Original Word: נָתָס
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: nathac
Pronunciation: naw-thas'
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-thas')
KJV: mar
NASB: break
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to tear up

mar

A primitive root; to tear up -- mar.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to tear or break down
NASB Translation
break (1).

[נָתַס] verb tear or break down (= נָחַץ); —

Qal Perfect3plural נָָֽתְסוּ נְתִיבָתִי Job 30:13 they have broken down my path, made it impassable (figurative).

Root and Semantic Field

נָתָס (Strong’s 5420) conveys violent dismantling: the ripping up, breaking down, or ruining of something that once provided direction or stability. Its single biblical appearance employs imagery of a roadway being torn apart, a picture that extends beyond physical damage to the dismantling of order, dignity, and social cohesion.

Biblical Occurrence

Job 30:13 records Job’s lament regarding marauders who “tear up my path; they profit from my destruction, and no one restrains them”. The “path” (אֹרַח) in Wisdom Literature frequently symbolizes the established course of life, righteousness, and community norms (Proverbs 4:14; Psalm 119:105). By declaring that his adversaries “tear up” that path, Job describes a total overthrow of his moral and societal footing.

Literary and Theological Significance in Job

1. Subversion of the Social Order: In Job’s earlier prosperity he “was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame” (Job 29:15). The verb נָתָס illustrates how the former order has been dismantled; Job’s ability to act as a stabilizing guide is now reversed as outsiders dismantle his life’s framework.
2. Defense of Divine Justice: Job’s cry underscores the apparent absence of immediate divine intervention—“and no one restrains them.” The tension magnifies the later resolution, where God’s sovereign wisdom is vindicated despite momentary upheaval (Job 38–41).
3. Echoes of Covenant Judgment Motifs: Prophets often speak of covenant breakers who “break down” or “tear down” (e.g., Jeremiah 24:6; Micah 3:12). Job’s experience, though not disciplined for covenant infidelity, mirrors the chaos that sin brings, reinforcing the universal need for redemption.

Imagery of Destruction and Restoration

Torn pathways evoke breached walls (Nehemiah 1:3) and collapsed foundations (Psalm 11:3). Yet Scripture juxtaposes this with divine rebuilding: “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (Jeremiah 30:17). Thus, נָתָס foreshadows God’s restorative grace, culminating in the Messiah who proclaims, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Ministry and Practical Application

• Recognizing Spiritual Sabotage: Believers should discern forces that “tear up” moral and relational pathways—false teaching, unrepentant sin, or societal pressures (2 Peter 2:1–2).
• Pursuing Restoration: Where lives or communities have been dismantled, shepherd-leaders are called to repair breaches (Isaiah 58:12; Galatians 6:1).
• Persevering in Suffering: Job’s integrity amid dismantlement encourages endurance; the Lord “is full of compassion and mercy” (James 5:11).

Christological Resonance

Job’s ravaged pathway points to the Suffering Servant whose own way was “cut off” (Isaiah 53:8). Yet by His resurrection, Christ became “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), guaranteeing that every path torn up by evil will ultimately be straightened and made secure (Proverbs 3:6; Revelation 21:5).

Summary

נָתָס captures the ruthless unmaking of life’s ordered way. In Job it marks the nadir of human helplessness, yet Scripture frames such tearing down within God’s larger narrative of rebuilding, justice, and redemptive hope.

נָתְס֗וּ נתסו nā·ṯə·sū nateSu nāṯəsūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts