Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Job 30 Bible study: But now
In Hebrew, Job's "I smiled on them" (29:24) and "those who are younger than I have me in derision" (30:1) are the same verb: the man who smiled on others is now laughed at. And the "harp" and "pipe" that end the chapter in mourning (30:31) are the instruments of Job's words about the wicked: "They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the pipe" (21:12).
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“Didn’t I weep for him who was in trouble? Wasn’t my soul grieved for the needy?”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Earlier in the book, Job said the wicked sing to the harp and rejoice at the sound of the pipe.”
Is that in Job 30, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
"But now"
Every word of this chapter is Job's. It has no heading of its own; it stands within the words that open, "Job again took up his parable, and said" (29:1), which run to "The words of Job are ended" (31:40). Chapter 29 began, "Oh that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me" (29:2). Chapter 30 begins, "But now those who are younger than I have me in derision" (30:1) (tap now, derision). The chapter turns on that word three times: "But now" (30:1), "Now I have become their song" (30:9), and "Now my soul is poured out within me" (30:16). Here is what almost everyone misses: the verb behind have me in derision is the verb behind Job's words in chapter 29, "I smiled on them when they had no confidence" (29:24). Brown-Driver-Briggs gives it as "laugh", and "laugh at". The man who smiled on others is now the one laughed at.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Job 30
That was a taste
The rest of Job 30 is waiting in Favor
- "Now I have become their song"
- "I cry to you, and you do not answer me"
- "My harp has turned to mourning"
- Dust and ashes
- "Their song" in Lamentations
- 10 questions as you read
- 13 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Job 30 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
עַתָּהattahsay at-TAH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "now". Strong's: "at this time". Chapter 30 turns on it three times: "But now those who are younger than I have me in derision" (30:1), "Now I have become their song" (30:9), and "Now my soul is poured out within me" (30:16), after chapter 29's "Oh that I were as in the months of old" (29:2). In the Hebrew of Job it comes eighteen times. Job said it before, in chapter 16: "But now, God, you have surely worn me out" (16:7).
For your group
Job 30 Bible study questions
- 1"Didn’t I weep for him who was in trouble? Wasn’t my soul grieved for the needy?" (30:25). Who has wept with you when you were in trouble, and who near you might need that from you now?
- 2"I cry to you, and you do not answer me" (30:20). Job keeps speaking to God even when he hears no answer. What do you do when your prayers seem to meet silence?
- 3Chapter 29 remembers "the months of old" (29:2), and chapter 30 begins "But now" (30:1). When your own "now" is very different from your "then", what helps you keep going?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Job 30 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Job 30 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Job 30 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Job 30
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home