Bible Strands
Job 40:13
Bury them together in the dust; imprison them in the grave.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God speaks to Job from the whirlwind, continuing His challenge to confront human pride and wickedness with divine authority. This occurs mid-discussion where God demands Job demonstrate power over creation and chaos.
The words — The Hebrew טָמְנֵם (tamnem) means "hide them" or "bury them," paired with בְּעָפָר (bəʿāp̄ār, "in the dust") to describe burial. The term חֲבֹשׁ (ḥăḇōš) translates literally to "bind up" or "imprison," indicating confinement.
The thread — The imagery of hiding in dust appears in Isaiah 2:10 as a response to divine terror, while Job 14:13 uses the same concealment motif to plea for temporary rest until God's anger passes. Both passages employ the dust-concealment language found here to describe human vulnerability before God.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that human power cannot override divine judgment or escape final confinement. It requires the reader to accept that all pride and wickedness ultimately face God's sovereign restraint.
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
Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 2:10 Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty.
- Esther 7:8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?” As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.
- Job 14:13 If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger has passed! If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me!
- Job 36:13 The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when He binds them, they do not cry for help.
- Psalms 49:14 Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.
- John 11:44 The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.