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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Job 29:6

My steps were awash in cream, and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Oil;   Petroleum;   Rock;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Feet, the;   Rivers;   Rocks;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Olive;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Oil;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Butter;   River;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Asher;   Butter;   Milk;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Oil;   Peleg;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - River;   Rock;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Oil ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Butter;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Interesting facts about the bible;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Butter;   Oil;   Steps;   Wash;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - River;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Oil;   River;   Wash;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Job, Testament of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
when my feet were bathed in curdsand the rock poured out streams of oil for me!
Hebrew Names Version
When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!
King James Version
When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
English Standard Version
when my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
New Century Version
It was as if my path were covered with cream and the rocks poured out olive oil for me.
New English Translation
when my steps were bathed with butter and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil!
Amplified Bible
When my steps [through rich pastures] were washed with butter and cream [from my livestock], And the rock poured out for me streams of oil [from my olive groves].
New American Standard Bible
When my steps were bathed in cream, And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!
World English Bible
When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured out streams of oil for me!
Geneva Bible (1587)
When I washed my pathes with butter, & when the rocke powred me out riuers of oyle:
Legacy Standard Bible
When my steps were bathed in butter,And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
Berean Standard Bible
when my steps were bathed in cream and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
Contemporary English Version
My herds gave enough milk to bathe my feet, and from my olive harvest flowed rivers of oil.
Complete Jewish Bible
my steps were awash in butter, and the rocks poured out for me streams of olive oil.
Darby Translation
When my steps were bathed in milk, and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil! …
Easy-to-Read Version
Life was so good that I washed my feet in cream and had plenty of the finest oils.
George Lamsa Translation
When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
Good News Translation
My cows and goats gave plenty of milk, and my olive trees grew in the rockiest soil.
Lexham English Bible
when my paths were washed in sour milk, and the rock poured out streams of oil for me.
Literal Translation
when I washed my steps with curds, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
whe my wayes ranne ouer wt butter, & when the stony rockes gaue me ryuers of oyle:
American Standard Version
When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!
Bible in Basic English
When my steps were washed with milk, and rivers of oil were flowing out of the rock for me.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
When my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
King James Version (1611)
When I washed my steps with butter, and the rocke powred me out riuers of oyle:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When my wayes ranne ouer with butter, and when the stonie rockes gaue me riuers of oyle:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
when my ways were moistened with butter, and the mountains flowed for me with milk.
English Revised Version
When my steps were washed with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
whanne Y waischide my feet in botere, and the stoon schedde out to me the stremes of oile;
Update Bible Version
When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!
Webster's Bible Translation
When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
New King James Version
When my steps were bathed with cream, Job 20:17). ">[fn] And the rock poured out rivers of oil for me!
New Life Bible
My path was washed with milk, and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me.
New Revised Standard
when my steps were washed with milk, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When my steps were bathed in milk, and, the rock, poured out beside me, rivulets of oil:
Douay-Rheims Bible
When I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil?
Revised Standard Version
when my steps were washed with milk, and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
Young's Literal Translation
When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock [is] with me rivulets of oil.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil!

Contextual Overview

1 Job continued speaking: 2 "I long for the years gone by when God took care of me, 3 when he lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness. 4 When I was in my prime, God's friendship was felt in my home. 5 The Almighty was still with me, and my children were around me. 6 My steps were awash in cream, and the rocks gushed olive oil for me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I washed: Job 20:17, Genesis 49:11, Deuteronomy 32:13, Deuteronomy 33:24, Psalms 81:16

me out: Heb. with me

Reciprocal: Psalms 58:10 - wash Joel 3:18 - the mountains Micah 6:7 - rivers

Cross-References

Genesis 37:14
"Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along," Jacob said. "Then come back and bring me a report." So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
Genesis 43:27
After greeting them, he asked, "How is your father, the old man you spoke about? Is he still alive?"
Exodus 18:7
So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed low and kissed him. They asked about each other's welfare and then went into Moses' tent.
1 Samuel 17:22
David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers.
1 Samuel 25:5
he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal:
2 Samuel 20:9
"How are you, my cousin?" Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When I washed my steps with butter,.... Not the steps of his house or palace; for to have done this, or his servants by his orders, as it would have been a very great impropriety, so a piece of great prodigality, which Job could never have been guilty of; but either his footsteps, the prints of his feet; and the sense be, that his cattle produced such a vast quantity of milk, that when his servants brought it from the fields to the dairy, their milk pails ran over in such abundance, that Job could not step out of his house, and take a walk in his fields, but he stepped into puddles of milk, of which butter was made: this is an exaggerated phrase, like that by which the land of Canaan is described as "flowing with milk and honey"; or rather this is to be understood of the washing of his feet, which are the instruments of stepping or walking. It was usual in those times, in the eastern countries, to wash their feet upon travelling, or at festivals; but then this was commonly done with water, not with butter, see

