My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job’s friends are like desert streams that swell mightily during the rainy season but quickly dry up in the heat. Their initial show of concern promised refreshment, but when Job truly needed their support, their friendship vanished like water into thirsty sand.
My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job's three friends, who initially came to comfort him, have instead spoken harsh judgments against him. Job feels utterly abandoned and betrayed by these men, whom he considered his brothers and expected to be pillars of support. He now compares them to desert streams that appear full and promising, but quickly vanish when truly needed, leaving thirsty travelers deceived.
Job was in the depths of despair, and he turned to his closest friends for solace. What he found, however, was far from the comfort he desperately needed.
Imagine a parched traveler in the desert, whose only hope is a promised water source. Job felt this same desperate hope when his friends arrived. They were his 'brethren,' people he expected loyalty and support from, especially in his extreme suffering. But their words and actions weren't a refreshing spring; they were a 'torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away.' This imagery powerfully conveys how their friendship, which seemed strong and abundant at first, ultimately failed him when he needed it most. It was a betrayal of the comfort and aid he had every right to expect.
The desert streams can look promising, even life-giving, but their deceptive nature becomes tragically clear when they vanish without a trace. Job's friends were just like that.
The key to this powerful image lies in its context: the arid desert. Torrents there are born from sudden, intense rains, swelling rapidly into formidable rivers that promise relief. However, these same waters are quickly absorbed by the thirsty ground or evaporate under the scorching sun, leaving behind a dry, deceptive riverbed. Job's friends acted similarly. Their initial professions of loyalty and comfort were like a flash flood – impressive but temporary. When Job's suffering intensified, their support dried up, leaving him more exposed and alone. Their 'friendship' was an illusion, offering the appearance of refreshment but providing none when truly needed.
Understand the original words
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bagad · Hebrew Adjective/Verb
Describes someone who is faithless, deceptive, or violates covenantal trust. It implies a betrayal of expected support or loyalty.
This passage speaks of those who have forsaken God, the 'spring of living water,' for broken cisterns, highlighting the theme of finding true, enduring support in God rather than in fleeting human endeavors.
Isaiah 58:11The Lord promises to be like a 'well watered garden' and a 'spring of water, whose waters do not fail,' contrasting with the ephemeral, unreliable streams Job describes.
Psalm 78:19This psalm describes the Israelites testing God and speaking against Him, asking, 'Can God spread a table in the wilderness?' much like Job's friends who failed to provide the expected sustenance or relief.
John 4:14Jesus offers the 'living water' that becomes a 'spring of water gushing up to eternal life,' a divine provision that stands in stark contrast to the temporary and deceitful streams of human relationships.
jfbJob 6:15: "My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;"
- Those whom I regarded as "my brethren," from whom I looked for faithfulness in my adversity, have disappointed me, as the streams failing from drought—wadies of Arabia, filled in the winter, but dry in the summer, which disappoint the caravans expecting to find water there. The fulness and noise of these temporary streams answer to the past large and loud professions of my friends; their d…
pulpitJob 6:15: "My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;"
Verse 15. - My brethren; i.e. "my three friends," Eliphaz, who has spoken; Bildad and Zophar, who by their silence have shown their agreement with him. Have dealt deceitfully as a brook; i.e. "a winter torrent" - a "wady," to use the modern Arab expression. These watercourses are characteristic of Palestine and the adjacent regions. "During the winter months," says Dr. Cunningham Geikie, "they…
Job’s friends are like desert streams that swell mightily during the rainy season but quickly dry up in the heat. Their initial show of concern promised refreshment, but when Job truly needed their support, their friendship vanished like water into thirsty sand.
Job's three friends, who initially came to comfort him, have instead spoken harsh judgments against him. Job feels utterly abandoned and betrayed by these men, whom he considered his brothers and expected to be pillars of support. He now compares them to desert streams that appear full and promising, but quickly vanish when truly needed, leaving thirsty travelers deceived.
Job's three friends, who initially came to comfort him, have instead spoken harsh judgments against him. Job feels utterly abandoned and betrayed by these men, whom he considered his brothers and expected to be pillars of support. He now compares them to desert streams that appear full and promising, but quickly vanish when truly needed, leaving thirsty travelers deceived.
"My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away," — Job’s friends are like desert streams that swell mightily during the rainy season but quickly dry up in the heat. Their initial show of concern promised refreshment, but when Job truly needed their s…
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Last reviewed October 2026