Job 33:20

Bible in Basic English

He has no desire for food, and his soul is turned away from delicate meat;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so that he detests bread,and his soul despises his favorite food.

Hebrew Names Version
So that his life abhors bread, And his soul dainty food.

King James Version
So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.

English Standard Version
so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite the choicest food.

New Century Version
They may be in such pain that they even hate food, even the very best meal.

New English Translation
so that his life loathes food, and his soul rejects appetizing fare.

Amplified Bible
So that his life makes him loathe food, And his soul [loathe] even his favorite dishes.

New American Standard Bible
So that his life loathes bread, And his soul, food that he should crave.

World English Bible
So that his life abhors bread, And his soul dainty food.

Geneva Bible (1587)
So that his life causeth him to abhorre bread, and his soule daintie meate.

Legacy Standard Bible
So that his life loathes bread,And his soul favorite food.

Berean Standard Bible
so that he detests his bread, and his soul loathes his favorite food.

Contemporary English Version
Merely the thought of our favorite food makes our stomachs sick,

Complete Jewish Bible
so that he detests bread as well as richer food.

Darby Translation
And his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty food;

Easy-to-Read Version
They feel so bad they cannot eat. Even the best food makes them sick.

George Lamsa Translation
So that his flesh fails because of his fear, and his soul is not satisfied with bread, and covets food.

Good News Translation
Those who are sick lose their appetites, and even the finest food looks revolting.

Lexham English Bible
so that his life loathes bread, and his inner self loathes appetizing food.

Literal Translation
so that his life loathes bread, and his soul desirable food.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
so that his life maye awaye wt no bred, & his soule abhorreth to eate eny dayntie meate:

American Standard Version
So that his life abhorreth bread, And his soul dainty food.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
So that his life maketh him to abhor bread, and his soul dainty food.

King James Version (1611)
So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soule daintie meate.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
So that his lyfe may away with no bread, and his soule abhorreth to eate any dayntie meate:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he shall not be able to take any food, though his soul shall desire meat;

English Revised Version
So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Breed is maad abhomynable to hym in his lijf, and mete desirable `bifor to his soule.

Update Bible Version
So that his life abhors bread, And his soul dainty food.

Webster's Bible Translation
So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty food.

New King James Version
So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food.

New Living Translation
They lose their appetite for even the most delicious food.

New Life Bible
So he hates bread, and has no desire for fine foods.

New Revised Standard
so that their lives loathe bread, and their appetites dainty food.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So that his life maketh loathsome his food, and his soul, dainty meat;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Bread becometh abominable to him in his life, and to his soul the meat which before he desired.

Revised Standard Version
so that his life loathes bread, and his appetite dainty food.

Young's Literal Translation
And his life hath nauseated bread, And his soul desirable food.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So that his life loathes bread, And his soul favorite food.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ Pain is sent on him as a punishment, while he is on his bed; there is no end to the trouble in his bones; ²⁰ He has no desire for food, and his soul is turned away from delicate meat; ²¹ His flesh is so wasted away, that it may not be seen, and his bones. Three dots are used where it is no longer possible to be certain of the true sense of the Hebrew words, and for this reason no attempt has been made to put them into Basic English. ²² And his soul comes near to the underworld, and his life to the angels of death. ²³ If now there may be an angel sent to him, one of the thousands which there are to be between him and God, and to make clear to man what is right for him; ²⁴ And if he has mercy on him, and says, Let him not go down to the underworld, I have given the price for his life: ²⁵ Then his flesh becomes young again, and he comes back to the days of his early strength; ²⁶ He makes his prayer to God, and he has mercy on him; he sees God's face with cries of joy; he gives news of his righteousness to men; ²⁷ He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin. ²⁸ He kept my soul from the underworld, and my life sees the light in full measure.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his life: Psalms 107:17, Psalms 107:18

dainty meat: Heb. meat of desire, Genesis 3:6, Jeremiah 3:19, Amos 5:11, *marg.

Reciprocal: Job 33:28 - see Daniel 10:3 - pleasant bread

Cross-References

Genesis 8:20
And Noah made an altar to the Lord, and from every clean beast and bird he made burned offerings on the altar.

Genesis 13:18
And Abram, moving his tent, came and made his living-place by the holy tree of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and made an altar there to the Lord.

Genesis 21:33
And Abraham, after planting a holy tree in Beer-sheba, gave worship to the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.

Genesis 32:28
And he said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for in your fight with God and with men you have overcome.

Genesis 33:7
And Leah came near with her children, and then Joseph and Rachel, and they did the same.

Genesis 33:8
And he said, What were all those herds which I saw on the way? And Jacob said, They were an offering so that I might have grace in my lord's eyes.

Genesis 35:7
And there he made an altar, naming the place El-beth-el: because it was there he had the vision of God when he was in flight from his brother.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So that his life abhorreth bread,.... Through the force of pain he loses his appetite for food, and even a nausea of it takes place; he loathes it as the most abominable and filthy thing that can be thought of; even bread, so necessary to the support of human life, so strengthening to the heart of man, and what he every day stands in need of, and should pray for, and in health is never weary of; it may be put for all common and useful food:

and his soul dainty meat; the most rich and delicious; such as the tables of the great and rich are furnished with: "food of desire" p; or desirable food, as it may be rendered; see Daniel 10:3; such as in the time of health the appetite craves and desires, and is fed on with delight and pleasure, but now had in the utmost aversion. Pains and diseases of body often produce such a nausea in men, Psalms 107:17, and was Job's case, Job 3:24.

p מאכל תאוה "cibum desiderii", Vatablus, Drusius, Michaelis; "cibum appetentiae", Mercerus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

So that his life abhorreth bread - It is a common effect of sickness to take away the appetite. Elihu here regards it as a part of the wholesome discipline of the sufferer. He has no relish for the comforts of life.

And his soul dainty meat - Margin, “meat of desire.” The Hebrew is, “food of desire.” The word rendered “meat” (מאכל ma'ăkâl) does not denote animal food only, but any kind of food. So the Old English word meat was used. The idea is, that the sick man loathes the most delicate food. It is a part of his discipline that the pleasure which he had in the days of his health is now taken away.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 33:20. His life abhorreth bread — These expressions strongly and naturally point out that general nausea, or loathing which sick persons feel in almost every species of disorder.