Job 40:4

King James Version with Strong's Numbers

Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine 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 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, which am but dust and ashes:
• Gen 32:10 : 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
• Judg 18:19 : 19 And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?
• Ezra 9:6 : 6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass 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 thine 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, the LORD of hosts.
• Isa 53:6 : 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
• Isa 64:6 : 6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
• Dan 9:5 : 5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
• Dan 9:7 : 7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, 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 confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
• Hab 2:20 : 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
• Zech 2:13 : 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
• Luke 5:8 : 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he 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 before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
• Luke 18:13 : 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
• 1 Tim 1:15 : 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
• Ezra 9:15 : 15 O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.
• Neh 9:33 : 33 Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:
• Job 9:31-35 : 31 Yet shalt 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, and we should come together in judgment. 33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both. 34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me: 35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.
• Job 16:21 : 21 O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!
• 2 Sam 24:10 : 10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away 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 LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.
• Ps 39:9 : 9 I was dumb, I opened{H8799)} not my mouth; because thou didst{H8804)} it.
• Ps 51:4-5 : 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned{H8804)}, and done{H8804)} this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified{H8799)} when thou speakest{H8800)}, and be clear{H8799)} when thou judgest{H8800)}. 5 Behold, I was shapen{H8797)} in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive{H8765)} me.
• Job 23:4-7 : 4 I would order my cause 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 Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me. 7 There the righteous might dispute 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.