Job 30:28
I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
Original Language Analysis
קֹדֵ֣ר
mourning
H6937
קֹדֵ֣ר
mourning
Strong's:
H6937
Word #:
1 of 7
to be ashy, i.e., dark-colored; by implication, to mourn (in sackcloth or sordid garments)
הִ֭לַּכְתִּי
I went
H1980
הִ֭לַּכְתִּי
I went
Strong's:
H1980
Word #:
2 of 7
to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
בְּלֹ֣א
H3808
בְּלֹ֣א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
3 of 7
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
קַ֖מְתִּי
I stood up
H6965
קַ֖מְתִּי
I stood up
Strong's:
H6965
Word #:
5 of 7
to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
Cross References
Psalms 42:9I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?Psalms 43:2For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?Psalms 38:6I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.Job 19:7Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
Historical Context
Ancient Israelite worship included public lament. The temple had professional mourners (Jeremiah 9:17). Communal fasting and prayer addressed corporate and individual crisis (Joel 1-2). Job's public crying wasn't cultural violation but appropriate religious expression. Contrast Greek philosophy's emphasis on emotional control (Stoicism). Biblical faith permits—even requires—honest expression of suffering before God and community.
Questions for Reflection
- How can modern churches recover the practice of communal lament?
- What is the difference between complaining and biblical lament?
- How does Job's example give permission for emotional honesty in worship?
Analysis & Commentary
I went mourning without the sun (קֹדֵר הִלַּכְתִּי בְּלֹא חַמָּה, qoder hilakhti belo chammah)—The adjective qoder (קֹדֵר) means "dark, blackened, mourning" (used of sackcloth in Psalm 35:14). The phrase "without the sun" means not from solar deprivation but inner darkness—mourning unrelated to external circumstances. The verb halakh (הָלַךְ, "to walk") indicates continuous lifestyle. Job's mourning is his constant state. The phrase I stood up, and I cried in the congregation (קַמְתִּי בַקָּהָל אֲשַׁוֵּעַ) uses shava' (שָׁוַע, "to cry for help"). Job publicly laments, not suffering in silence.
This public lament distinguishes biblical piety from stoicism. Lament is worship (Psalms 13, 22, 88). Job refuses to pretend—he brings raw suffering into community. This foreshadows Christ's public agony (John 11:35, Hebrews 5:7, "loud crying and tears"). The gospel validates emotional honesty: we need not hide suffering to maintain spirituality. Lament is faith's cry when praise seems impossible.