Job 40:4

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Behold, I am of small account; What shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

הֵ֣ן קַ֭לֹּתִי מָ֣ה אֲשִׁיבֶ֑ךָּ יָ֝דִ֗י שַׂ֣מְתִּי לְמוֹ־פִֽי׃

Transliteration

hēn qallōtî mâ ʾăšîbekā yādî śamtî ləmô-pî

Grammar Details

• *hēn*: demonstrative particle - behold, look
• *qallōtî*: qal perfect, 1st singular - I am insignificant/light/worthless
• *mâ*: interrogative pronoun - what
• *ʾăšîbekā*: hiphil imperfect, 1st singular + 2nd masculine singular suffix - I will answer you
• *yādî*: noun, feminine singular + 1st singular suffix - my hand
• *śamtî*: qal perfect, 1st singular - I have placed/put
• *ləmô*-*pî*: preposition + 3rd plural suffix (poetic form) + noun, masculine singular + 1st singular suffix - to my mouth

Word Meanings

• *qallōtî*: to be light, insignificant, of little value
• *ʾăšîbekā*: to answer, reply, respond
• *śamtî*: to put, place, set
• *ləmô*: archaic poetic form of preposition with suffix

Referenced Verses

• Job 29:9 : 9 The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth;
• Job 21:5 : 5 Mark me, and be astonished, And lay your hand upon your mouth.
• Job 42:6 : 6 Wherefore I abhor [myself], And repent in dust and ashes.
• Gen 18:27 : 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes:
• Gen 32:10 : 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the lovingkindnesses, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two companies.
• Judg 18:19 : 19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be priest unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
• Ezra 9:6 : 6 and I said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guiltiness is grown up unto the heavens.
• Prov 30:32 : 32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, Or if thou hast thought evil, [Lay] thy hand upon thy mouth.
• Isa 6:5 : 5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.
• Isa 53:6 : 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• Isa 64:6 : 6 For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
• Dan 9:5 : 5 we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances;
• Dan 9:7 : 7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
• Mic 7:16 : 16 The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf.
• Hab 2:20 : 20 But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
• Zech 2:13 : 13 Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah; for he is waked up out of his holy habitation.
• Luke 5:8 : 8 But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
• Luke 15:18-19 : 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: 19 I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
• Luke 18:13 : 13 But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote {G1519} his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner.
• 1 Tim 1:15 : 15 Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief:
• Ezra 9:15 : 15 O Jehovah, the God of Israel, you are righteous; for we are left a remnant that is escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before you in our guiltiness; for none can stand before you because of this.
• Neh 9:33 : 33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is come upon us; for thou hast dealt truly, but we have done wickedly;
• Job 9:31-35 : 31 Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, And mine own clothes shall abhor me. 32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, That we should come together in judgment. 33 There is no umpire betwixt us, That might lay his hand upon us both. 34 Let him take his rod away from me, And let not his terror make me afraid: 35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; For I am not so in myself.
• Job 16:21 : 21 That he would maintain the right of a man with God, And of a son of man with his neighbor!
• 2 Sam 24:10 : 10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in that which I have done: but now, O Jehovah, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
• 1 Kgs 19:4 : 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper-tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Jehovah, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
• Ps 39:9 : 9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; Because thou didst it.
• Ps 51:4-5 : 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
• Job 23:4-7 : 4 I would set my cause in order before him, And fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would know the words which he would answer me, And understand what he would say unto me. 6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? Nay; but he would give heed unto me. 7 There the upright might reason with him; So should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
• Job 31:37 : 37 I would declare unto him the number of my steps; As a prince would I go near unto him.