I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.
Parallel translations
- WEB I have sewed sackcloth on my skin, and have thrust my horn in the dust.
- KJV I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.
- NKJV “I have sewn sackcloth over my skin, And laid my head in the dust.
- NASB “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin, And thrust my horn in the dust.
- NLT I wear burlap to show my grief. My pride lies in the dust.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Job has put on sackcloth and laid his strength low in the dust. He expresses utter mourning and humiliation.
Overview
Job describes sewing sackcloth to his very skin and thrusting his horn, a symbol of dignity and strength, into the dust. These are signs of deep grief and lost standing. His self-abasement shows a man stripped of all earthly honor, yet still turning toward God, foreshadowing the humility through which true exaltation finally comes (1 Peter 5:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Gen 37:34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
- Ps 7:5then may my enemy pursue me and overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust. Selah
- Ps 75:5Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’”
- 1 Kgs 21:27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around meekly.
- Isa 22:12On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.
- Ps 75:10“All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous will be exalted.”
- Job 30:19He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.
- 1 Sam 2:10Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 16:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.