The Meaning of Job 1:18 Explained

Job 1:18

KJV: While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

YLT: While this one is speaking another also hath come and saith, 'Thy sons and thy daughters are eating, and drinking wine, in the house of their brother, the first-born.

Darby: While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn;

ASV: While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

While he [was] yet speaking,  there came  also another, and said,  Thy sons  and thy daughters  [were] eating  and drinking  wine  in their eldest  brother's  house: 

What does Job 1:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 1:13-22 - Stripped Of Every Possession
There are dark days in our lives, when messenger follows on the heel of messenger, and we sit down amid the ruins of our happiness. All that made life gay and beautiful has withered and we are treading a dreary waste; our soul is almost dead within us and our feet are blistered.
Then our friends come and lay the blame on the Chaldeans and lightning, the Sabeans and the hurricane. They pity us as unfortunate and miserable. But we say to ourselves, looking beyond the secondary causes to the Cause beyond them all, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away." Sometimes we can get no farther than this, but how happy we are when we can go on to say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." The true soul is reckless of what happens to himself, so long as the glory of the Lord's name remains unsullied and enhanced. Let us, above all, never charge God with foolishness by impeaching His love or the rectitude of His decisions. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 1

1  The holiness, riches, and reverent care of Job for his children
6  Satan, appearing before God, obtains leave to afflict Job
13  Understanding of the loss of his children and goods, in his mourning Job blesses God

What do the individual words in Job 1:18 mean?

While this [one] [was] still speaking and this [one] came and said Your sons and daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in house of their brother oldest
עַ֚ד זֶ֣ה מְדַבֵּ֔ר וְזֶ֖ה בָּ֣א וַיֹּאמַ֑ר בָּנֶ֨יךָ וּבְנוֹתֶ֤יךָ אֹֽכְלִים֙ וְשֹׁתִ֣ים יַ֔יִן בְּבֵ֖ית אֲחִיהֶ֥ם הַבְּכֽוֹר

עַ֚ד  While 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
זֶ֣ה  this  [one] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
מְדַבֵּ֔ר  [was]  still  speaking 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
וְזֶ֖ה  and  this  [one] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
בָּ֣א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וַיֹּאמַ֑ר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בָּנֶ֨יךָ  Your  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וּבְנוֹתֶ֤יךָ  and  daughters 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
אֹֽכְלִים֙  [were]  eating 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וְשֹׁתִ֣ים  and  drinking 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
יַ֔יִן  wine 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.
בְּבֵ֖ית  in  house 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
אֲחִיהֶ֥ם  of  their  brother 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
הַבְּכֽוֹר  oldest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בְּכֹר  
Sense: firstborn, firstling.