King James Version

Job 3:12

Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

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Hebrew

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מַ֭דּוּעַmaduawhyמַדּוּעַparticle, interrogative — “why”H4069what (is) known?; i.e. (by implication) (adverbially) why?how, wherefore, why.קִדְּמ֣וּנִיqidmunimeetקָדַםverb, piel, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “meet”, a completed actionH6923to project (one self), i.e. precede; hence, to anticipate, hasten, meet (usually for help)come (go, (flee)) before, [phrase] disappoint, meet, prevent.בִרְכָּ֑יִםvirkayimkneeבֶּרֶךְnoun, common, feminine, dual, absolute — “knee”, the ordinary formH1290a kneeknee.וּמַהumahand howמָהconjunction, particle, interrogative — “and how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.שָּׁ֝דַ֗יִםshadayimbreastשַׁדnoun, common, masculine, dual, absolute — “breast”, the ordinary formH7699the breast of a woman or animal (as bulging)breast, pap, teat.כִּ֣יkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…אִינָֽקinaqsuckיָנַקverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “suck”, an unfinished actionH3243to suck; causatively, to give milkmilch, nurse(-ing mother), (give, make to) suck(-ing child, -ling).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Why did the knees receive me? And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should suck?

Young’s Literal Translation

Wherefore have knees been before me? And what [are] breasts, that I suck?

World English Bible

Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breast, that I should nurse?

Darby Translation

Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?

Douay-Rheims

Why received upon the knees? why suckled at the breasts?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Why did the knees receive me? And wherefore the breasts, that I should suck?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And why did the knees support me? and why did I suck the breasts?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἱνατί δὲ συνήντησάν μοι τὰ γόνατα; ἱνατί δὲ μαστοὺς ἐθήλασα;