Job 1:16
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
Original Language Analysis
ע֣וֹד׀
H5750
ע֣וֹד׀
Strong's:
H5750
Word #:
1 of 21
properly, iteration or continuance; used only adverbially (with or without preposition), again, repeatedly, still, more
מְדַבֵּ֗ר
While he was yet speaking
H1696
מְדַבֵּ֗ר
While he was yet speaking
Strong's:
H1696
Word #:
3 of 21
perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue
וְזֶה֮
H2088
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
of God
H430
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
of God
Strong's:
H430
Word #:
8 of 21
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of
נָֽפְלָה֙
is fallen
H5307
נָֽפְלָה֙
is fallen
Strong's:
H5307
Word #:
9 of 21
to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)
מִן
H4480
מִן
Strong's:
H4480
Word #:
10 of 21
properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם
from heaven
H8064
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם
from heaven
Strong's:
H8064
Word #:
11 of 21
the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies r
בַּצֹּ֛אן
the sheep
H6629
בַּצֹּ֛אן
the sheep
Strong's:
H6629
Word #:
13 of 21
a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats); also figuratively (of men)
וּבַנְּעָרִ֖ים
and the servants
H5288
וּבַנְּעָרִ֖ים
and the servants
Strong's:
H5288
Word #:
14 of 21
(concretely) a boy (as active), from the age of infancy to adolescence; by implication, a servant; also (by interch. of sex), a girl (of similar latit
וָאִמָּ֨לְטָ֧ה
them and I only am escaped
H4422
וָאִמָּ֨לְטָ֧ה
them and I only am escaped
Strong's:
H4422
Word #:
16 of 21
properly, to be smooth, i.e., (by implication) to escape (as if by slipperiness); causatively, to release or rescue; specifically, to bring forth youn
רַק
H7535
רַק
Strong's:
H7535
Word #:
17 of 21
properly, leanness, i.e., (figuratively) limitation; only adverbial, merely, or conjunctional, although
לְבַדִּ֖י
H905
לְבַדִּ֖י
Strong's:
H905
Word #:
19 of 21
properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of a tree, bar for carrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with preposit
Cross References
Genesis 19:24Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;2 Kings 1:12And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.Revelation 13:13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,Amos 7:4Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and, behold, the Lord GOD called to contend by fire, and it devoured the great deep, and did eat up a part.1 Kings 18:38Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.Leviticus 10:2And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.2 Kings 1:10And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Historical Context
Lightning strikes that cause fires were interpreted in the ancient world as divine judgment. The messenger's attribution to 'God' reveals how even observers recognized the supernatural nature of Job's comprehensive calamity.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you understand God's relationship to natural disasters that cause human suffering?
- When have you experienced what seemed like divine judgment, only to later see God's refining purpose?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
The 'fire of God' (Hebrew 'esh Elohim') likely refers to lightning, demonstrating that natural disasters join human evil in testing Job. This raises profound theological questions about God's relationship to natural evil. Reformed theology maintains that God sovereignly uses natural phenomena without being morally culpable for the suffering they cause. The destruction of the sheep removed Job's primary source of wealth and clothing.