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Thursday, May 22nd, 2025
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Read the Bible

Douay-Rheims Bible

Job 30:2

The strength of whose hands was to me as nothing, and they were thought unworthy of life itself.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Persecution;   Thompson Chain Reference - Job;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Age, Aged, Old Age;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
What use to me was the strength of their hands?Their vigor had left them.
Hebrew Names Version
Of what use is the strength of their hands to me, Men in whom ripe age has perished?
King James Version
Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?
English Standard Version
What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone?
New Century Version
What use did I have for their strength since they had lost their strength to work?
New English Translation
Moreover, the strength of their hands— what use was it to me? Men whose strength had perished;
Amplified Bible
"Indeed, how could the strength of their hands profit me? Vigor had perished from them.
New American Standard Bible
"Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them.
World English Bible
Of what use is the strength of their hands to me, Men in whom ripe age has perished?
Geneva Bible (1587)
For whereto shoulde the strength of their handes haue serued mee, seeing age perished in them?
Legacy Standard Bible
Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me?Vigor had perished from them.
Berean Standard Bible
What use to me was the strength of their hands, since their vigor had left them?
Contemporary English Version
And those who insult me are helpless themselves.
Complete Jewish Bible
What use to me was the strength in their hands? All their vigor had left them.
Darby Translation
Yea, whereto [should] the strength of their hands [profit] me, [men] in whom vigour hath perished?
Easy-to-Read Version
Their fathers are still too weak to be of any use to me. All their strength is gone.
George Lamsa Translation
Whose fathers I have disdained, and did not consider them equal to the dogs of my flocks.
Good News Translation
They were a bunch of worn-out men, too weak to do any work for me.
Lexham English Bible
Moreover, what use to me is the strength of their hands? With them, vigor is destroyed.
Literal Translation
Also, what profit for me was the strength of their hands; for full vigor had perished from them?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The power & stregth of their hades might do me no good, & as for their age, it is spet & past awaye without eny profit.
American Standard Version
Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age is perished.
Bible in Basic English
Of what use is the strength of their hands to me? all force is gone from them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? men in whom ripe age is perished.
King James Version (1611)
Yea whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom olde age was perished?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For wherto might the strength of their handes haue serued me? for the time was but lost among them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Yea, why had I the strength of their hands? for them the full term of life was lost.
English Revised Version
Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? men in whom ripe age is perished.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Of whiche men the vertu of hondis was for nouyt to me, and thei weren gessid vnworthi to that lijf.
Update Bible Version
Yes, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age has perished.
Webster's Bible Translation
Yes, to what [might] the strength of their hands [profit] me, in whom old age had perished?
New King James Version
Indeed, what profit is the strength of their hands to me? Their vigor has perished.
New Living Translation
A lot of good they are to me— those worn-out wretches!
New Life Bible
Yes, what good could I get from the strength of their hands? Their strength was gone.
New Revised Standard
What could I gain from the strength of their hands? All their vigor is gone.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even the strength of their hands, wherefore was it mine? Upon them, vigour was lost;
Revised Standard Version
What could I gain from the strength of their hands, men whose vigor is gone?
Young's Literal Translation
Also -- the power of their hands, why [is it] to me? On them hath old age perished.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them.

Contextual Overview

1 But now the younger in time scorn me, whose fathers I would not have set with the dogs of my flock: 2 The strength of whose hands was to me as nothing, and they were thought unworthy of life itself. 3 Barren with want and hunger, who gnawed in the wilderness, disfigured with calamity and misery. 4 And they ate grass, and barks of trees, and the root of junipers was their food. 5 Who snatched up these things out of the valleys, and when they had found any of them, they ran to them with a cry. 6 They dwelt in the desert places of torrents, and in caves of earth, or upon the gravel. 7 They pleased themselves among these kind of things, and counted it delightful to be under the briers. 8 The children of foolish and base men, and not appearing at all upon the earth. 9 Now I am turned into their song, and am become their byword. 10 They abhor me, and flee far from me, and are not afraid to spit in my face.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 12:1 - while Philemon 1:11 - unprofitable

