Lexical Summary bei: Bay, inlet, cove Original Word: בְּעִי Strong's Exhaustive Concordance grave From ba'ah; a prayer -- grave. see HEBREW ba'ah NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originsee i. Topical Lexicon Overview בְּעִי (Strong’s Hebrew 1164) denotes a “ruin” or “heap of ruins.” Though it appears only once in Scripture, the word vividly captures the desolation Job feels when friends, family, and society abandon him in his distress (Job 30:24). The term therefore serves as a doorway into wider biblical themes of calamity, human vulnerability, divine justice, and hope of restoration. Occurrence and Immediate Literary Context Job 30 records Job’s lament over the reversal of his fortunes. In verse 24 he protests the apparent absence of compassion toward one who has been reduced to ruin: “Yet no one stretches out his hand to a ruined man when he cries for help in his distress.” (Job 30:24) Here בְּעִי is not a lifeless pile of rubble but a metaphor for a person whose life has collapsed. Job uses the image to argue that even ordinary people show mercy to someone in such a state; therefore, God’s silence seems incomprehensible. The single use of the noun intensifies the focus: Job sees himself as the embodiment of ruin. Imagery of Ruin in the Hebrew Bible 1. Judgment and aftermath – Cities such as Ai (Joshua 8), Babylon (Isaiah 13:19-22), and Jerusalem (Lamentations 1) are portrayed as heaps of ruins following divine judgment. Historical and Cultural Background Ancient Near Eastern warfare often left conquered sites literally in ruins. Ash-mounds and toppled walls were familiar sights, making בְּעִי an evocative image for absolute devastation. Social structures were likewise fragile; a single disaster—drought, disease, military defeat—could remove every safety net. In such a world, communal responsibility to aid the broken was recognized even outside Israel. Job appeals to that universal ethic to underscore the harshness of his isolation. Theological Reflection 1. Divine sovereignty – Job’s plea does not deny God’s rule; it questions the manner in which that rule is experienced. The “ruin” word pictures the tension between acknowledged sovereignty and perceived injustice. Echoes in the New Testament While the Hebrew term itself does not recur, its concept surfaces in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35), where a man “half dead” on the road evokes the same ruined condition. Paul speaks of believers as once “without hope” (Ephesians 2:12) yet now rebuilt into “a dwelling place for God” (Ephesians 2:22). The ruin therefore becomes a platform for grace. Ministry Applications • Pastoral sensitivity – Job 30:24 calls church leaders to recognize and respond to those whose lives lie in ruins, whether through bereavement, moral failure, or economic loss. Summary בְּעִי stands as a solemn reminder of the depths to which human life can descend and the responsibility of God’s people to extend compassionate help. Simultaneously, the word points forward to the redemptive pattern woven throughout Scripture: ruin gives way to restoration as God ultimately vindicates the righteous and rebuilds what sin and suffering have destroyed. Forms and Transliterations בְ֭עִי בעי ḇə‘î ḇə·‘î VeiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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