Original Word: זָרַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: zarab
Pronunciation: zah-RAHB
Phonetic Spelling: (zaw-rab')
KJV: wax warm
NASB: become waterless
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to flow away

wax warm

A primitive root; to flow away -- wax warm.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to burn, scorch
NASB Translation
become waterless (1).

[זָרַב] verb only

Pu`al, meaning dubious; probably (from context) be burnt, scorched —

Pu`al Imperfect in relative clause, בְּעֵת יְזָֹֽרְבוּ נִצְמָ֑תוּ Job 6:17 ("" בְּחֻמּוֺ נִדְעֲכוּ מִמְּקוֺמָם), of brooks scorched and drying up ("" form of צָרַב q. v.; so Ew Di De Hoffm Kau AV RV MV; > Thes Rob-Ges who compare Arabic flow away, compare Late Hebrew זְרִיבָה; and Mich Dl^{Pr 36 f.} VBm (are straitened) RVm (shrink) compare Aramaic compress, (Arabic is to make a wooden enclosure), Assyrian zarâbu, Zim^{BP 32 n. 56, 70, 95}).

General Imagery and Meaning

The single biblical use of זָרַב evokes the picture of water that begins to move through a wadi or river-bed, only to dry up when most needed. It conjures transience, unreliability, and the disappointment that follows misplaced trust.

Occurrence in Scripture

Job 6:17 is the sole passage: “but ceasing in the dry season, they disappear; when it is hot, they vanish from their place” (Job 6:17).

Contextual Analysis: Job 6:17

In a section where Job likens his friends to seasonal torrents (Job 6:15-21), זָרַב depicts the moment their promised refreshment evaporates. The drying of desert streams illustrates human support that proves inconsistent under pressure. The contrast is intentionally sharp: friends who once seemed like life-giving water become invisible when the temperature of suffering rises.

Comparative Biblical Imagery

• Proverbs 25:19 parallels the disappointment: “Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble.”
• Jeremiah 2:13 identifies Yahweh as the “spring of living water,” exposing the folly of forsaking the only Source that never fails.
• Isaiah 58:11 presents the antithesis: “You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail,” describing covenant faithfulness.
• In the New Testament, Jesus declares, “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him’” (John 7:38), transforming the negative image of fleeting flow into a promise of perpetual supply.

Theological Themes and Significance

1. Faithfulness versus fickleness: Human loyalty, symbolized by זָרַב, pales beside God’s immutable character (Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8).
2. Suffering’s revelation: Trials expose whether relationships are rooted in covenant love or in convenience (Job 2:9-10; 2 Timothy 4:16-17).
3. Divine sufficiency: When earthly cisterns break, believers learn to anchor hope in the everlasting fountain (Psalm 36:9; Revelation 7:17).

Practical Ministry Reflections

• Pastoral care: Shepherds must resist being “seasonal streams.” Consistency in presence and truth embodies the Lord’s steadfast love (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
• Discipleship: Encourage believers to be sources of living water to one another, reflecting Christ rather than mirroring Job’s friends.
• Counseling the afflicted: Point sufferers beyond failed human support to the unwavering grace of God, helping them process hurt without cynicism.

Connections to Christ and the Gospel

Job’s disappointment anticipates the ultimate Friend who “loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17) and “sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Jesus fulfills the negative backdrop of זָרַב by offering water that becomes “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). Where transient streams betray, the Savior’s flow endures.

Further Study Suggestions

Investigate the broader theme of desert streams in Psalm 126:4 and Isaiah 35:6-7, tracing how Scripture moves from the barrenness of human failure to the eschatological hope of rivers in the wilderness (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1-2).

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