Job 18:13
New International Version
It eats away parts of his skin; death’s firstborn devours his limbs.

New Living Translation
Disease eats their skin; death devours their limbs.

English Standard Version
It consumes the parts of his skin; the firstborn of death consumes his limbs.

Berean Standard Bible
It devours patches of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his limbs.

King James Bible
It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.

New King James Version
It devours patches of his skin; The firstborn of death devours his limbs.

New American Standard Bible
“It devours parts of his skin, The firstborn of death devours his limbs.

NASB 1995
“His skin is devoured by disease, The firstborn of death devours his limbs.

NASB 1977
“His skin is devoured by disease, The first-born of death devours his limbs.

Legacy Standard Bible
The firstborn of death eats parts of his skin; It eats parts of him.

Amplified Bible
“His skin is devoured by disease; The firstborn of death [the worst of diseases] consumes his limbs.

Christian Standard Bible
Parts of his skin are eaten away; death’s firstborn consumes his limbs.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Parts of his skin are eaten away; death’s firstborn consumes his limbs.

American Standard Version
The members of his body shall be devoured, Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members.

Contemporary English Version
then afterwards to be eaten alive by death itself.

English Revised Version
It shall devour the members of his body, yea, the firstborn of death shall devour his members.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
His skin is eaten away by disease. Death's firstborn son eats away at the limbs of his body.

Good News Translation
A deadly disease spreads over their bodies and causes their arms and legs to rot.

International Standard Version
Something gnaws on his skin; a deadly disease consumes his limbs.

Majority Standard Bible
It devours patches of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his limbs.

NET Bible
It eats away parts of his skin; the most terrible death devours his limbs.

New Heart English Bible
The members of his body shall be devoured. The firstborn of death shall devour his members.

Webster's Bible Translation
It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the first-born of death shall devour his strength.

World English Bible
The members of his body will be devoured. The firstborn of death will devour his members.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
It consumes the parts of his skin, "" Death’s firstborn consumes his parts.

Young's Literal Translation
It consumeth the parts of his skin, Consume his parts doth death's first-born.

Smith's Literal Translation
It shall devour the bars of his skin: the first-born of death shall devour his bars.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let it devour the beauty of his skin, let the firstborn death consume his arms.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Let it devour the beauty of his skin; let the ancient death consume his arms.

New American Bible
His skin is eaten to the limbs, the firstborn of Death eats his limbs.

New Revised Standard Version
By disease their skin is consumed, the firstborn of Death consumes their limbs.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let force devour his towns, let his first-born die in violence.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
His possessions will be devoured by violence, and his first born dies by violence
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
It shall devour the members of his body, Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let the soles of his feet be devoured: and death shall consume his beauty.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Bildad: God Punishes the Wicked
12His strength is depleted, and calamity is ready at his side. 13It devours patches of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his limbs. 14He is torn from the shelter of his tent and is marched off to the king of terrors.…

Cross References
Isaiah 14:11
Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket.

Psalm 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.

Proverbs 14:32
The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin, but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.

Isaiah 66:24
“As they go forth, they will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they will be a horror to all mankind.”

Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Revelation 19:17-18
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, / so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

Ezekiel 32:7-8
When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. / All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you, and I will bring darkness upon your land,’ declares the Lord GOD.

Jeremiah 25:33
Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground.

Psalm 73:19
How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!

Isaiah 34:3
Their slain will be left unburied, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood.

Luke 12:4-5
I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. / But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear the One who, after you have been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him!

Revelation 6:8
Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

Isaiah 5:14
Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers!

Ezekiel 39:17-20
And as for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says: Call out to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field: ‘Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood. / You will eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals of Bashan. / At the sacrifice I am preparing, you will eat fat until you are gorged and drink blood until you are drunk. ...

Matthew 24:28
Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.


Treasury of Scripture

It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.

strength.

Job 17:16
They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.

Jonah 2:6
I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

the firstborn

Genesis 49:3
Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

Isaiah 14:30
And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

Revelation 6:8
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

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Body Consume Consumed Consumes Consumeth Death Devour Devoured Devoureth Devours Disease Diseases Eats Firstborn First-Born Food Limbs Members Parts Skin Strength Wasted Worst
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Body Consume Consumed Consumes Consumeth Death Devour Devoured Devoureth Devours Disease Diseases Eats Firstborn First-Born Food Limbs Members Parts Skin Strength Wasted Worst
Job 18
1. Bildad reproves Job for presumption and impatience
5. The calamities of the wicked














It devours patches of his skin
This phrase speaks to the consuming nature of suffering and affliction. The Hebrew word for "devours" is "אָכַל" (akal), which conveys the idea of eating or consuming completely. In the context of Job, this suggests a relentless and overwhelming force that strips away one's defenses and dignity. Historically, skin diseases were seen as a sign of divine displeasure or judgment, and the imagery here is vivid, portraying a physical manifestation of inner turmoil and divine testing. The "patches of his skin" symbolize the visible and painful evidence of Job's trials, reflecting the broader theme of undeserved suffering and the testing of faith.

the firstborn of death
This phrase is particularly striking and unique, as it personifies death in a familial context. The term "firstborn" in Hebrew, "בְּכוֹר" (bekor), often denotes preeminence or priority. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the firstborn held a place of honor and authority. Here, "the firstborn of death" suggests a powerful and dominant force, perhaps the most potent or feared aspect of death itself. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for the most severe form of suffering or a direct agent of divine judgment. In the broader scriptural context, it underscores the inevitability and impartiality of death, a theme that resonates throughout the book of Job as he grapples with the nature of human mortality and divine justice.

consumes his limbs
The imagery of consumption continues with "consumes his limbs," emphasizing the totality of the affliction. The Hebrew root "אָכַל" (akal) is used again, reinforcing the idea of being devoured or destroyed. The "limbs" represent the strength and vitality of a person, and their consumption signifies the debilitating effect of Job's suffering. This phrase highlights the physical and existential toll of Job's trials, as his strength and essence are gradually eroded. In a broader theological sense, it serves as a reminder of human frailty and the need for reliance on God's strength and grace amidst life's adversities. The verse as a whole invites reflection on the nature of suffering, the sovereignty of God, and the hope of restoration and redemption.

(13) The strength of his skin.--This verse should probably be rendered, "It shall devour the members of his body, even the firstborn of death shall devour his members;" and by the "firstborn of death" is probably to be understood some wasting disease such as Job's, the phrase being so used as a euphemism.

Verse 13. - It shall devour the strength of his skin; literally, the bars of his skin by which some understand "the muscles," some "the members," of his body. The general meaning is plain, that destruction shall always be close to him, and shall ultimately make him its own. Even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength. By "the firstborn of death" is probably intended, either some wasting disease generally, or perhaps the special disease from which Job is suffering.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
It devours
יֹ֭אכַל (yō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

patches
בַּדֵּ֣י (bad·dê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 905: Separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief of

of his skin;
עוֹר֑וֹ (‘ō·w·rōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5785: Skin, hide, leather

the firstborn
בְּכ֣וֹר (bə·ḵō·wr)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1060: Firstborn, chief

of death
מָֽוֶת׃ (mā·weṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

devours
יֹאכַ֥ל (yō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

his limbs.
בַּ֝דָּ֗יו (bad·dāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 905: Separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief of


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OT Poetry: Job 18:13 The members of his body shall be (Jb)
Job 18:12
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