Job 30:5
They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)
Original Language Analysis
מִן
H4480
מִן
Strong's:
H4480
Word #:
1 of 6
properly, a part of; hence (prepositionally), from or out of in many senses
יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ
They were driven forth
H1644
יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ
They were driven forth
Strong's:
H1644
Word #:
3 of 6
to drive out from a possession; especially to expatriate or divorce
יָרִ֥יעוּ
men (they cried
H7321
יָרִ֥יעוּ
men (they cried
Strong's:
H7321
Word #:
4 of 6
to mar (especially by breaking); figuratively, to split the ears (with sound), i.e., shout (for alarm or joy)
Historical Context
Ancient communities maintained strict purity boundaries, expelling those deemed contaminated—ritually, morally, or medically. The shouting 'as after a thief' suggests both warning others and humiliating the expelled. This public shaming reinforced social cohesion through exclusion, a practice Jesus consistently opposed in His ministry to outcasts.
Questions for Reflection
- What modern forms of social expulsion mirror the violent ostracism Job describes?
- How does Jesus's ministry to outcasts challenge the church's tendency toward boundary-keeping?
- In what ways do Christian communities still 'cry after' certain people 'as after a thief'?
Analysis & Commentary
They were driven forth from among men (מִן־הַגֵּו יְגֹרָשׁוּ)—The verb גָרַשׁ (garash) means to expel violently, used of Adam's expulsion from Eden (Genesis 3:24) and Israel's enemies from Canaan. This is forced exile, not voluntary withdrawal. (They cried after them as after a thief;) (יָרִיעוּ עֲלֵימוֹ כַּגַּנָּב)—The community 'shouted' (יָרִיעוּ, yariu, raised the alarm) as if pursuing thieves (גַּנָּב, ganav).
Job describes systematic social ostracism approaching ethnic cleansing. The parenthetical comment reveals community violence maintaining boundaries against the unclean. This echoes leper laws (Leviticus 13:45-46) where contaminated persons were expelled with shouts. Yet Messiah welcomed lepers, touched unclean, ate with sinners—reversing the purity politics Job describes. The kingdom inverts social hierarchies, exalting the expelled (Luke 6:20-23).