Bible Strands
Job 30:8
A senseless and nameless brood, they were driven off the land.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job speaks to describe the degraded class of people who now mock him, marking the moment his former social standing collapses into public scorn.
The words — The Hebrew בְּנֵי־נָבָל (benei-naval) literally renders "sons of a fool," while בְּנֵי־בְלִי־שֵׁם (benei-veli-shem) means "sons of no name," describing a group stripped of identity and driven from the land.
The thread — The motif of the fool lacking wisdom or honor appears in Proverbs 16:22 and Proverbs 1:7, while Job 40:4 mirrors the posture of diminished status Job outlines here.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge that reputation and social position are temporary, and that divine judgment can publicly strip away a person's standing.
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
They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 16:22 Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor, but the discipline of fools is folly.
- Job 40:4 “Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth.
- Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
- Proverbs 1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?
- Isaiah 32:6 For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
- Jeremiah 7:18 The sons gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven; they pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger.
- Mark 6:24 Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?” And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.”
- 2 Kings 8:18 And Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done. For he married a daughter of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 8:27 And Ahaziah walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.
- 2 Chronicles 22:3 Ahaziah also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor in wickedness.