I am a brother of jackals and a companion of ostriches. My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bones burn with heat. My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job isn't just sad; he's saying his cries are so mournful and desolate that they mimic the sounds of creatures known for their wailing in lonely, ruined places. This imagery shows his deep despair, making him feel kinship with these wild, mournful animals.
I am a brother of jackals and a companion of ostriches. My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bones burn with heat. My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job, in his despair, feels so utterly abandoned that he likens himself to desolate, wild creatures known for their mournful cries. He describes himself as a "brother" to jackals and a "companion" to ostriches, emphasizing his own lament and alienation from human society. This imagery follows his cry of anguish in the previous verse and sets the stage for his continued descent into profound suffering and self-pity.
Job feels so utterly abandoned that he identifies with the loneliest, most mournful creatures of the desolate wild. What does this reveal about his inner state?
In Job 30:29, Job isn't just saying he's sad; he's painting a visceral picture of his despair. He declares himself a "brother to jackals" and a "companion to ostriches."
Sounds of Desolation
Scholars point out that both jackals and ostriches were known in ancient times for their mournful, desolate cries, especially in the wild, lonely places they inhabited.
Job is saying his own cries of anguish are just like theirs. He's not just crying; he's wailing and howling in his suffering, finding kinship with these creatures of the wasteland.
It's not just the sounds, but the places these creatures inhabit that deepens Job's sense of abandonment. What does this tell us about God's presence?
Job's identification with jackals and ostriches goes beyond their sounds; it extends to their habitats. These animals are symbols of the wild, the desolate, and the forsaken places of the earth.
Ask a follow-up
Living on the Fringe
By calling himself their "brother" and "companion," Job is expressing his feeling of being utterly cast out, not just from human society but from any sense of comfort or divine presence. He feels he belongs nowhere but in the harshest, most forgotten corners of creation.
Understand the original words
ach · Hebrew Noun
In biblical imagery, the 'brother' of animals signifies a state of total social alienation and abandonment. It indicates that the person has been cast out of human society and is left to dwell among the desolate and wild things.
kinnor · Hebrew Noun
A stringed musical instrument frequently used in the Bible for praise, worship, and celebrations of joy. Its association with mourning here signifies a total reversal of Job’s former status and his relationship with God.
ebel · Hebrew Noun
The expression of deep grief or sorrow, often associated with lamentation for the dead or national calamity. It represents a profound emotional and spiritual state of anguish.
ugab · Hebrew Noun
A wind instrument, often translated as 'flute' or 'pipe,' used in festive occasions or processions. Like the lyre, its transition to a voice of weeping highlights the complete inversion of Job's life from joy to sorrow.
bakah · Hebrew Verb
The act of shedding tears due to grief, pain, or distress. In a biblical context, it often serves as an expression of genuine human suffering and is sometimes directed toward God as a plea for mercy.
This verse explicitly connects the 'jackals' (translated as dragons in some older versions) with mourning and desolate places, directly mirroring Job's description of his own cries sounding like these wild animals.
Job 39:13-18This passage describes the ostrich, highlighting its foolishness and its cry. It reinforces the idea that Job is comparing his own lamentations to the mournful sounds of creatures known for their distress and dwelling in barren lands.
Lamentations 5:17-18Here, the people of Judah lament that their 'hearts are faint' and they mourn because 'Mount Zion lies desolate and the jackals prowl over it.' This echoes Job's isolation and sorrow, associating his distress with the signs of utter ruin.
Psalm 44:19This Psalm describes the people's suffering, stating, 'Our hearts have not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way, yet you have crushed us in the place of jackals and covered us with the shadow of death.' This links the presence of jackals with a state of deep affliction and God's apparent abandonment.
wesleyJob 30:29: "I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls."
30:29 A brother - By imitation of their cries: persons of like qualities are often called brethren. Dragon - Which howl and wail mournfully in the deserts.
ellicottJob 30:29: "I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls."
(29) Dragons and owls are, according to some moderns, jackals and ostriches.
Job isn't just sad; he's saying his cries are so mournful and desolate that they mimic the sounds of creatures known for their wailing in lonely, ruined places. This imagery shows his deep despair, making him feel kinship with these wild, mournful animals.
Job, in his despair, feels so utterly abandoned that he likens himself to desolate, wild creatures known for their mournful cries. He describes himself as a "brother" to jackals and a "companion" to ostriches, emphasizing his own lament and alienation from human society. This imagery follows his cry of anguish in the previous verse and sets the stage for his continued descent into profound suffering and self-pity.
Job, in his despair, feels so utterly abandoned that he likens himself to desolate, wild creatures known for their mournful cries. He describes himself as a "brother" to jackals and a "companion" to ostriches, emphasizing his own lament and alienation from human society. This imagery follows his cry of anguish in the previous verse and sets the stage for his continued descent into profound suffering and self-pity.
"I am a brother of jackals and a companion of ostriches. My skin turns black and falls from me, and my bones burn with heat. My lyre is turned to mourning, and my pipe to the voice of those who weep." — Job isn't just sad; he's saying his cries are so mournful and desolate that they mimic the sounds of creatures known for their wailing in lonely, ruined places. This imagery shows his deep despair, m…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026