So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.

JOB 33:20KJV
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Job 33:20 (KJV)

What does Job 33:20 mean?

Job 33:20 describes a person who has become so troubled or afflicted that even basic food is repulsive to him, and he no longer desires even the finest meals. The verse uses the image of losing all appetite for bread and delicacies to show deep distress or suffering.

In this part of the book of Job, Elihu is speaking to Job and explaining how suffering can humble a person and turn their heart away from pride. Elihu describes how intense pain or illness can make someone lose interest in eating, even things they once enjoyed, as a way of showing how suffering affects both body and spirit.

The Hebrew behind Job 33:20

  • "life" (חַיִּים, chayyim): This word often refers to one's physical life or vitality. Here, it highlights how suffering can drain a person's very will to live, not just their appetite.
  • "abhorreth" (זָעַב, za'av): This verb means to loathe or reject with disgust. The use of such a strong word emphasizes the depth of the person's misery.
  • "dainty" (מַטְעַמָּה, mat'amah): This word refers to something tasty or desirable, a delicacy. The verse points out that even the most appealing foods become unappealing in deep distress.

Why Job 33:20 matters

  • Job 33:20 makes clear that suffering can affect both the body and the soul, showing how physical pain and emotional turmoil are closely connected in human experience.
  • The verse helps explain why Job, in his suffering, speaks and acts so differently than he did before his troubles began; it is not just spiritual but also deeply physical.
  • This verse sets up Elihu’s larger point that suffering can serve a purpose, humbling a person and turning them toward God, which is a key theme in Elihu’s speeches.

Where else these words appear

“dainty” Hebrew H8378 · used in 20 verses

  • Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
  • Psalms 78:29 So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
  • Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

“meat” Hebrew H3978 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
  • Isaiah 62:8 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: