Job 29:19 · Bible study
Job 29:19 Commentary: Watered Root, Dew on Branch
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study of Job 29:19's tree metaphor for prosperity, its ancient Near Eastern background, and the stark contrast with Job's later suffering.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Job recalls his former prosperity through the metaphor of a tree with abundant water, symbolizing divine blessing and security.
- Key words: ‘root’ (H8328), ‘opened’ (H6605), ‘water’ (H4325), ‘dew’ (H2919), ‘lodge’ (H3885).
- Main debate: Whether the verbs refer to the past (remembered), present (at the time of his speech), or future (his former expectation).
- Theological theme: The frailty of earthly blessing and the need for a hope that transcends circumstances.
- Best use: As a poignant contrast to suffering, showing how deeply Job felt the loss of God’s favour.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
My roots will spread out to the waters, and the dew will rest nightly on my branches.
WEB World English Bible 2000
My root is spread out to the waters. The dew lies all night on my branch.
KJV King James Version 1769
My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
My root is open unto the waters, And dew doth lodge on my branch.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
My root shall be spread out to the waters, and the dew will lie all night on my branch;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
My root is opened beside the waters, and dew shall continue in my harvest.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mi raíz estaba abierta junto á las aguas, y en mis ramas permanecía el rocío.
Minha raiz se estendia junto às águas, e o orvalho ficava de noite em meus ramos.
L’ eau pénétrera dans mes racines,
Meine Wurzel war aufgetan dem Wasser, und der Tau blieb über meinen Zweigen.
Mijn wortel was uitgebreid aan het water, en dauw vernachtte op mijn tak.
le mie radici si stenderanno verso l’acque, la rugiada passerà la notte sui miei rami;
Korzeń mój rozłoży się przy wodach, a rosa trwać będzie przez noc na gałązkach moich.
корень мой открыт для воды, и роса ночует на ветвях моих;
我的根 長 到 水邊；露水 終夜 霑在我的枝上。
My root will be open to the waters, and the night mist will be on my branches,
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 29:19
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Job 29:19 uses a tree metaphor to describe his former flourishing life. Adam Clarke notes the image of a healthy tree beside a rivulet, drawing on Psalms 1:3 and Jeremiah 17:8. Barnes adds that in a dry land like Arabia, a green tree near water was a striking image of prosperity. The Hebrew reads ‘my root is opened to the waters’, the root spread wide so it drinks freely. The tense is ambiguous (past, present, or future), but most see it as Job recalling what his life was like. The next clause, ‘the dew lies all night on my branch,’ reinforces this picture of constant refreshment. Cross-references sharpen the contrast: Job 18:16 describes the wicked with roots dried up and branches cut off. Job 29:19, then, sets up his former state of blessing before the disasters of Job 30.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse uses abundant water imagery to signify flourishing life, a common biblical metaphor for blessing.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Tense of the verbs | The verbs describe Job's former state of flourishing. | Some read them as past (description of what was), some as present (he still speaks as if it were), and some as future (his former expectation of continued prosperity). The Hebrew forms allow multiple renderings. |
| Tree species | The text does not specify a species; the metaphor is general. | Gill mentions that some interpreters think of a palm tree because of its need for water and its fruitfulness. Others see a generic tree beside water, as in Psalm 1. |
| Connection to the phoenix of verse 18 | Verse 19 continues the description of Job's former outlook. | Keil and Delitzsch discuss whether verse 18 refers to the phoenix bird (rising again) or to sand (many days). This affects whether verse 19 is read as immortality of reputation or literal long life. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Water was scarce in the ancient Near East. In Egypt and Arabia, crops depended on heavy night dews as much as on rainfall. Barnes quotes Volney’s travels to show how dew could drench travellers to the skin. A tree spreading its roots to a stream was therefore a picture of security and life. Job’s metaphor would have struck his audience with power. The word ‘opened’ (פָתוּחַ) suggests the root is deliberately exposed to moisture, the tree has access to all it needs. The dew ‘lodges’ (יָלִין) on the branch, staying overnight. This is not a brief sprinkle; it lingers. In Job’s culture, such an image meant honour, influence, and continuity. Job 29 describes him as a respected elder, a father to the needy, a judge whose words dropped like rain (vv.21-23). The tree metaphor in verse 19 anchors that description in the natural world. It also sets up the shock of Job 30, where he becomes a byword and outcast.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant manuscript variants for Job 29:19. The Hebrew text is stable across traditions, with minor differences in tense only in English translations, not in the original.
Reception History
Christian readers have regularly linked Job 29:19 to Psalm 1:3 and Jeremiah 17:8, seeing the tree image as a type of the righteous person nourished by God. The verse has been used in funeral sermons to describe the hope of a life that drew near to God, and in hymns that speak of the soul as a tree planted by rivers of water. Some church fathers (notably Gregory the Great) read Job’s past blessings as foreshadowing the rest the faithful will enjoy in the resurrection. Jewish tradition often saw it as a model of the ideal wise man, rooted in Torah. In both traditions, the verse’s poignancy is heightened by the knowledge of Job’s coming loss.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Rooted near the source: Job’s prosperity was not luck but the fruit of God’s favour. Like a tree planted by water (Ps 1:3), he drew life from divine blessing.
- Nourished by nightly dew: God’s care was constant, even when unseen. The dew on the branch speaks of quiet, sustaining grace.
- A future that never came: Job expected this to continue. But the contrast shows how quickly earthly abundance can vanish. Our hope rests on God, not circumstances.
Five-point outline
- Job’s former glory seen in tree imagery
- The picture of a root opened to water (intimacy with source)
- Dew as nightly renewal (God’s daily faithfulness)
- The shattered expectation (Job 30’s reversal)
- Christ as the true tree of life (John 15:1-5)
Illustration hooks
- A garden hose left open to trickle slowly keeps plants alive in a dry spell; steady provision over time matters more than one torrent.
- When a long drought breaks, the first green shoots remind us how deeply life depends on water.
- Someone who had a stable job and family for decades suddenly loses it all, the memory of that stability makes the loss sharper.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do good people who trust God sometimes lose everything?
- How do I hold onto hope when my circumstances collapse?
- Is it wrong to enjoy prosperity when others suffer?
Leading a Discussion
In Job 29:19, Job remembers a time when he felt as secure as a tree planted by water. Discuss what this picture reveals about his former life, and how it prepares us for the anguished chapters that follow.
Discussion questions
- What does the image of a tree with roots spread out to water tell you about Job’s sense of stability?
- Why do you think Job includes the detail of dew on the branch? What would dew mean in a dry climate?
- Compare Job 29:19 with Job 18:16. What contrast is Job drawing between his own past and the fate Bildad predicted for the wicked?
- Job 29 describes his prosperity as a judge and helper of the poor. How does verse 19 function as a summary of that life?
- The tense of the Hebrew verbs is ambiguous, past, present, or future. How does your choice affect how you read Job’s words?
- Psalm 1:3 uses a very similar tree image for the righteous person. Does Job see himself as righteous here? Why or why not?
- When you have lost something precious, do you tend to remember the good times like Job does? How can that memory help or hinder your faith?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 18:16 | His roots will be dried up beneath. His branch will be cut off above. |
| Psalms 1:3 | He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper. |
| Jeremiah 17:8 | For he will be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but its leaf will be green, and will not be concerned in the year of drought. It won’t cease from yielding fruit. |
| Hosea 14:5 | I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily, and send down his roots like Lebanon. |
| Hosea 14:7 | Men will dwell in his shade. They will revive like the grain, and blossom like the vine. Their fragrance will be like the wine of Lebanon. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the phrase my root was spread out by the waters describes a tree with roots near flowing water. He says this image shows the tree flourishes year round and keeps its leaves and fruit. This gives hope that those who trust God will have lasting strength.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that the image of a tree spreading its roots by water and receiving nightly dew would have been far more striking in the arid East than in a humid climate. In a desert where rain is rare and vegetation depends on heavy dews, this picture of flourishing prosperity carried a power that modern readers easily miss.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges sees these verses as describing Job’s hope for a future time when his life will flourish again. He looks forward to a season when his roots grow strong by water and his branches stay moist with dew day and night.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes sees the roots of the olive tree as lying near water so that dew falls on them. This image shows how God provides daily nourishment to those who trust in him.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads Job's tree metaphor as covering both his worldly success and his spiritual condition, noting that the Hebrew phrase "my root open to the waters" suggests roots deliberately exposed so water can reach them freely. He likewise takes the dew on the branch as a sign of refreshing that keeps the whole person fruitful and flourishing.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes this word means opened to the waters indicating vigorous health. Some read it as referring to Job 18 16. Both views relate to physical strength.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that the Hebrew word in this verse refers to the mythical phoenix, not sand. They defend this reading through Jewish tradition, the Septuagint translation, and the Masoretic distinction between this passage and the usual word for sand. The phoenix, rising anew from death, fits Job's context better than a simple comparison to grains of sand.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange frames Job's final speech as a soliloquy, not an argument with the friends. Job here sets forth the negative side of the problem: his suffering did not come from any moral failing, so its cause must lie deeper. This clears the ground for the divine answer to follow.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Job imagined dying in his comfortable home because he saw no reason to fear death. He believed he could live as long as the sand and that his peace would continue forever.