Job 6:12
New International Version
Do I have the strength of stone? Is my flesh bronze?

New Living Translation
Do I have the strength of a stone? Is my body made of bronze?

English Standard Version
Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?

Berean Standard Bible
Is my strength like that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze?

King James Bible
Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

New King James Version
Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze?

New American Standard Bible
“Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

NASB 1995
“Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

NASB 1977
“Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

Legacy Standard Bible
Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?

Amplified Bible
“Is my strength and endurance that of stones, Or is my flesh made of bronze?

Christian Standard Bible
Is my strength that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Is my strength that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze?

American Standard Version
Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass?

Contemporary English Version
I am not strong as stone or bronze,

English Revised Version
Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do I have the strength of rocks? Does my body have the strength of bronze?

Good News Translation
Am I made of stone? Is my body bronze?

International Standard Version
Am I as strong as a rock? Am I some kind of iron man?

Majority Standard Bible
Is my strength like that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze?

NET Bible
Is my strength like that of stones? or is my flesh made of bronze?

New Heart English Bible
Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of bronze?

Webster's Bible Translation
Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

World English Bible
Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of bronze?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh bronze?

Young's Literal Translation
Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh brazen?

Smith's Literal Translation
If my strength the strength of stones? if my flesh of brass?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
My strength is not the strength of stones, nor is my flesh of brass.

Catholic Public Domain Version
My strength is not the strength of stones, nor is my flesh made of bronze.

New American Bible
Have I the strength of stones, or is my flesh of bronze?

New Revised Standard Version
Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Oh, that my power were as the power of stone, or my flesh were of brass!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Replies: My Complaint is Just
11What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What is my future, that I should be patient? 12Is my strength like that of stone, or my flesh made of bronze? 13Is there any help within me now that success is driven from me?…

Cross References
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. / That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak. / Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. / But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

Psalm 22:14-15
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me. / My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us. / We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. ...

Isaiah 41:10
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Matthew 26:41
“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

Isaiah 40:6-8
A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. / The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. / The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Psalm 39:4-5
“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is. / You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. / Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Psalm 102:3-5
For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers. / My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread. / Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones.

Romans 7:18-24
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. / For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. / And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?

of brass.

Job 40:18
His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.

Job 41:24
His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

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Job 6
1. Job shows that his complaints are not causeless.
8. He wishes for death, wherein he is assured of comfort.
14. He reproves his friends of unkindness.














Is my strength
The Hebrew word for "strength" here is "koach," which often denotes physical power or capacity. In the context of Job's lament, it reflects his questioning of his own endurance amidst suffering. Job is rhetorically asking if he possesses an unnatural, superhuman strength. This highlights the human condition of vulnerability and the limits of human endurance. In a broader scriptural context, it reminds us that true strength is found not in human capacity but in reliance on God, as seen in passages like Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

like that of stone
The imagery of "stone" suggests something unyielding and impervious to harm. Stones in the ancient Near East were often used as symbols of permanence and resilience. Job's use of this metaphor underscores his feeling of being overwhelmed by his trials, as he acknowledges that he is not as unbreakable as stone. This metaphor serves to remind believers of the frailty of human life and the need for divine support, as stones, though strong, are lifeless and cannot endure the trials of life without God's sustaining power.

or my flesh
The term "flesh" in Hebrew is "basar," which refers to the physical body, emphasizing human mortality and weakness. Job contrasts his flesh with the enduring nature of stone and bronze, highlighting the vulnerability and transience of human life. This serves as a poignant reminder of the human condition post-Fall, where the body is subject to decay and suffering, pointing to the need for redemption and the hope of resurrection through Christ.

made of bronze
Bronze, known for its strength and durability, was a common metal in the ancient world, used for tools, weapons, and armor. By questioning if his flesh is "made of bronze," Job is expressing the absurdity of expecting him to withstand his suffering without breaking. This metaphor illustrates the unrealistic expectations sometimes placed on individuals to endure hardship without faltering. It also serves as a reminder of the biblical truth that while human strength is limited, God's strength is perfect and made manifest in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Verse 12. - Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass? It would require a man to have a body of brass, and strength like that of rocks, for him to be able to endure the ravages of such a disease, and yet to recover from it. Job cannot pretend to either.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Is my strength
כֹּ֣חַ (kō·aḥ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3581: A small reptile (of unknown species)

like that
כֹּחִ֑י (kō·ḥî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3581: A small reptile (of unknown species)

of stone,
אֲבָנִ֣ים (’ă·ḇā·nîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 68: A stone

or
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

my flesh
בְּשָׂרִ֥י (bə·śā·rî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man

made of bronze?
נָחֽוּשׁ׃ (nā·ḥūš)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 5153: Coppery, hard


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OT Poetry: Job 6:12 Is my strength the strength of stones? (Jb)
Job 6:11
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