Job 9:30
New International Version
Even if I washed myself with soap and my hands with cleansing powder,

New Living Translation
Even if I were to wash myself with soap and clean my hands with lye,

English Standard Version
If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,

Berean Standard Bible
If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,

King James Bible
If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

New King James Version
If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap,

New American Standard Bible
“If I washed myself with snow, And cleansed my hands with lye,

NASB 1995
“If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

NASB 1977
“If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

Legacy Standard Bible
If I should wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

Amplified Bible
“If I were to wash myself with snow And cleanse my hands with lye,

Christian Standard Bible
If I wash myself with snow, and cleanse my hands with lye,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If I wash myself with snow, and cleanse my hands with lye,

American Standard Version
If I wash myself with snow water, And make my hands never so clean;

Contemporary English Version
Even if I washed myself with the strongest soap,

English Revised Version
If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If I wash myself with lye soap and cleanse my hands with bleach,

Good News Translation
No soap can wash away my sins.

International Standard Version
"If I wash myself with water from snow, and cleanse my hands with lye,

Majority Standard Bible
If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye,

NET Bible
If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands clean with lye,

New Heart English Bible
If I wash myself with snow water, and cleanse my hands with lye,

Webster's Bible Translation
If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

World English Bible
If I wash myself with snow, and cleanse my hands with lye,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
If I have washed myself with snow-water, "" And purified my hands with soap,

Young's Literal Translation
If I have washed myself with snow-water, And purified with soap my hands,

Smith's Literal Translation
If I washed myself in snow-water, and cleansed my hands clean;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If I be washed as it were with snow waters, and my hands shall shine ever so clean :

Catholic Public Domain Version
If I had been washed with snow-like waters, and my hands were shining like the cleanest thing,

New American Bible
If I should wash myself with soap and cleanse my hands with lye,

New Revised Standard Version
If I wash myself with soap and cleanse my hands with lye,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
If I wash myself with snow why then dost thou consume me in my hands;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if I am washed in water of snow and I am cleansed in the purity of my hands
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
If I wash myself with snow water, And make my hands never so clean;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For if I should wash myself with snow, and purge myself with pure hands,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: How Can I Argue with God?
29Since I am already found guilty, why should I labor in vain? 30If I should wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, 31then You would plunge me into the pit, and even my own clothes would despise me.…

Cross References
Isaiah 1:16
Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!

Jeremiah 2:22
Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.

Psalm 51:7
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Zechariah 3:3-4
Now Joshua was dressed in filthy garments as he stood before the angel. / So the angel said to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have removed your iniquity, and I will clothe you with splendid robes.”

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Titus 3:5
He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

Revelation 7:14
“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Matthew 23:25-26
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. / Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

Mark 7:2-4
and they saw some of His disciples eating with hands that were defiled—that is, unwashed. / Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially. / And on returning from the market, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.

1 Corinthians 6:11
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Ephesians 5:26
to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

John 13:8-10
“Never shall You wash my feet!” Peter told Him. Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with Me.” / “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!” / Jesus told him, “Whoever has already bathed needs only to wash his feet, and he will be completely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.”

2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.


Treasury of Scripture

If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean;

Psalm 26:6
I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:

Proverbs 28:13
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Isaiah 1:16-18
Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; …

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Job 9
1. Job acknowledges God's justice
22. Man's innocence is not to be condemned by afflictions














If I should wash myself with snow
The imagery of washing with snow is a powerful metaphor in the ancient Near Eastern context. Snow, being pure and white, symbolizes the utmost purity and cleanliness. In Hebrew, the word for snow is "שֶׁלֶג" (sheleg), which is rare in the region, making it a symbol of something precious and unattainable. Job is expressing the futility of trying to achieve purity through his own efforts. This reflects the human condition of striving for righteousness through works, which is ultimately insufficient without divine intervention. Theologically, this points to the need for a savior, as human efforts alone cannot achieve the purity required by God.

and cleanse my hands with lye
Lye, or "בֹּר" (bor) in Hebrew, refers to a strong alkaline substance used in ancient times for cleaning and purification. The use of lye signifies an intense effort to remove impurity. In the cultural and historical context, cleansing with lye would be an extreme measure, indicating Job's desperation to be seen as pure and righteous. This phrase underscores the inadequacy of human attempts to cleanse oneself from sin. It highlights the biblical theme that true cleansing comes from God alone, as seen in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and ultimately fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The conservative Christian perspective sees this as a foreshadowing of the cleansing power of Christ's blood, which alone can purify us from all unrighteousness.

Verse 30. - If I wash myself with snow-water (comp. Psalm 51:7). If I should succeed in purging myself of all guilt, and establishing, so far as words can do it, my spotless innocence even then what advantage should I gain? Snow-water does not really cleanse what is defiled better than any other water, but a lively fancy might suppose it to do so. Job indulges in this fancy, but then checks himself, and adds a prosaic alternative. And make my hands never so clean; rather, and make my hands clean with lye. Lye, or potash, is the principal and most essential ingredient in soap. and the readiest and best detergent. If Job cleanses himself to the very utmost, "Cut bone?" he asks.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

I should wash myself
הִתְרָחַ֥צְתִּי (hiṯ·rā·ḥaṣ·tî)
Verb - Hitpael - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7364: To wash, wash off or away, bathe

with snow
שָׁ֑לֶג (šā·leḡ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

and cleanse
וַ֝הֲזִכּ֗וֹתִי (wa·hă·zik·kō·w·ṯî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2141: To be bright, clean or pure

my hands
כַּפָּֽי׃ (kap·pāy)
Noun - fdc | first person common singular
Strong's 3709: Hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot), a pan

with lye,
בְּבֹ֣ר (bə·ḇōr)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1253: Vegetable lye, a soap for, washing, a flux for, metals


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OT Poetry: Job 9:30 If I wash myself with snow (Jb)
Job 9:29
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