriches' — which wail and dwell in the hot deserts; so too, 'my bones are burned with heat.'
Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of those who weep.
verse value 703
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·became" (וַיְהִ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·my·pipe" (וְ֝עֻגָבִ֗י, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·mourning" (לְ֭אֵבֶל), "my·harp" (כִּנֹּרִ֑י), "and·my·pipe" (וְ֝עֻגָבִ֗י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·became" (root היה, 50x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·harp', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·became] (31) + לְ֭אֵבֶל [to·mourning] (63) + כִּנֹּרִ֑י [my·harp] (280) + וְ֝עֻגָבִ֗י [and·my·pipe] (91) + לְק֣וֹל [to·voice·of] (166) + בֹּכִֽים [those·who·weep] (72) = 703.
Metzudat David
'My harp is turned to mourning' — that which I was accustomed of old to hear, the sound of harp and pipe, has now turned into occupation with mourning and the sound of those who weep.
Metzudat Zion
My harp and my pipe (kinori ve'ugavi) - Names of musical instruments.
Malbim
'Therefore is my harp turned to mourning' — I too came to resemble the jackals and the ostriches in this: that my harp, like theirs, turned to mourning.
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim