Bible Strands
Job 29:10
The voices of the nobles were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roofs of their mouths.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Job addresses an implied audience while recounting his former days of public honor, describing how high-ranking officials fell completely silent when he passed.
The words — נֶחְבָּ֑אוּ (nech.Ba.'u) literally means "they were hidden," and דָּבֵֽקָה (da.Ve.kah) literally means "it stuck."
The thread — The identical physical description of speechlessness appears in Psalms 137:6 and Ezekiel 3:26.
Why it lands — The text records the physical muting of powerful figures, demanding the reader observe that genuine authority commands silence without force.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
Cross-references
- Psalms 137:6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt Jerusalem as my greatest joy!
- Ezekiel 3:26 I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth, and you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, though they are a rebellious house.