Meaning & Analysis
The proverb is a direct simile comparing someone's financial state to that of the biblical figure Job, who, according to the Old Testament, was stripped of all his wealth, possessions, and family, leaving him in a state of absolute destitution.
Insights
Utter Destitution
The primary meaning is to signify the most extreme and absolute state of poverty imaginable, a complete lack of any material possessions or resources.
A Trial of Faith
Beyond mere poverty, the comparison alludes to the story of Job as a trial of faith and integrity. Being 'as poor as Job' can imply that one's character is being tested by immense and undeserved hardship.
Undeserved Misfortune
The proverb often carries a connotation of unjust suffering. Job was a righteous man whose calamities were not a punishment for his sins, so the comparison can suggest a person is experiencing misfortune they do not deserve.
Biblical Literacy and Cultural Touchstone
The proverb's meaning is entirely contingent on cultural familiarity with the Old Testament's Book of Job, where a righteous man is stripped of all wealth and family. Its persistence demonstrates the deep influence of biblical narratives on Western language and thought.
Shakespearean Subversion
Shakespeare's Falstaff in '2 Henry IV' cleverly dissects the proverb: 'I am as poor as Job, my lord, but not so patient.' This adds a crucial psychological layer, separating the state of suffering from the virtue of endurance, suggesting that one can experience hardship without possessing the moral fortitude associated with the biblical figure.
Classical and Biblical Parallels
The cross-reference to 'As poor as Irus' (a beggar from Homer's 'Odyssey') reveals a parallel with classical antiquity. It shows how different cultures create archetypes from their foundational texts (the Bible, the Odyssey) to articulate the universal human experience of extreme destitution.
Psychology of Total Loss
The proverb speaks not just to financial ruin but to a profound state of vulnerability. To be 'bare as Job' is to be stripped of social standing, security, and identity, evoking the psychological terror of complete and undeserved loss.
Rhetorical Devices
Simile
The proverb is structured as a simile, using 'as' to create a direct and powerful comparison between a person and the archetype of Job.
Biblical Allusion
Its entire meaning and impact are derived from an allusion to the well-known biblical narrative of Job. The name itself functions as a potent symbol for suffering and poverty.
Hyperbole
The phrase uses exaggeration to emphasize the severity of the poverty being described. It is unlikely someone is literally as destitute as Job, making it a hyperbolic statement for dramatic effect.
Archetype
Job serves as a cultural archetype for the suffering righteous man. The proverb leverages this shared understanding to convey its meaning instantly and economically.
Transcription
Quotations
I shall make hym as bare as ever was Job.
Hauyng been afore in suche wyse pilled, and leaft as bare as Job.
(bare).
Tushe, thou art as poore as Iob.
Iro pauperior, as very a beggar as lyueth, as poore as Job, in extreme necessitee.
(He is as).
(He is as).
I will not say as poore as Iob, but as bare as Ianuary.
(bare).
He is poorer then Iob: he hath Nothing.
(He is as).
Pityfull poor and shabby: As poor as Job.
Shakespeare Citations
I am as poor as Job, my lord, but not so patient.
One that is as slanderous as Satan? —And as poor as Job?
Cross References
- See St., no. 111.
- I101 As poor as Irus.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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