“He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job dramatically shifts from being a source of public admiration to becoming a subject of utter scorn, so much so that people now spit at him. He highlights this jarring contrast, revealing how his former honor has been flipped into a byword for extreme suffering and disgrace.
“He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is in the midst of immense suffering and is speaking to his friends who have come to comfort him, but instead, have accused him of hidden sin. He feels utterly abandoned by God and misunderstood by everyone, including his closest companions. In these verses, Job expresses how his current state has made him a spectacle of misery, contrasting it starkly with his former standing.
Imagine your deepest pain becoming a punchline for strangers. Job feels this intensely, experiencing a profound shift from being celebrated to being reviled.
Job expresses a crushing humiliation in this verse.
A Public Spectacle
He says, 'He has made me a byword of the peoples.' This means his suffering is so extreme and unusual that people use his name as a proverb to describe utter misery. His life has become a cautionary tale, a common reference point for misfortune.
The Ultimate Insult
The phrase 'and I am one before whom men spit' is even more visceral. Spitting was, and in some cultures still is, a sign of utter contempt and disgust. Job is not just talked about; he is actively reviled, treated as something repulsive.
This wasn't just about his friends' harsh words; it was the widespread societal reaction to his calamitous state. He feels God has allowed or ordained this public shaming.
What makes present suffering so unbearable? Often, it’s the stark memory of how good things once were. Job’s past glory makes his present shame cut even deeper.
Job heightens the agony of his current situation by contrasting it with his former status.
Once Celebrated, Now Despised
He recalls, 'aforetime I was as a tabret.' While the exact meaning is debated, the strongest interpretation points to a time when he was a source of delight, entertainment, or even praise. He was someone people wanted to be around, whose presence brought joy, perhaps like a musician or a cherished entertainer.
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A Complete Reversal
This wasn't just a fall from grace; it was a total inversion. The person who was once welcomed and applauded is now spat upon and used as a common insult. The joy he once inspired has turned into contempt. This dramatic shift amplifies his sense of loss and injustice.
Understand the original words
mashal · Hebrew Noun
A proverb, object of scorn, or a cautionary tale used to illustrate a negative example. In Scripture, it often refers to being a target of public derision or reproach.
This passage also speaks of a city becoming a 'proverb,' indicating that Job's suffering has reached such an extreme that his name and situation are now used as a common illustration of utter misery and disgrace.
Deuteronomy 28:37This verse directly parallels Job's experience, stating that the Israelites would become a 'proverb, a byword, and a mockery' among all nations if they were disobedient, highlighting the public shame and ridicule that Job is enduring.
Psalm 69:11The psalmist's lament in this verse, where he speaks of becoming a 'byword' and 'the talk of the drunkards,' echoes Job's deep humiliation and the way his suffering is mocked by others, even to his face.
Lamentations 3:14Jeremiah's feeling of being a 'laughingstock' and 'byword' to everyone, even as he speaks of God's hand upon him, resonates with Job's sense of being a public spectacle of divine displeasure.
Matthew 5:22Jesus' warning about calling someone a 'raca' (a term of contempt) connects to the idea of being a 'byword' or an object of scorn, underscoring the severity of verbal abuse and public shaming that Job is experiencing.
bensonJob 17:6: "He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret."
Job 17:6 . He — That is, God, who is generally designed by this pronoun in this book; hath made me also a by-word of the people — Or, a proverb, or subject of common talk. My miseries are so great and unprecedented that they fill all people with discourse, and are become proverbial to express extreme misery. And, or rather, but, or although, aforetime I was as a tabret — That is, I was the people’s delight…
clarkeJob 17:6: "He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret."
He hath made me also a by-word - My afflictions and calamities have become a subject of general conversation, so that my poverty and affliction are proverbial. As poor as Job, As afflicted as Job, are proverbs that have even reached our times and are still in use. Aforetime I was as a tabret - This is not the translation of the Hebrew ותפת לפנים אהיה vethopheth lephanim eheyeh. Instead of לפנים lephanim,…
Job dramatically shifts from being a source of public admiration to becoming a subject of utter scorn, so much so that people now spit at him. He highlights this jarring contrast, revealing how his former honor has been flipped into a byword for extreme suffering and disgrace.
Job is in the midst of immense suffering and is speaking to his friends who have come to comfort him, but instead, have accused him of hidden sin. He feels utterly abandoned by God and misunderstood by everyone, including his closest companions. In these verses, Job expresses how his current state has made him a spectacle of misery, contrasting it starkly with his former standing.
Job is in the midst of immense suffering and is speaking to his friends who have come to comfort him, but instead, have accused him of hidden sin. He feels utterly abandoned by God and misunderstood by everyone, including his closest companions. In these verses, Job expresses how his current state has made him a spectacle of misery, contrasting it starkly with his former standing.
"“He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit." — Job dramatically shifts from being a source of public admiration to becoming a subject of utter scorn, so much so that people now spit at him. He highlights this jarring contrast, revealing how his f…
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Last reviewed October 2026