Work in Progress
Introduction
I was curious if I could locate the term for "society" in Tanakh to develop a case for how this concept was deployed in ancient Jewish sources. A simple search on Sefaria resulted in few results as 14 out of the 19 results displayed are translation notes and are do not refer to the text itself. Of the remaining five results showing the term society in an English translation of a biblical verse, one refers to a verse in the Book of Job (30:5), using the Hebrew term גֵּו, while four refer to verses in the Book of Daniel (4:22, 4:29-30, 5:21) using the Aramaic term אֲנָשָׁא. In both the case of Job and Daniel, the image of society becomes salient once we are introduced to the person who is cast from society. Studying the profile of the outcast helps clarify what the Tanakh's view of the socialised human.
גֵּו
The Hebrew term gave גֵּו, usually meaning "back" (among other definitions), is translated in the context of Job 30:5 as "society" per the JPS 1985 and 2023 translations. The context is better understood by reading Job 30:1-8 (see below). Similarly, Sefaria's 1902 German translation renders the term as "menschlichen Gesellschaft". The trouble is that the term גֵּו is found nine other times in Tanakh and appears translated as "back" (the term society would make little sense in those other verses). In the case of Job 30:5, simpler translations render it as "in the midst [of the city]" following Rashi, while the Targum renders it as "from careless ease."
Conclusion: גֵּו in Job 30:5 should not be rendered as society even if that is the verse's intent. As per Rashi, the place from where the person is being driven from is not explicitly stated. The focus in Job 30:3-8 is the desolated places to where the outcast flees, where they must survive by foraging (barely) edible shrubs (Job in turn realises that he is worse off than them, and that even the outcast thinks of himself as better than Job).
(א) וְעַתָּ֤ה ׀ שָׂ֥חֲק֣וּ עָלַי֮ צְעִירִ֥ים מִמֶּ֗נִּי לְיָ֫מִ֥ים אֲשֶׁר־מָאַ֥סְתִּי אֲבוֹתָ֑ם לָ֝שִׁ֗ית עִם־כַּלְבֵ֥י צֹאנִֽי׃ (ב) גַּם־כֹּ֣חַ יְ֭דֵיהֶם לָ֣מָּה לִּ֑י עָ֝לֵ֗ימוֹ אָ֣בַד כָּֽלַח׃ (ג) בְּחֶ֥סֶר וּבְכָפָ֗ן גַּ֫לְמ֥וּד הַעֹרְקִ֥ים צִיָּ֑ה אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ שׁוֹאָ֥ה וּמְשֹׁאָֽה׃ (ד) הַקֹּטְפִ֣ים מַלּ֣וּחַ עֲלֵי־שִׂ֑יחַ וְשֹׁ֖רֶשׁ רְתָמִ֣ים לַחְמָֽם׃ (ה) מִן־גֵּ֥ו יְגֹרָ֑שׁוּ יָרִ֥יעוּ עָ֝לֵ֗ימוֹ כַּגַּנָּֽב׃ (ו) בַּעֲר֣וּץ נְחָלִ֣ים לִשְׁכֹּ֑ן חֹרֵ֖י עָפָ֣ר וְכֵפִֽים׃ (ז) בֵּין־שִׂיחִ֥ים יִנְהָ֑קוּ תַּ֖חַת חָר֣וּל יְסֻפָּֽחוּ׃ (ח) בְּֽנֵי־נָ֭בָל גַּם־בְּנֵ֣י בְלִי־שֵׁ֑ם נִ֝כְּא֗וּ מִן־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(1) But now those younger than I deride me, [Men] whose fathers I would have disdained to put among my sheep dogs. (2) Of what use to me is the strength of their hands? All their vigor is gone. (3) Wasted from want and starvation, They flee to a parched land, To the gloom of desolate wasteland. (4) They pluck saltwort and wormwood; The roots of broom are their food. (5) Driven out from society, They are cried at like a thief. (6) They live in the gullies of wadis, In holes in the ground, and in rocks, (7) Braying among the bushes, Huddling among the nettles, (8) Scoundrels, nobodies, Stricken from the earth.
אֲנָשָׁא
The Aramiac term anasha (אֲנָשָׁא), regardless of translation, appears nine times in Tanakh, all in the Book of Daniel (2:38, 2:43, 4:13-14, 4:22, 4:29-30, 5:21, 7:8). The plain meaning of the term refers to Man (the species) or Humankind. However, the context in several verses lead the JPS translators to render it as "society". Most others do not do so, but the essential meaning remains the same (King Nebuchadnezzar is driven from among men / humankind / society). Perhaps a better translation would be "civilisation".
וְלָ֣ךְ טָֽרְדִ֣ין מִן־אֲנָשָׁ֡א וְעִם־חֵיוַ֣ת בָּרָא֩ לֶהֱוֵ֨ה מְדֹרָ֜ךְ וְעִשְׂבָּ֥א כְתוֹרִ֣ין ׀ לָ֣ךְ יְטַֽעֲמ֗וּן וּמִטַּ֤ל שְׁמַיָּא֙ לָ֣ךְ מְצַבְּעִ֔ין וְשִׁבְעָ֥ה עִדָּנִ֖ין יַחְלְפ֣וּן (עליך) [עֲלָ֑ךְ] עַ֣ד דִּֽי־תִנְדַּ֗ע דִּֽי־שַׁלִּ֤יט (עליא) [עִלָּאָה֙] בְּמַלְכ֣וּת אֲנָשָׁ֔א וּלְמַן־דִּ֥י יִצְבֵּ֖א יִתְּנִנַּֽהּ׃
You will be driven away from society and have your habitation with the beasts of the field. You will be fed grass like cattle, and be drenched with the dew of heaven; seven seasons will pass over you until you come to know that the Most High is sovereign over human dominion, and gives it out at will.
בַּהּ־שַׁעֲתָ֗א מִלְּתָא֮ סָ֣פַת עַל־נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר֒ וּמִן־אֲנָשָׁ֣א טְרִ֔יד וְעִשְׂבָּ֤א כְתוֹרִין֙ יֵאכֻ֔ל וּמִטַּ֥ל שְׁמַיָּ֖א גִּשְׁמֵ֣הּ יִצְטַבַּ֑ע עַ֣ד דִּ֥י שַׂעְרֵ֛הּ כְּנִשְׁרִ֥ין רְבָ֖ה וְטִפְר֥וֹהִי כְצִפְּרִֽין׃
There and then the sentence was carried out upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from society, he ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like eagle’s [feathers] and his nails like [the talons of] birds.
וּמִן־בְּנֵי֩ אֲנָשָׁ֨א טְרִ֜יד וְלִבְבֵ֣הּ ׀ עִם־חֵיוְתָ֣א (שוי) [שַׁוִּ֗יו] וְעִם־עֲרָֽדַיָּא֙ מְדֹרֵ֔הּ עִשְׂבָּ֤א כְתוֹרִין֙ יְטַ֣עֲמוּנֵּ֔הּ וּמִטַּ֥ל שְׁמַיָּ֖א גִּשְׁמֵ֣הּ יִצְטַבַּ֑ע עַ֣ד דִּֽי־יְדַ֗ע דִּֽי־שַׁלִּ֞יט אֱלָהָ֤א (עליא) [עִלָּאָה֙] בְּמַלְכ֣וּת אֲנָשָׁ֔א וּלְמַן־דִּ֥י יִצְבֵּ֖א יְהָקֵ֥ים (עליה) [עֲלַֽהּ]׃
He was driven away from society, and his mind made like that of a beast, and his habitation was with wild asses. He was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he came to know that the Most High God is sovereign over human dominion, and sets rulers over it at will.