John Gill Commentary Job 30:7

"Among the bushes they bray; Under the nettles they are gathered together." — Job 30:7 (ASV)

Among the bushes they brayed Like wild asses; so Sephorno, to which wicked men are fitly compared (Job 11:12).

Or they "cried", or "groaned" ^F13, and "moaned" among the bushes, where they lay lurking; either they groaned through cold, or want of food; for the wild ass brays not but when in want (Job 6:5).

under the nettles they were gathered together; or "under thistles" {n}, as some, or "under thorns", as ^F15 others; under thorn hedges, where they lay either for shelter, or to hide themselves, or to seize upon a prey that might pass by; and so were such sort of persons as in the parable in (Luke 14:23).

It not being usual for nettles to grow so high as to cover persons, at least they are not a proper shelter, and much less an eligible one; though some render the words, they were "pricked" ^F16, blistered and wounded, a word derived from this being used for the scab of leprosy (Leviticus 13:6–8), and so pustules and blisters are raised by the sting of nettles.

The Targum is, "under thorns they were associated together;" under thorn hedges, as before observed.

And if the juniper tree is meant in (Job 30:4), they might be said to be gathered under thorns when under that; since, as Pliny ^F17 says, it has thorns instead of leaves; and the shadow of it, according to the poet ^F18, is very noxious and disagreeable.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F13: (wqhny) "clamabant", Vatablus, Mercerus; so Ben Gerson; "gemebant", Michaelis; so Broughton.
• F15: "Sub sentibus", V. L. "sub vepreto aliquo", Tigurine version; "sub vepribus", Cocceius; "sub spina", Noldius, p. 193. Schultens.
• F16: (wxpoy) "pungebantur", Junius & Tremellius; "se ulcerant", Gussetius, p. 565. so Ben Gersom; "they smarted", Broughton.
• F17: Nat. Hist. l. 16. c. 24.
• F18: "Juniperi gravis umbra----" Virgil. Bucolic. Eclog. 10.