Lexical Summary garad: To scrape, scratch Original Word: גָּרַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance scrape A primitive root; to abrade -- scrape. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to scrape, scratch NASB Translation scrape (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [גָּרַד] verb scrape, scratch (Late Hebrew id., Aramaic גְּרַד,  & Phoenician מגרדם flesh-scrapers CIS338. 4; compare also Arabic  peel or strip off bark, shave hair from a hide etc.) — Hithpa`el Infinitive לְהִתְגָּרֵד scrape one's self Job 2:8. Topical Lexicon Literal Action Described The verb denotes the physical act of scraping or scratching something away, usually with a sharp or rough instrument. In the ancient world this action ranged from routine tasks (removing debris or smoothing surfaces) to intensely personal acts of distress, where the body itself became the surface being scraped. Biblical Occurrence Job 2:8 presents the sole canonical use: “And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes”. The action is neither casual nor hygienic; it is a vivid manifestation of Job’s inward anguish. The broken shard becomes an instrument of protest, lament, and relief, testifying to bodily misery that matches the devastation of his circumstances. Historical and Cultural Background Sitting in ashes signified mourning throughout the Ancient Near East (Jonah 3:6; Esther 4:3). Incorporating the scraping of skin intensified the public display of grief. Fragments of pottery littered every household refuse heap, making them common implements for cleaning residue from hides, bowls, or floors. In extreme suffering, a sufferer might appropriate what was near at hand for personal relief. That Job employs so humble an item underlines both the completeness of his loss—he retains no comfort but a discarded shard—and the societal norm that permitted physical self-affliction as an acceptable expression of grief and contrition. Theological Reflection Job’s scraping highlights three core truths: 1. The reality of bodily suffering in a fallen world. The Scripture does not sanitize pain; it records it graphically. Ministry Significance Pastoral care must allow space for outward expressions of grief. Well-meaning comforters, like Job’s friends, often rush to diagnose or rebuke (Job 4–5). The scraping scene invites ministers to sit in silence first (Job 2:13), recognizing that the sufferer’s visible pain may be the godliest testimony available in the moment. Furthermore, it cautions against equating external conditions with spiritual failure; Job’s integrity stands intact despite his grotesque appearance. Christological Foreshadowing Job’s wounded body anticipates the Suffering Servant “stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). Both figures retain righteousness while enduring apparent divine abandonment. As Job’s scraping evokes empathy, so Christ’s scourging culminates in redemptive identification with human pain (Hebrews 4:15). Where Job could only scrape away corruption symbolically, Christ bears it away definitively (John 1:29). Practical Exhortations • Do not conceal grief; bring it honestly before God. Key Cross-References Job 2:8; Job 1:22; Isaiah 53:4–5; Hebrews 4:15; John 1:29 Forms and Transliterations לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד להתגרד lə·hiṯ·gā·rêḏ lehitgaRed ləhiṯgārêḏLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 2:8 HEB: ל֣וֹ חֶ֔רֶשׂ לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד בּ֑וֹ וְה֖וּא NAS: a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting KJV: him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down INT: took A potsherd to scrape he was sitting 1 Occurrence |
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