As through a wide breach they come; amid the crash they roll on.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job isn't just describing enemies attacking; he's using the image of a city wall being breached and flooded to convey utter, overwhelming destruction. The phrase "amid the crash" captures not just noise, but the terrifying sound of fortifications crumbling, allowing the flood of his enemies to pour in unstoppably.
As through a wide breach they come; amid the crash they roll on.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is vividly describing the relentless and overwhelming attack of his enemies, likening their onslaught to a breached dam or a city wall crumbling under siege. They surge in with destructive force, not as individual attackers, but as an unstoppable tide amidst the chaos of destruction, completely overwhelming him in his state of ruin.
Job paints a picture of his suffering not as a gentle rain, but a catastrophic flood. What does this imagery tell us about the nature of his pain?
Job uses the powerful metaphor of a breached dam to describe his tormentors.
The Unstoppable Force
Think of a city wall, strong and protective. Suddenly, a siege breaks through! It's not a trickle, but a 'wide breach.' The ancient commentators note that the Hebrew doesn't even mention 'waters' here, emphasizing the force of the breach itself. It's the sound of destruction, the 'crash' of walls collapsing.
Rolling In Undeterred
And then, the 'rolling in.' This isn't a hesitant advance; it's a relentless, tumbling surge. Whether it's an invading army pouring through a broken wall or a flood rushing through a gap, the image is one of unstoppable, overwhelming power. Job feels completely inundated and defenseless against this onslaught.
Job's attackers don't just defeat him; they aim for complete ruin. What does this pursuit of 'desolation' reveal about his enemy's intent?
The phrase 'in the desolation' is crucial here. It signifies more than just the chaos of the attack; it points to the purpose behind it.
The Goal of Ruin
Job feels his enemies are not just attacking him, but actively seeking to make him 'desolate.' This word suggests a complete wiping out, leaving nothing behind. It’s the feeling of being reduced to rubble, of having everything precious destroyed.
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The Inevitable Outcome
They 'roll themselves upon me' in this desolation. It’s as if the very act of destruction is the ground upon which they advance, or the purpose they fulfill. They aren't just causing damage; they are bringing about utter emptiness and loss. This isn't just pain; it's the experience of annihilation.
Job's description of being overwhelmed uses the powerful, terrifying imagery of a city under siege, its walls breached by relentless invaders and their destructive flood-like onslaught. This reflects the brutal realities of ancient warfare and the vulnerability of even the strongest defenses.
c. 1500-1000 BC
Patriarchal Period & Early Israelite Settlement
The Book of Job is traditionally set in the patriarchal period before the Law was given, a time when El (God) was known and acknowledged, but without the specific structures of Mosaic Law. This era was characterized by nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles and developing societal norms.
c. 900-700 BC
Authorship and Wisdom Literature Flourishing
Many scholars place the composition of the Book of Job during the period of Israel's flourishing monarchy or later, attributing it to the 'wisdom literature' tradition. This was a time when profound questions about life, suffering, and justice were explored by sages.
c. 800 BC— this verse
Assyrian Empire's Growing Power
The Assyrian Empire was a dominant military force in the ancient Near East, known for its brutal sieges and conquests. This context of powerful, aggressive empires provides a backdrop for understanding the violent imagery of invasion and destruction.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian conquest and destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel represent a massive national trauma. This event, a stark example of divine judgment and human suffering on a grand scale, would have been fresh in the minds of many.
c. 605-562 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
The Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II began deporting Judeans to Babylon. This period of exile was a profound crisis of faith, forcing people to confront the reasons for their suffering and loss.
This passage uses the same imagery of a 'breach' or 'breaking through' to describe a powerful, overwhelming attack, specifically David's victory over the Philistines at Baal-perazim where God 'broke through' his enemies like a flood of water.
Isaiah 30:13This verse speaks of a 'breach' in a wall that 'bulges' and is about to fall, creating a powerful destructive force, much like the overwhelming onslaught Job describes.
Psalms 18:4While the psalmist describes being surrounded by 'waves of death' and 'torrents of destruction,' this parallel captures a similar sense of being overwhelmed by forces that feel unstoppable and terrifying, mirroring Job's experience.
Jeremiah 46:7-8Here, the prophet uses the metaphor of Egypt rising like the Nile in flood and its waters churning to describe the unstoppable advance of the Babylonian army, echoing the imagery of a massive, destructive inundation.
clarkeJob 30:14: "They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me."
They came upon me as a wide breaking in - They storm me on every side. In the desolation they rolled themselves - When they had made the breach, they rolled in upon me as an irresistible torrent. There still appears to be an allusion to a besieged city: the sap, the breach, the storm, the flight, the pursuit, and the slaughter. See the following verse, Job 30:15 (note).
bensonJob 30:14: "They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me."
Job 30:14 . They came as a wide breaking in of waters — As fiercely and violently as a river doth when a great breach is made in the bank which kept it in. Hebrew, כפרצ רחב , cheperetz rachab, as at a wide breach, as a besieging army, having made a breach in the walls of the city, do suddenly and forcibly rush into it. The word waters, the reader will observe, is not in the Hebrew.…
Job isn't just describing enemies attacking; he's using the image of a city wall being breached and flooded to convey utter, overwhelming destruction. The phrase "amid the crash" captures not just noise, but the terrifying sound of fortifications crumbling, allowing the flood of his enemies to pour in unstoppably.
Job is vividly describing the relentless and overwhelming attack of his enemies, likening their onslaught to a breached dam or a city wall crumbling under siege. They surge in with destructive force, not as individual attackers, but as an unstoppable tide amidst the chaos of destruction, completely overwhelming him in his state of ruin.
Job is vividly describing the relentless and overwhelming attack of his enemies, likening their onslaught to a breached dam or a city wall crumbling under siege. They surge in with destructive force, not as individual attackers, but as an unstoppable tide amidst the chaos of destruction, completely overwhelming him in his state of ruin.
"As through a wide breach they come; amid the crash they roll on." — Job isn't just describing enemies attacking; he's using the image of a city wall being breached and flooded to convey utter, overwhelming destruction. The phrase "amid the crash" captures not just no…
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Last reviewed October 2026