Job 33:21
His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.
Original Language Analysis
יִ֣כֶל
is consumed away
H3615
יִ֣כֶל
is consumed away
Strong's:
H3615
Word #:
1 of 7
to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)
בְּשָׂר֣וֹ
His flesh
H1320
בְּשָׂר֣וֹ
His flesh
Strong's:
H1320
Word #:
2 of 7
flesh (from its freshness); by extension, body, person; also (by euphemistically) the pudenda of a man
מֵרֹ֑אִי
that it cannot be seen
H7210
מֵרֹ֑אִי
that it cannot be seen
Strong's:
H7210
Word #:
3 of 7
sight, whether abstractly (vision) or concretely (a spectacle)
עַ֝צְמֹתָ֗יו
and his bones
H6106
עַ֝צְמֹתָ֗יו
and his bones
Strong's:
H6106
Word #:
5 of 7
a bone (as strong); by extension, the body; figuratively, the substance, i.e., (as pron.) selfsame
Historical Context
Without modern nutrition and medicine, wasting diseases commonly produced the emaciation Elihu describes. Tuberculosis, malaria, dysentery, and cancer could reduce robust adults to skeletal frames within months. The visible transformation from health to emaciation was public, removing all privacy from suffering. Ancient honor-shame cultures viewed such physical deterioration as evidence of divine disfavor, intensifying the sufferer's isolation.
Questions for Reflection
- How does physical deterioration strip away pretense and force confrontation with human mortality and frailty?
- What does extreme visible suffering teach about the temporary nature of earthly bodies and the need for resurrection hope?
- How should the church respond to those whose suffering is publicly visible and may be wrongly interpreted as divine displeasure?
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Analysis & Commentary
His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen (killāh běśārô mērô'î, כִּלָּה בְשָׂרוֹ מֵרֹאִי)—The verb kālāh means to be finished, consumed, or wasted away completely. Flesh (bāśār) deteriorates until invisible (mērô'î, from seeing). The body's muscle and fat reserves deplete through wasting disease, leaving only skeletal framework. This graphic medical description depicts advanced stages of illness—possibly tuberculosis, cancer, or chronic infection common in the ancient world.
And his bones that were not seen stick out (wěšuppû 'aṣmōṯāyw lō' rū'û, וְשֻׁפּוּ עֲצָמוֹתָיו לֹא רֻאוּ)—Previously hidden bones ('aṣāmôṯ) now protrude visibly (šāpāh, to be bare, laid bare). The reversal is complete: flesh disappears while bones emerge. This depicts extreme emaciation where skeletal structure shows through skin. Job himself describes this condition: 'My bone cleaveth to my skin' (19:20). Physical reduction to bare bones symbolizes mortality's reality—we return to dust (Genesis 3:19).