The Meaning of Job 29:6 Explained

Job 29:6

KJV: When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

YLT: When washing my goings with butter, And the firm rock is with me rivulets of oil.

Darby: When my steps were bathed in milk, and the rock poured out beside me rivers of oil! ...

ASV: When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil!

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When I washed  my steps  with butter,  and the rock  poured me out  rivers  of oil; 

What does Job 29:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 29:1-25 - The Bitter Memory Of The Happy Past
How many thousands, looking back on the beautiful dawn of life which has become overcast, have uttered the thought of the opening words of this chapter! The worldling has no hope of the renewal of that blessed past; but the believer knows that in Christ he belongs to the eternal order, which enters into the devastation wrought by sin, arresting, canceling and converting evil into good.
If we believe in Jesus Christ, submit to His will, and unite ourselves to His heart, "a statelier Eden" comes back to us. God watches over us for good; His lamp shines on our way; His friendship is in our tent, and His love transfigures all things. The graphic description which follows of the life of a godly man is still true when a man's ways please the Lord. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 29

1  Job bemoans his former prosperity

What do the individual words in Job 29:6 mean?

When were bathed my steps with cream and the rock poured out for me rivers of oil
בִּרְחֹ֣ץ הֲלִיכַ֣י בְּחֵמָ֑ה וְצ֥וּר יָצ֥וּק עִ֝מָּדִ֗י פַּלְגֵי־ שָֽׁמֶן

בִּרְחֹ֣ץ  When  were  bathed 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: רָחַץ  
Sense: to wash, wash off, wash away, bathe.
הֲלִיכַ֣י  my  steps 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: הָלִיךְ  
Sense: step.
בְּחֵמָ֑ה  with  cream 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶמְאָה  
Sense: curd, butter.
וְצ֥וּר  and  the  rock 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צוּר 
Sense: rock, cliff.
יָצ֥וּק  poured  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צוּק  
Sense: (Qal) to pour out, melt.
עִ֝מָּדִ֗י  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עִמָּד  
Sense: with.
פַּלְגֵי־  rivers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: פֶּלֶג  
Sense: channel, canal.
שָֽׁמֶן  of  oil 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁמֶן  
Sense: fat, oil.