Job 30:31
New International Version
My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my pipe to the sound of wailing.

New Living Translation
My harp plays sad music, and my flute accompanies those who weep.

English Standard Version
My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.

Berean Standard Bible
My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of weeping.

King James Bible
My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

New King James Version
My harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the voice of those who weep.

New American Standard Bible
“Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

NASB 1995
“Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

NASB 1977
“Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

Amplified Bible
“Therefore my lyre (harp) is used for [the sound of] mourning, And my flute for the [sound of the] voices of those who weep.

Christian Standard Bible
My lyre is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
My lyre is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping.

American Standard Version
Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.

Contemporary English Version
My only songs are sorrow and sadness.

English Revised Version
Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of them that weep.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So my lyre is used for mourning and my flute for loud weeping.

Good News Translation
Where once I heard joyful music, now I hear only mourning and weeping.

International Standard Version
But my harp is in mourning; my flute plays only songs for those who are weeping." Job Asserts His Moral Innocence

Majority Standard Bible
My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of weeping.

NET Bible
My harp is used for mourning and my flute for the sound of weeping.

New Heart English Bible
Therefore my harp has turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of those who weep.

Webster's Bible Translation
My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

World English Bible
Therefore my harp has turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of those who weep.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And my harp becomes mourning, "" And my pipe the sound of weeping.”

Young's Literal Translation
And my harp doth become mourning, And my organ the sound of weeping.

Smith's Literal Translation
And my harp will be for mourning, and my pipe for the voice of those weeping.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
My harp is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of those that weep.

Catholic Public Domain Version
My harp has been turned into mourning, and my pipes have been turned into a voice of weeping.

New American Bible
My lyre is tuned to mourning, and my reed pipe to sounds of weeping.

New Revised Standard Version
My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
My harp is also turned to mourning, and my song to the voice of those who weep.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
My harp was for grieving, and my song for the voice of weeping
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My harp also has been turned into mourning, and my song into my weeping.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job's Prosperity Becomes Calamity
30My skin grows black and peels, and my bones burn with fever. 31My harp is tuned to mourning and my flute to the sound of weeping.

Cross References
Psalm 137:2
There on the willows we hung our harps,

Lamentations 5:15
Joy has left our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning.

Isaiah 24:8
The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent.

Psalm 69:11-12
I made sackcloth my clothing, and I was sport to them. / Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of drunkards.

Jeremiah 7:34
I will remove from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of the bride and bridegroom, for the land will become a wasteland.”

Psalm 102:4-5
My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread. / Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones.

Isaiah 21:3-4
Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see. / My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror.

Psalm 42:3
My tears have been my food both day and night, while men ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Lamentations 3:17-18
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. / So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”

Ezekiel 26:13
So I will silence the sound of your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard.

Matthew 11:17
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’

Luke 7:32
They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’

Revelation 18:22
And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again.

Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

James 5:13
Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.


Treasury of Scripture

My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

Psalm 137:1-4
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion…

Ecclesiastes 3:4
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Isaiah 21:4
My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

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Job 30
1. Job's honor is turned into extreme contempt
15. and his prosperity into calamity














My harp
The harp, in ancient times, was a stringed instrument often associated with joy, celebration, and worship. In the Hebrew context, the harp (Hebrew: "kinnor") was used in temple worship and personal devotion. Its mention here signifies a drastic shift from joy to sorrow. Job, once a man of great prosperity and happiness, now finds his life filled with grief. The harp, a symbol of his former joy, now resonates with his current state of mourning.

is tuned to mourning
The phrase "is tuned to mourning" suggests a deliberate adjustment or transformation. In Hebrew, "mourning" (Hebrew: "ebel") refers to a deep, personal lamentation often associated with death or profound loss. Job's life, once harmonious and filled with divine favor, is now aligned with sorrow. This transformation reflects the depth of his suffering and the complete reversal of his circumstances.

and my flute
The flute, another musical instrument, is often associated with festivity and light-heartedness. In ancient Israel, the flute (Hebrew: "halil") was used in celebrations and joyful occasions. Its mention alongside the harp emphasizes the totality of Job's despair. Instruments that once brought joy now echo his grief, illustrating the pervasive nature of his suffering.

to the sound of weeping
"The sound of weeping" conveys an audible expression of sorrow and lament. In the Hebrew tradition, weeping (Hebrew: "bekhi") is a profound expression of grief, often public and communal. Job's personal anguish is so intense that it transforms the very essence of his music. The sound of weeping signifies not only his personal loss but also the communal aspect of his suffering, as his plight is witnessed by those around him.

(31) My harp also is turned to mourning.--Or, Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, and my pipe into the voice of them that weep. The musical instruments here named, like those of Genesis 4:21, are respectively the stringed and wind instruments.

Verse 31. - My harp also is turned to mourning. The result of all is that Job's harp is laid aside, either literally or figuratively. Its music is replaced by the sound of mourning (see vers. 28, 29). And my organ (or rather, my pipe) into the voice of them that weep. The pipe also is no longer sounded in his presence; he hears only the voice of weeping and lamentation. Thus appropriately ends the long dirge in which he has bewailed his miserable fare.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
My harp
כִּנֹּרִ֑י (kin·nō·rî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3658: A harp

is tuned
וַיְהִ֣י (way·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

to mourning
לְ֭אֵבֶל (lə·’ê·ḇel)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 60: Lamentation

and my flute
וְ֝עֻגָבִ֗י (wə·‘u·ḡā·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5748: (a reed musical instrument) perhaps a flute

to the sound
לְק֣וֹל (lə·qō·wl)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6963: A voice, sound

of weeping.
בֹּכִֽים׃ (bō·ḵîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan


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OT Poetry: Job 30:31 Therefore my harp has turned to mourning (Jb)
Job 30:30
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