Job 6:19
New International Version
The caravans of Tema look for water, the traveling merchants of Sheba look in hope.

New Living Translation
The caravans from Tema search for this water; the travelers from Sheba hope to find it.

English Standard Version
The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba hope.

Berean Standard Bible
The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope to find it.

King James Bible
The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

New King James Version
The caravans of Tema look, The travelers of Sheba hope for them.

New American Standard Bible
“The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

NASB 1995
“The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

NASB 1977
“The caravans of Tema looked, The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

Legacy Standard Bible
The caravans of Tema looked; The travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

Amplified Bible
“The caravans of Tema looked [for water], The caravans of Sheba waited for them [in vain].

Christian Standard Bible
The caravans of Tema look for these streams. The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The caravans of Tema look for these streams. The traveling merchants of Sheba hope for them.

American Standard Version
The caravans of Tema looked, The companies of Sheba waited for them.

Contemporary English Version
Caravans from Tema and Sheba

English Revised Version
The caravans of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Caravans from Tema look for them. Travelers from Sheba search for them.

Good News Translation
Caravans from Sheba and Tema search,

International Standard Version
Travelers from Tema search intently; caravans from Sheba hope to find them.

Majority Standard Bible
The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope to find it.

NET Bible
The caravans of Tema looked intently for these streams; the traveling merchants of Sheba hoped for them.

New Heart English Bible
The caravans of Tema looked. The companies of Sheba waited for them.

Webster's Bible Translation
The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

World English Bible
The caravans of Tema looked. The companies of Sheba waited for them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Passengers of Tema looked expectingly, "" Travelers of Sheba hoped for them.

Young's Literal Translation
Passengers of Tema looked expectingly, Travellers of Sheba hoped for them.

Smith's Literal Translation
Behold the paths of Tema; the goings of Sheba, wait ye for them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Consider the paths of Thema, the ways of Saba, and wait a little while.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Consider the paths of Thema, the ways of Saba, and wait a little while.

New American Bible
The caravans of Tema search, the companies of Sheba have hopes;

New Revised Standard Version
The caravans of Tema look, the travelers of Sheba hope.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For they have looked toward the roads of the south, and have waited for the paths of Sheba.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For they looked to the roads of the south and they waited for the paths of Sheba
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The caravans of Tema looked, The companies of Sheba waited for them--

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold the ways of the Thaemanites, ye that mark the paths of the Sabaeans.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Replies: My Complaint is Just
18Caravans turn aside from their routes; they go into the wasteland and perish. 19The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope to find it. 20They are confounded because they had hoped; their arrival brings disappointment.…

Cross References
Job 6:15-18
But my brothers are as faithless as wadis, as seasonal streams that overflow, / darkened because of the ice and the inflow of melting snow, / but ceasing in the dry season and vanishing from their channels in the heat. ...

Job 42:7-9
After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has. / So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has.” / So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

Proverbs 25:19
Like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.

Psalm 38:11
My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.

Psalm 41:9
Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

Jeremiah 15:18
Why is my pain unending, and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You have indeed become like a mirage to me—water that is not there.

Lamentations 1:2
She weeps aloud in the night, with tears upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.

Isaiah 41:17
The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

Micah 7:5
Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.

Matthew 26:56
But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.

Matthew 26:69-75
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said. / But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.” / When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ...

Mark 14:50
Then everyone deserted Him and fled.

Mark 14:66-72
While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down / and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” / But he denied it. “I do not know or even understand what you are talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, and the rooster crowed. ...

Luke 22:54-62
Then they seized Jesus, led Him away, and took Him into the house of the high priest. And Peter followed at a distance. / When those present had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. / A servant girl saw him seated in the firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with Him,” she said. ...

John 13:21
After Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit and testified, “Truly, truly, I tell you, one of you will betray Me.”


Treasury of Scripture

The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.

Tema.

Genesis 25:15
Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:

Isaiah 21:14
The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.

Jeremiah 25:23
Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners,

Sheba.

