Job 1:3

His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
substance	מִ֠קְנֵהוּ Mik.ne.hu	H4735	something bought · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
seven	שִֽׁבְעַ֨ת shiv.'At	H7651	seven (as the sacred full one) · cardinal number, both genders singular construct
thousand	אַלְפֵי 'al.fei-	H505	hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alph… · cardinal number, both genders plural construct
sheep	צֹ֜אן tzon	H6629	a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats) · noun, common both genders singular absolute
three	וּשְׁלֹ֧שֶׁת u.she.Lo.shet	H7969	three · conjunction + cardinal number, both genders singular construct
thousand	אַלְפֵ֣י 'al.Fei	H505	hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alph… · cardinal number, both genders plural construct
camels	גְמַלִּ֗ים ge.ma.Lim	H1581	a camel · noun, common both genders plural absolute
five	וַחֲמֵ֨שׁ va.cha.Mesh	H2568	five · conjunction + cardinal number, both genders singular construct
hundred	מֵא֤וֹת me.'ot	H3967	a hundred · cardinal number, feminine plural absolute
yoke	צֶֽמֶד tze.med-	H6776	hence · noun, common masculine singular construct
oxen	בָּקָר֙ ba.Kar	H1241	beef cattle or an animal of the ox family of either gen… · noun, common both genders singular absolute
five	וַחֲמֵ֣שׁ va.cha.Mesh	H2568	five · conjunction + cardinal number, both genders singular construct
hundred	מֵא֣וֹת me.'ot	H3967	a hundred · cardinal number, feminine plural absolute
asses	אֲתוֹנ֔וֹת 'a.to.Not	H860	a female donkey (from its docility) · noun, common feminine plural absolute
very	מְאֹ֑ד me.'Od	H3966	properly · cardinal number, masculine singular absolute
great	רַבָּ֣ה ra.Bah	H7227	abundant (in quantity · adjective, feminine singular absolute
household	וַעֲבֻדָּ֖ה va.'a.vu.Dah	H5657	something wrought · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute
man	הָאִ֣ישׁ ha.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
greatest	גָּד֖וֹל ga.Dol	H1419	great (in any sense) · adjective, masculine singular absolute
men	בְּנֵי be.nei-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine plural construct
east	קֶֽדֶם Ke.dem	H6924	the front · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Job 29:25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.
Job 42:12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousa…
Judges 6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up agains…
Numbers 23:7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curs…
1 Kings 4:30 And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Genesis 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and ca…
Genesis 12:5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 1:1-3

Concerning Job we are here told, I. That he was a man; therefore subject to like passions as we are. He was Ish, a worthy man, a man of note and eminency, a magistrate, a man in authority. The country he lived in was the land of Uz, in the eastern part of Arabia, which lay towards Chaldea, near Euphrates, probably not far from Ur of the Chaldees, whence Abraham was called. When God called one good man out of that country, yet he left not himself without witness, but raised up another in it to be a preacher of righteousness. God has his remnant in all places, sealed ones out of every nation, as well as out of every tribe of Israel, Rev 7:9. It was the privilege of the land of Uz to have so go…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 1:3

she-asses--prized on account of their milk, and for riding (Jdg 5:10). Houses and lands are not mentioned among the emir's wealth, as nomadic tribes dwell in movable tents and live chiefly by pasture, the right to the soil not being appropriated by individuals. The "five hundred yoke of oxen" imply, however, that Job tilled the soil. He seems also to have had a dwelling in a town, in which respect he differed from the patriarchs. Camels are well called "ships of the desert," especially valuable for caravans, as being able to lay in a store of water that suffices them for days, and to sustain life on a very few thistles or thorns. household-- (Gen 26:14). The other rendering which the Hebre…

Read the whole note in the console

John Gill on Job 1:3

His substance also was seven thousand sheep,.... For which he must have a large pasturage to feed them on, as well as these would produce much wool for clothing, and flesh for food; this part of his substance or possessions is mentioned first, as being the largest, and most useful and profitable: and three thousand camels; creatures fit to carry burdens, and travel with, and were greatly valued on that account, especially in the deserts of Arabia, near to which Job 54ed; and that not only because they were strong for this purpose, but because they could endure much thirst and want of water for a long time; See Gill on Leviticus 11:4, it seems by this that Job carried on a commerce, and trad…

The Church Fathers

His labors were great on the earth, for he was busy perfecting his labors.
— Augustine of Hippo, ANNOTATIONS ON THE BOOK OF JOB (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

You see the greatness of Job's external wealth; but his internal wealth was even greater. The visible riches were splendid, but the invisible riches were even more splendid because they last; visible riches grow old, lose their value and continually collapse into the most pitiful corruption and destruction.
— Hesychius of Jerusalem, HOMILIES ON JOB 1.1.2-3E

The author calls Job a man of the East; he was superior to all in radiance and celebrity and could name distinguished and illustrious ancestors. How could Job not be incited to pride by the virtue that reigned in his soul, by the joy which his children gave him and by the fact he was the only one who simultaneously possessed wealth and virtue and the privilege to descend from illustrious fathers? But when these goods fall into the hands of the impious, heed what the prophet says: "Since pride has completely grasped them, they have clothed themselves in their injustice and impiety." But as for Job, he declares, "Why do the wicked live and grow old in their prosperity?" Now it was not like that at all for Job. It is not the nature of wealth that causes bad conduct but the mind of those who do not use wealth properly.
— John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON JOB 1:3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Arabia — Arid, an extensive region in the south-west of Asia. It is bounded on the west by the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the east by the Persian Gulf and the…
Ass — Frequently mentioned throughout Scripture. Of the domesticated species we read of, (1.) The she ass (Heb. ‘athon), so named from its slowness (Gen. 12:16; 45:23; Num. 22:23; 1 Sam. 9:3). (2.) The…
Benekedem — (the children of the East), an appellation given to a people or to peoples dwelling to the east of Palestine. It occurs in (Genesis 29:1; Judges 6:3,33; 7:12; 8:10; Job 1:3)
Camel — From the Hebrew gamal, “to repay” or “requite,” as the camel does the care of its master. There are two distinct species of camels, having, however, the common characteristics of being “ruminants…
Cattle — Abounded in the Holy Land. To the rearing and management of them the inhabitants chiefly devoted themselves (Deut. 8:13; 12:21; 1 Sam. 11:5; 12:3; Ps. 144:14; Jer. 3:24). They may be classified as,…
Ox — Heb. bakar, “cattle;” “neat cattle”, (Gen. 12:16; 34:28; Job 1:3, 14; 42:12, etc.); not to be muzzled when treading the corn (Deut. 25:4). Referred to by our Lord in his reproof to the Pharisees…
Ut — (wooded).
Yoke — (1.) Fitted on the neck of oxen for the purpose of binding to them the traces by which they might draw the plough, etc. (Num. 19:2; Deut. 21:3). It was a curved piece of wood called ’ol. (2.) In Jer.…
Apostles · .See COMMISSION OF, above, and — .See COMMISSION OF, above, and
Ass, The Domestic · Formed a part of patriarchal wealth — Formed a part of patriarchal wealth
Camel · Herds of — Herds of

Job 1:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 1:1-3

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 1:3

John Gill on Job 1:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Job 1:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 1:1-3

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 1:3

John Gill on Job 1:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Job 1:2-3

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Job 1:2-3

Rashi on Job 1:3