Genesis 18:4; and the meaning can only be, that Job had such abundance of milk, or butter made of it, that he could, if he would, have washed his feet in it; indeed, they had used to anoint the feet with ointment; but whether cream or butter was any ingredient in it, and so the part is put for the whole, is not certain, see Luke 7:38

Job 12:3; besides, that would have been more properly expressed by anointing than washing; it seems to be an hyperbole, an expression like that of Zophar, in Job 20:17; signifying the vast abundance of the increase and produce of Job's kine; who is said to wash his feet in milk or butter, as Asher is said to dip his feet in oil, because of the great plenty of it, Deuteronomy 33:24; the spiritual meditation upon the words may be this; the feet of the best of saints need washing, there being many failings and infirmities in their walk and conversation; in which they gather much pollution and faith daily; the proper wash for this is the blood of Christ, of which the layer in the tabernacle and temple was a type, at which the priests washed their hands and feet; but the word of God, called the sincere milk of the word, is the instrument or means of washing, or of directing souls to the fountain opened to wash in; so that with respect to that, the feet of saints, as the eyes of Christ, may be said to be washed with milk:

and the rock poured me out rivers of oil; another hyperbolical expression, like that in Deuteronomy 32:13, where honey is said to be sucked out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; as honey may be got out of a rock, because bees may make their nests and hives there, where it is laid up by them; so oil, in like manner, may be had from the flinty rock, olive trees growing on hills, mountains, and rocks, which yield oil in great abundance; near Jerusalem was a mount called Olivet, from thence: the land of Edom, or Idumea, where Job lived, abounded with cragged mountains and rocks; and there might be in Job's estate such on which olive trees grew in great plenty, as to produce vast quantities of oil: it is a very fanciful thought of Bolducius, that this rock was no other than a stone vessel, in which was oil, somewhat like the alabaster box in Matthew 26:7; and which was plentifully poured on Job, when he was anointed high priest; and another learned man u, though he rejects the notion of its being a vessel for sacred use, yet is willing to allow it was an oil vessel for common use: as to the spiritual sense, it may be observed, that a rock in Scripture often signifies a divine Person, 1 Corinthians 10:4; it is an emblem of Christ, as oil also is of the Spirit of God and his grace, Matthew 25:3; and which flows from Christ, who is full thereof, and that in such great abundance, as to be expressed by rivers; see John 1:14.

u Fortunat. Schacch. Elaeochrysm. Myroth. l. 2. c. 79. p. 715.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When I washed my steps with butter - On the word rendered “butter,” see the notes at Isaiah 7:15. It properly means curdled milk. Umbreit renders it, Sahne; cream. Noyes, milk, and so Wemyss. The Septuagint, “When my ways flowed with butter” - βουτύρῳ bouturō. So Coverdale, “When my ways ran over with butter.” Herder, “And where I went a stream of milk flowed on.” The sense may be, that cream or butter was so plenty that he was able to make use of it for the most common purposes - even for that of washing his feet. That butter was sometimes used for the purpose of anointing the feet - probably for comfort and health - as oil was for the head, is mentioned by Oriental travelers. Hassilquist (Travels in Palestine, p. 58), speaking of the ceremonies of the priests at Magnesia on holy Thursday, says, “The priest washed and dried the feet, and afterward besmeared them with butter, which it was alleged was made from the first milk of a young cow.” Bruce says that the king of Abyssinia daily anointed his head with butter. Burder in Rosenmuller’s alte u. neue Morgenland, in loc. It is possible that this use of butter was as ancient as the time of Job, and that he here alludes to it, but it seems more probable that the image is designed to denote superfluity or abundance; and that where he trod, streams of milk or cream flowed - so abundant was it round him. The word rendered “steps” הליכם hâlı̂ykam) does not properly denote “the feet” but “the tread, the going, the stepping.” This sense corresponds with that of the other member of the parallelism.

And the rock poured me out rivers of oil - Margin, “with me.” The idea is, that the very rock near which he stood, seemed to pour forth oil. Instead of water gushing out, such seemed to be the abundance with which he was blessed, that the very rock poured out a running stream of oil. Oil was of great value among the Orientals. It was used as an article of food, for light, for anointing the body, and as a valuable medicine. To say, then, that one had abundance of oil, was the same as to say that he had ample means of comfort and of luxury. Perhaps by the word “rock” here, there is an allusion to file places where olives grew. It is said that those which produced the best oil grew upon rocky mountains. There may be, also, an allusion to this in Deuteronomy 32:13 : “He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock.” Prof. Lee, and some others, however, understand here by the rock, the press where oil was extracted from olives, and which it is supposed was sometimes made of stone.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 29:6. Washed my steps with butterJob 20:17.


 
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