Job 30:10 (KJV)

What does Job 30:10 mean?

Job 30:10 describes how Job’s place among other people has fallen. He says that people treat him as someone disgusting and do not hold back from openly humiliating him. Their behavior shows how deeply his standing in the community has changed.

Job is speaking about people he has just described mocking him in verse 9. Spitting in someone’s face was an act of contempt, not merely a sign of disagreement. Job portrays their rejection as both public and personal.

The Hebrew behind Job 30:10

• “abhor” — תָּעַב (taʿav): This word can mean to regard someone or something as repulsive. It conveys a reaction stronger than ordinary dislike.
• “spare not” — חָשַׂךְ (chasakh): This word can carry the sense of holding back or restraining oneself. Job says the people place no such restraint on their insulting behavior.

Why Job 30:10 matters

• Job’s complaint includes a sharp reversal in how people treat him. Earlier, he recalls being respected in public; now he says people “abhor” him and spit in his face (Job 29:7–11).
• The verse shows that Job’s distress involves more than his physical suffering. His words describe rejection by other people as part of the pain he is recounting.