אַ֭חַי בָּגְד֣וּ כְמֹו־נָ֑חַל כַּאֲפִ֖יק נְחָלִ֣ים יַעֲבֹֽרוּ׃
In one of the most poignant lines of his lament, Job compares his friends’ betrayal to something natural yet deeply unreliable:
אַחַי בָּגְדוּ כְמוֹ נָחַל
“My brothers have dealt treacherously like a stream.”
This verse from Ayov 6:15 is not only poetic in imagery — it is syntactically rich, using metaphor and grammatical contrast to convey how deeply trust has been broken. In Biblical Hebrew, the syntax of comparison can reveal more than just likeness; it can encode emotional distance, moral failure, and existential disillusionment.
We will explore how this single line uses the simile structure and verb choice to express not only betrayal, but the fading of hope — and how language itself becomes the vehicle for disappointment.
“Brothers Who Deal Treacherously” — A Verb That Carries Moral Weight
The verse opens with a painful accusation:
אַחַי בָּגְדוּ
“My brothers have dealt treacherously.”
The verb בָּגְדוּ comes from the root ב-ג-ד, meaning “to deal treacherously,” “to act deceitfully,” or “to be unfaithful.” It is used throughout Tanakh to describe covenantal breaches, whether personal or national.
| Word | Root | Form | Literal Translation | Grammatical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בָּגְדוּ | ב-ג-ד | Qal perfect, 3mp | “They have betrayed” | Used here of moral failure within close relationships. |
Job does not say they failed him — he says they betrayed him. The use of the perfect tense emphasizes completion: the breach is not partial, but full. His brothers — those who should stand closest — have turned away entirely.
“Like a Stream” — Similes That Carry Emotion
Following the accusation comes the metaphor:
כְמוֹ נָחַל
“Like a stream.”
This simile introduces a comparison of expectation versus reality. In the arid Near East, streams (נחל) were often seasonal — flowing with promise during rains, then vanishing when needed most. Job’s brothers, like these waters, appeared faithful in good times but disappeared when he was in need.
| Word | Root | Form | Literal Translation | Grammatical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כְמוֹ נָחַל | נ-ח-ל | Preposition + noun, m.s. | “Like a stream” | Used metaphorically for transient loyalty. |
The word נָחַל appears elsewhere in Tanakh in contexts of false assurance:
תֵּיתֵן מַֽיִם לָרָעָב כְּנַחַל חָרֹוב – “You give water to the thirsty, like a dry stream” (Yeshayahu 41:17–18)
There too, the stream is an image of promise that may or may not deliver. And here in Job, it becomes a symbol of false companionship — of those who appear strong, but vanish when tested.
“Like the Channels of Wadis” — A Compound Image of Vanishing Loyalty
The next phrase extends the metaphor:
כַּאֲפִיק נְחָלִים יַעֲבֹרוּ
“Like the channels of wadis — they pass away.”
The term אֲפִיק means channel, bed, or course — the place where water once flowed. But now, what remains is only the dry path. This is not a simple metaphor for betrayal — it is a layered image of what once gave life, but now gives none.
| Word | Root | Form | Literal Translation | Grammatical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֲפִיק | א-פ-ק | Noun, m.s. | “Channel,” “bed” | Refers to the physical trace of vanished water. |
| יַעֲבֹרוּ | ע-ב-ר | Qal imperfect, 3mp | “They pass away” | Used of things that fade or disappear. |
The phrase כַּאֲפִיק נְחָלִים — “like the channels of torrents” — adds another layer. These are not just rivers, but dry riverbeds — signs of past abundance, now empty. Just as the channels once carried water but no longer do, so too did Job’s brothers once seem dependable — but now they are gone.
From Brothers to Streams: How Syntax Reflects Disappearance
The full progression of the verse is:
- אַחַי בָּגְדוּ – “My brothers have acted falsely”
- כְמוֹ נָחַל – “like a stream”
- כַּאֲפִיק נְחָלִים יַעֲבֹרוּ – “like the channels of torrents — they pass away”
Note how the simile expands — first, a general comparison to a stream, then a more specific reference to its dried-up form. This doubling of metaphor is typical in biblical poetry, especially in Job, where ideas are deepened through repetition and variation.
And the final verb יַעֲבֹרוּ — “they pass away” — is crucial. It implies disappearance, evaporation, absence. Not only are his brothers unreliable — they are gone, like water that once filled a channel but now leaves only dust.
The Word That Dried Up
In Ayov 6:15, language becomes the echo of loss. Through the verb בָּגְדוּ, we hear the pain of betrayal. Through the simile כְמוֹ נָחַל, we see the illusion of faithfulness. And through the final clause כַּאֲפִיק נְחָלִים יַעֲבֹרוּ, we feel the emptiness left behind.
This verse teaches us that in Biblical Hebrew, metaphors are not just literary devices — they are linguistic acts of truth-telling. They do not merely describe emotion — they embody it. And in this short line, Job distills the agony of abandonment into a single, flowing image: brothers who promised strength but vanished like desert streams.