To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

JOB 38:27KJV
Know the Bible

Job 38:27 (KJV)

What does Job 38:27 mean?

Job 38:27 describes how God provides water to barren and deserted land, making it possible for new plants to grow. The verse highlights God’s care for even the most desolate places, showing His power to bring life where there was none.

In this part of the book, God is speaking directly to Job, challenging him to consider the wonders of creation that only God controls. The verse is part of a larger speech where God asks Job if he understands or can explain the natural processes that God oversees, emphasizing God’s wisdom and authority over the earth.

The Hebrew behind Job 38:27

  • "Satisfy" (שָׂבַע, savaʿ) means to fill or to provide abundantly. Here, it refers to God giving enough water to the dry ground, not just a little, but in a way that fully meets its need.
  • "Desolate" (שָׁאָה, shaʾah) points to a place that is laid waste or in ruins, emphasizing how lifeless and empty the land is before God acts.
  • "Waste" (מְצוֹרָה, metzorah) refers to a dry, parched place, reinforcing the idea of a landscape that cannot support life on its own.
  • "Bud" (צֶמַח, tsemach) and "herb" (דֶּשֶׁא, deshe) together describe the new, tender growth that appears when God sends rain, highlighting the transformation from barrenness to life.

Why Job 38:27 matters

  • Job 38:27 makes clear that God’s care extends even to places people might consider hopeless or forgotten, showing His attention to every part of creation.
  • The verse challenges the idea that nature operates independently, reminding the reader that God is actively involved in sustaining and renewing the earth.
  • In the context of God’s speech to Job, this verse underlines how limited human understanding is compared to God’s wisdom and power, inviting humility and awe.

Where else these words appear

“waste” Hebrew H4875 · used in 3 verses

  • Job 30:3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
  • Zephaniah 1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

“desolate” Hebrew H7722 · used in 12 verses

  • Job 30:3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.
  • Psalms 35:17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
  • Isaiah 10:3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

“herb” Hebrew H1877 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • 2 Kings 19:26 Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as corn blasted before it be grown up.
  • Isaiah 15:6 For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

“bud” Hebrew H4161 · used in 26 verses

  • Numbers 30:12 But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:30 This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.
  • Isaiah 41:18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.