Job 30:26
in Job 30But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When I looked for good, then evil came; And when I waited for light, there came darkness.
KJV
When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
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This verse in Job 30
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
When I looked for good - When I supposed that respect would be shown me; or when I looked forward to an honored old age. I expected to be made happy and prosperous through life, as the result of my uprightness and benevolence; but, instead of that, calamity came and swept all my comforts away. He experienced the instability which most people are called to experience, and the divine dealings with him showed that no reliance could be placed on confident plans of happiness in this life.
This site's exposition
when I hoped for good, evil came
on Job 30:26-28
“But when I hoped for good, evil came”, and “when I looked for light, darkness fell”, restating the reversal that opened the chapter. Behind “I am churning within” stands the Hebrew for boiling bowels, which Delitzsch reads as the inner heat of continual fever.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
In return for these works of mercy, "I expected good things," the prosperity of this world according to the opinion of his friends, "and evil things," adversities, "came to me" which clearly demonstrates that their opinion was false. "I waited for the light," the consolation …
When I looked for good, then evil came unto me; and when I waited for light, there broke forth darkness.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): " When I looked for good, for more good, or at least for the continuance of what I had, then evil came "--such uncertain things are all our worldly enjoyments, and such a folly is it to feed ourselves with great expectations from them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
When I looked for good,....
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| ט֣וֹב | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| קִ֭וִּיתִי | kiviti | I waited for | H6960 → | 49 times |
| וַיָּ֣בֹא | vaiyavo' | and it came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| רָ֑ע | ra' | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| וַֽאֲיַחֲלָ֥ה | vaayachalah | and I waited | H3176 → | 41 times |
| לְ֝א֗וֹר | leor | for light | H216 → | 121 times |
| וַיָּ֥בֹא | vaiyavo' | and it came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֹֽפֶל׃ | ʾofel | darkness | H652 → | 9 times |
כִּ֤יif
kiH3588 →4482 times
ט֣וֹבgood
tovH2896 →538 times
קִ֭וִּיתִיI waited for
kivitiH6960 →49 times
וַיָּ֣בֹאand it came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
רָ֑עevil
ra'H7451 →662 times
וַֽאֲיַחֲלָ֥הand I waited
vaayachalahH3176 →41 times
לְ֝א֗וֹרfor light
leorH216 →121 times
וַיָּ֥בֹאand it came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
אֹֽפֶל׃darkness
ʾofelH652 →9 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 97:11Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
it leads to
- James 5:7–11
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- John 12:46
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
- Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- Isaiah 60:1–2
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
- Job 22:28
Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.
- James 5:7–11
Through
Jeremiah 14:19Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come, and for the time of…
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Lamentations 5:22
unless You have utterly rejected us and remain angry with us beyond measure.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3
Through
Jeremiah 8:15We hoped for peace, but no good has come, for a time of healing, but there was only terror.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 14:19
Have You rejected Judah completely? Do You despise Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We hoped for peace, but no good has come, and for the time of…
- Jeremiah 14:19
About Job
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XX; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.