Cross-References

Genesis 16:2
She said to her husband: Behold, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in unto my handmaid, it may be I may have children of her at least. And when he agreed to her request,
Genesis 20:18
For the Lord had closed up every womb of the house of Abimelech, on account of Sara, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 25:21
And Isaac besought the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and he heard him, and made Rebecca to conceive.
Genesis 29:31
And the Lord seeing that he despised Lia, opened her womb, but her sister remained barren.
Genesis 30:5
When her husband had gone in unto her, conceived and bore a son.
Genesis 30:6
And Rachel said: The Lord hath judged for me, and hath heard my voice, giving me a son; and therefore she called his name Dan.
Genesis 30:13
And Lia said: This is for my happiness: for women will call me blessed. Therefore she called him Aser.
Genesis 30:14
And Ruben going out in the time of the wheat harvest into the field, found mandrakes: which he brought to his mother Lia. And Rachel said: Give me part of thy son’s mandrakes.
Genesis 31:36
And Jacob being angry, said in a chiding manner: For what fault of mine, and for what offence on my part hast thou so hotly pursued me,
Genesis 50:19
And he answered them: Fear not: can we resist the will of God?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Yea, whereto [might] the strength of their hands [profit] me,.... For though they were strong, lusty, hale men, able to do business, yet their strength was to sit still and fold their hands in their bosoms, so that their strength was of no profit or avail to themselves or others; they were so slothful and lazy, that Job could not employ them in any business of his to any advantage to himself; and this may be one reason, among others, why he disdained to set them with the dogs of his flock to keep it; for the fathers seem to be intended all along to Job 30:8; though it matters not much to which of them the words are applied, since they were like father like son:

in whom old age was perished? who did not arrive to old age, but were soon consumed by their lusts, or cut off for their sins; and so the strength and labour of their hands, had they been employed, would have been of little worth; because the time of their continuance in service would have been short, especially being idle and slothful: some understand it of a lively and vigorous old age, such as was in Moses; but this being not in them, they were unfit for business, see Job 5:26; or they had not the endowments of old age, the experience, wisdom, and prudence of ancient persons, to contrive, conduct, and manage affairs, or direct in the management of them, which would make up for lack of strength and labour. Ben Gersom, Bar Tzemach, and others, interpret the word of time, or the time of life, that was perished or lost in them; their whole course of life, being spent in sloth and idleness, was all lost time.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me - There has been much difference of opinion respecting the meaning of this passage. The general sense is clear. Job means to describe those who were reduced by poverty and want, and who were without respectability or home, and who had no power in any way to affect him. He states that they were so abject and worthless as not to be worth his attention; but even this fact is intended to show how low he was himself reduced, since even the most degraded ranks in life did not show any respect to one who had been honored by princes. The Vulgate renders this, “The strength - virtus - of whose hands is to me as nothing, and they are regarded as unworthy of life.” The Septuagint, “And the strength of their hands what is it to me? Upon whom perfection - συντέλεια sunteleia - has perished.” Coverdale, “The power and strength of their hands might do me no good, and as for their age, it is spent and passed away without any profit.” The literal translation is, “Even the strength of their hands, what is it to me?” The meaning is, that their power was not worth regarding. They were abject, feeble, and reduced by hunger - poor emaciated creatures, who could do him neither good nor evil. Yet this fact did not make him feel less the indignity of being treated by such vagrants with scorn.

In whom old age was perished - Or, rather, in whom vigor, or the power of accomplishing, anything, has ceased. The word כלח kelach, means “completion,” or the act or power of finishing or completing anything. Then it denotes old age - age as “finished” or “completed;” Job 5:26. Here it means the maturity or vigor which would enable a man to complete or accomplish anything, and the idea is, that in these persons this had utterly perished. Reduced by hunger and want, they had no power of effecting anything, and were unworthy of regard. The word used here occurs only in this book in Hebrew Job 5:26; Job 30:2, but is common in Arabic; where it refers to the “wrinkles,” the “wanness,” and the “austere aspect” of the countenance, especially in age. See “Castell’s Lex.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 30:2. The strength of their hands profit me — He is speaking here of the fathers of these young men. What was the strength of their hands to me? Their old age also has perished. The sense of which I believe to be this: I have never esteemed their strength even in their most vigorous youth, nor their conduct, nor their counsel even in old age. They were never good for any thing, either young or old. As their youth was without profit, so their old age was without honour. See Calmet.

Mr. Good contends that the words are Arabic, and should be translated according to the meaning in that language, and the first clause of the third verse joined to the latter clause of the second, without which no good meaning can be elicited so as to keep properly close to the letter. I shall give the Hebrew text, Mr. Good's Arabic, and its translation: -

The Hebrew text is this: -

עלימו אבד כלח

aleymo abad calach


בחסר ובכפן גלמוד

becheser ubechaphan galmud

The Arabic version this: -

[Arabic]

[Arabic]

Which he translates thus: -

"With whom crabbed looks are perpetual,

From hunger and flinty famine."


This translation is very little distant from the import of the present Hebrew text, if it may be called Hebrew, when the principal words are pure Arabic, and the others constructively so.


 
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