Genesis 10:7
And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

Genesis 25:3
And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

1 Kings 10:1
And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions.

Jump to Previous
Bands Camel-Trains Caravans Care Companies Counted Expectingly Hope Hoped Merchants Passengers Searching Sheba Tema Travelers Traveling Travellers Troops Waited Waiting Water
Jump to Next
Bands Camel-Trains Caravans Care Companies Counted Expectingly Hope Hoped Merchants Passengers Searching Sheba Tema Travelers Traveling Travellers Troops Waited Waiting Water
Job 6
1. Job shows that his complaints are not causeless.
8. He wishes for death, wherein he is assured of comfort.
14. He reproves his friends of unkindness.














The caravans of Tema
The mention of "Tema" refers to a region and a people known for their trade routes in the Arabian desert. Historically, Tema was an oasis town, providing a critical stop for caravans traveling through the arid landscape. In the context of Job, the caravans symbolize those who are on a journey, seeking sustenance and survival. Theologically, this can be seen as a metaphor for the human soul's search for spiritual nourishment and truth. The Hebrew root for "Tema" suggests a place of desert or wasteland, emphasizing the barrenness and the dire need for sustenance, much like Job's own spiritual and emotional desolation.

look for water
Water, in the biblical context, often symbolizes life, refreshment, and divine provision. The act of "looking for water" signifies a deep yearning and necessity for life-sustaining resources. In Job's lament, this phrase underscores the desperation and hope for relief amidst suffering. The Hebrew word for "look" implies an active search, a longing gaze, which can be paralleled with the believer's search for God's presence and comfort in times of trial. This imagery resonates with the spiritual thirst that only God can quench, as seen throughout Scripture.

the travelers of Sheba
"Sheba" is historically associated with wealth, trade, and the famed Queen of Sheba who visited King Solomon. The travelers from Sheba represent those who embark on long, arduous journeys, often in pursuit of prosperity and wisdom. In Job's context, these travelers symbolize the quest for understanding and meaning in the midst of suffering. The Hebrew root for "Sheba" is linked to the idea of an oath or promise, suggesting a deeper spiritual journey towards fulfilling divine promises or seeking God's covenantal faithfulness.

hope to find it
The word "hope" here is pivotal, reflecting a deep-seated expectation and desire for fulfillment. In the Hebrew context, hope is not a passive wish but an active, confident expectation rooted in faith. The travelers' hope to find water mirrors Job's own hope for vindication and relief from his afflictions. This phrase invites readers to consider the nature of hope in their own lives, especially in the face of adversity. It challenges believers to maintain their hope in God's provision and timing, trusting that He will meet their needs according to His perfect will.

(19) The troops of Tema.--Frst says of Tema that it was a tract in the north of the Arabian Desert, on the borders of the Syrian one, where traffic was carried on from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean by caravans (Isaiah 21:14; Jeremiah 25:23; Job 6:19). Sheba, as understood here, was probably a district on the Arabian Gulf (see Job 1:15), where merchants trafficked with the distant cities of the East, as well as enriched themselves with the plunder of their neighbours, as in Job 1:15.

Verse 19. - The troops of Tema looked. The Tema were an Arab tribe descended from Ishmael (Genesis 25:15). They are generally conjoined with Dedan (Isaiah 21:13, 14; Jeremiah 25:23), another Arab tribe, noted for carry-lug on a caravan trade. Both tribes probably wandered, and occupied at different periods different portions of the desert. The name, Tema, may linger in the modern city and district of Tayma on the confines of Syria, and upon the pilgrim-route between Damascus and Mecca. The "troops of Tema" probably looked for the "caravans" of ver. 18 to arrive in their country; but they looked in vain. The desert had swallowed them up. The companies of Sheba waited for them. (On "Sheba," see the comment upon Job 1:15.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The caravans
אָרְח֣וֹת (’ā·rə·ḥō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 734: A well-trodden road, a caravan

of Tema
תֵּמָ֑א (tê·mā)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 8485: Tema -- a son of Ishmael, also his descendants and the region settled by them

look [for water];
הִ֭בִּיטוּ (hib·bî·ṭū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

the travelers
הֲלִיכֹ֥ת (hă·lî·ḵōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 1979: A walking, a procession, march, a caravan

of Sheba
שְׁ֝בָ֗א (ḇā)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7614: Sheba -- a territory in soutwest Arabia, also the name of one or more descendant of Noah

hope
קִוּוּ־ (qiw·wū-)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6960: To bind together, collect, to expect

to find it.
לָֽמוֹ׃ (lā·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Poetry: Job 6:19 The caravans of Tema looked (Jb)
Job 6:18
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