The Meaning of Job 29:7 Explained

Job 29:7

KJV: When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

YLT: When I go out to the gate by the city, In a broad place I prepare my seat.

Darby: When I went out to the gate by the city, when I prepared my seat on the broadway,

ASV: When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When I went out  to the gate  through the city,  [when] I prepared  my seat  in the street! 

What does Job 29:7 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 29:1-25 - The Bitter Memory Of The Happy Past
How many thousands, looking back on the beautiful dawn of life which has become overcast, have uttered the thought of the opening words of this chapter! The worldling has no hope of the renewal of that blessed past; but the believer knows that in Christ he belongs to the eternal order, which enters into the devastation wrought by sin, arresting, canceling and converting evil into good.
If we believe in Jesus Christ, submit to His will, and unite ourselves to His heart, "a statelier Eden" comes back to us. God watches over us for good; His lamp shines on our way; His friendship is in our tent, and His love transfigures all things. The graphic description which follows of the life of a godly man is still true when a man's ways please the Lord. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 29

1  Job bemoans his former prosperity

What do the individual words in Job 29:7 mean?

when I went out to the gate by the city in the open square [when] I took my seat
בְּצֵ֣אתִי שַׁ֣עַר עֲלֵי־ קָ֑רֶת ! בָּ֝רְח֗וֹב אָכִ֥ין מוֹשָׁבִֽי

בְּצֵ֣אתִי  when  I  went  out 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
שַׁ֣עַר  to  the  gate 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁעַר  
Sense: gate.
קָ֑רֶת  the  city 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֶרֶת  
Sense: city, town.
! בָּ֝רְח֗וֹב  in  the  open  square 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: רְחֹב  
Sense: broad or open place or plaza.
אָכִ֥ין  [when]  I  took 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.
מוֹשָׁבִֽי  my  seat 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: מֹושָׁב  
Sense: seat, assembly, dwelling-place, dwelling, dwellers.