Lexical Summary zarab: To flow, to drip, to ooze Original Word: זָרַב Strong's Exhaustive Concordance wax warm A primitive root; to flow away -- wax warm. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to burn, scorch NASB Translation become waterless (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [זָרַב] verb only Pu`al, meaning dubious; probably (from context) be burnt, scorched — Pu`al Imperfect in relative clause, בְּעֵת יְזָֹֽרְבוּ נִצְמָ֑תוּ Job 6:17 ("" בְּחֻמּוֺ נִדְעֲכוּ מִמְּקוֺמָם), of brooks scorched and drying up ("" form of צָרַב q. v.; so Ew Di De Hoffm Kau AV RV MV; > Thes Rob-Ges who compare Arabic Topical Lexicon General Imagery and Meaning The single biblical use of זָרַב evokes the picture of water that begins to move through a wadi or river-bed, only to dry up when most needed. It conjures transience, unreliability, and the disappointment that follows misplaced trust. Occurrence in Scripture Job 6:17 is the sole passage: “but ceasing in the dry season, they disappear; when it is hot, they vanish from their place” (Job 6:17). Contextual Analysis: Job 6:17 In a section where Job likens his friends to seasonal torrents (Job 6:15-21), זָרַב depicts the moment their promised refreshment evaporates. The drying of desert streams illustrates human support that proves inconsistent under pressure. The contrast is intentionally sharp: friends who once seemed like life-giving water become invisible when the temperature of suffering rises. Comparative Biblical Imagery • Proverbs 25:19 parallels the disappointment: “Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble.” Theological Themes and Significance 1. Faithfulness versus fickleness: Human loyalty, symbolized by זָרַב, pales beside God’s immutable character (Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8). Practical Ministry Reflections • Pastoral care: Shepherds must resist being “seasonal streams.” Consistency in presence and truth embodies the Lord’s steadfast love (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Connections to Christ and the Gospel Job’s disappointment anticipates the ultimate Friend who “loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17) and “sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Jesus fulfills the negative backdrop of זָרַב by offering water that becomes “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Where transient streams betray, the Savior’s flow endures. Further Study Suggestions Investigate the broader theme of desert streams in Psalm 126:4 and Isaiah 35:6-7, tracing how Scripture moves from the barrenness of human failure to the eschatological hope of rivers in the wilderness (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1-2). Forms and Transliterations יְזֹרְב֣וּ יזרבו yə·zō·rə·ḇū yəzōrəḇū yezoreVuLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 6:17 HEB: בְּ֭עֵת יְזֹרְב֣וּ נִצְמָ֑תוּ בְּ֝חֻמּ֗וֹ NAS: When they become waterless, they are silent, KJV: What time they wax warm, they vanish: INT: When become are silent is hot 1 Occurrence |
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flow away, compare Late Hebrew זְרִיבָה; and Mich DlPr 36 f. VBm (are straitened) RVm (shrink) compare Aramaic 
compress, (Arabic 
is to make a wooden enclosure), Assyrian zarâbu, ZimBP 32 n. 56, 70, 95).