For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job isn't just saying he's sad; he's saying his anguish is so constant it replaces the very act of eating. His groans aren't just occasional noises, but an overwhelming flood, implying his suffering is a ceaseless, torrent-like force consuming him.
For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job, overwhelmed by immense suffering, curses the day he was born, questioning why life is given to those in such agony. He expresses that his constant sighing and groaning have replaced any comfort or enjoyment from food, feeling as though his deep anguish is now his only sustenance. His words reveal a man utterly consumed by pain, unable to find relief or peace.
Job describes his suffering so intensely that it literally consumed him. What does it mean for our deepest pain to replace our basic needs?
Job uses powerful imagery to convey the overwhelming nature of his anguish. He says, "my sighing comes instead of my bread." This isn't just about a lack of appetite; it's about his pain being so constant and consuming that it fills the space where comfort and sustenance should be.
Think about it:
Job's outcries aren't just loud; they're relentless and overwhelming, compared to a flood. What does this reveal about the power and inevitability of his grief?
The second part of the verse, "and my groanings are poured out like water," paints a picture of uncontrollable and abundant sorrow. The imagery of water, especially a flood or torrent, speaks to several things:
The Power of Grief
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It’s the sound of a soul completely overcome, where cries are not just heard but felt in their sheer, uncontainable abundance.
Understand the original words
anachah · Hebrew Noun
A deep, audible expiration of breath signaling profound sorrow, distress, or physical pain; it is a manifestation of the soul's anguish before God.
she'agah · Hebrew Noun
A deep, involuntary sound of grief or intense suffering; it denotes the outward expression of an internal state of being overwhelmed.
This passage echoes Job's sentiment, directly stating 'My tears have been my meat day and night,' highlighting how deep sorrow can consume one's very sustenance and replace the basic need for food.
Psalm 102:9Here, the psalmist speaks of ashes as his bread and mixing tears with his drink, much like Job's 'sighing comes instead of my bread,' showing a profound connection between grief and the physical experience of consuming food.
Lamentations 1:20-22In Lamentations, the prophet cries out to God, describing his inner anguish and the inability to find comfort, which resonates with Job's overwhelming 'roarings poured out like the waters' that offer no relief.
Romans 8:26This New Testament passage speaks of the Spirit helping us in our weakness, interceding for us with 'groanings too deep for words.' This offers a theological parallel to Job's deep, uncontainable groans that seem to exceed human expression and capability.
bensonJob 3:24: "For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters."
Job 3:24 . For my sighing cometh before I eat — Hebrew, before the face of my bread. Instead of enjoying the satisfaction of being refreshed with the common necessaries that are afforded us, and taking any pleasure in eating and drinking, which are granted for comfort as well as sustenance, my cries and tears are my meat and drink. And my roarings are poured out like the waters — So severe is my pain…
clarkeJob 3:24: "For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters."
For my sighing cometh - Some think that this refers to the ulcerated state of Job's body, mouth, hands, etc. He longed for food, but was not able to lift it to his mouth with his hands, nor masticate it when brought thither. This is the sense in which Origen has taken the words. But perhaps it is most natural to suppose that he means his sighing took away all appetite, and served him in place of meat…
Job isn't just saying he's sad; he's saying his anguish is so constant it replaces the very act of eating. His groans aren't just occasional noises, but an overwhelming flood, implying his suffering is a ceaseless, torrent-like force consuming him.
Job, overwhelmed by immense suffering, curses the day he was born, questioning why life is given to those in such agony. He expresses that his constant sighing and groaning have replaced any comfort or enjoyment from food, feeling as though his deep anguish is now his only sustenance. His words reveal a man utterly consumed by pain, unable to find relief or peace.
Job, overwhelmed by immense suffering, curses the day he was born, questioning why life is given to those in such agony. He expresses that his constant sighing and groaning have replaced any comfort or enjoyment from food, feeling as though his deep anguish is now his only sustenance. His words reveal a man utterly consumed by pain, unable to find relief or peace.
"For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water." — Job isn't just saying he's sad; he's saying his anguish is so constant it replaces the very act of eating. His groans aren't just occasional noises, but an overwhelming flood, implying his suffering…
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Last reviewed October 2026