Job 24:18
קַֽל־הוּא עַל־פְּנֵי־מַ֗יִם תְּקֻלַּ֣ל חֶלְקָתָ֣ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ לֹֽא־֝יִפְנֶה דֶּ֣רֶךְ כְּרָמִֽים׃
First Image: קַל־הוּא עַל־פְּנֵי־מַיִם
קַל — “Light,” functioning as an adjective here.
הוּא — “he,” acting as the subject.
עַל־פְּנֵי־מַיִם — “upon the surface of waters.”
- עַל — “upon”
- פְּנֵי — “surface/face of” (construct form of פָּנִים)
- מַיִם — “waters”
This poetic phrase depicts instability, evanescence, or insubstantiality — like foam or a leaf drifting on water. Many interpret “he” here as the wicked.
Declared Cursed: תְּקֻלַּל חֶלְקָתָם בָּאָרֶץ
תְּקֻלַּל — Pual imperfect 3fs of ק־ל־ל, “to curse.” The Pual form is passive: “is cursed” or “shall be declared cursed.”
- The feminine subject is חֶלְקָתָם — “their portion, plot [of land]”
חֶלְקָתָם — “Their portion” (from חֶלְקָה, feminine noun + 3mp suffix).
בָּאָרֶץ — “in the land.”
This entire clause suggests divine or communal judgment: their land inheritance, symbolic of permanence, is marked for disgrace.
The Unturned Path: לֹא יִפְנֶה דֶּרֶךְ כְּרָמִים
לֹא — Negative particle: “not.”
יִפְנֶה — Qal imperfect 3ms of פ־נ־ה, “to turn toward, to face.” Here: “he does not turn to…”
דֶּרֶךְ כְּרָמִים — “the path of vineyards.”
- דֶּרֶךְ — “path, way”
- כְּרָמִים — “vineyards,” plural of כֶּרֶם
The idiom implies disconnection from fertility, stability, and labor — the wicked does not walk the cultivated, fruitful path. He is not invested in life-giving productivity.
Parsing Table: Key Forms in Job 24:18
| Hebrew Word | Root | Form | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| קַל | ק־ל־ל | Adjective | “Light, insubstantial” — metaphor of instability |
| תְּקֻלַּל | ק־ל־ל | Pual imperfect 3fs | “Shall be cursed” — passive divine/communal judgment |
| יִפְנֶה | פ־נ־ה | Qal imperfect 3ms | “He will not turn toward” — rejection of fruitful path |
The Floating Curse
Job 24:18 offers a metaphor of judgment through floating, withering, and rejection. The wicked, light as foam, are cursed in their land and divorced from the paths of cultivation and prosperity. Hebrew grammar supports this message through passive forms (תְּקֻלַּל), adjectival irony (קַל), and unfulfilled movement (יִפְנֶה). These verbs and images create a portrait of impermanence — a life untouched by blessing or rootedness, drifting toward ruin.
