Job 30:18

18 My clothing is distorted with great force; He chokes me by the neck of my garment.[a]

Job 30:18 Meaning and Commentary

Job 30:18

By the great force [of my disease] is my garment changed
Either the colour of it, through the purulent matter from his ulcers running down upon it, or penetrating through it; or by reason of it he was obliged to shift himself, and to have a change of raiment very frequently; or the supplement, "of my disease", may be left out, and the sense be, with great force, through main strength, and with much difficulty, his garment was changed, was got off from him, sticking so close to him, and another put on:

it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat;
his disease encompassed him about on all sides as the collar or edge of his coat encompassed his neck, and cleaved as close, and was as tight unto him as that, and threatened him perhaps with a suffocation or strangling; see ( Job 7:15 ) ; the allusion is to garments used in the eastern countries, which were only open at top and bottom; at the top there was a hole to put the head through when put on, and a binding about it, and a button to it, or some such thing, which kept it tight about the neck; see ( Exodus 28:32 ) .

Job 30:18 In-Context

16 Now my life is poured out before my [eyes], and days of suffering have seized me.
17 Night pierces my bones, and my gnawing pains never abate.
18 My clothing is distorted with great force; He chokes me by the neck of my garment.
19 He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.
20 I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; when I stand up, You [merely] look at me.

Footnotes 1

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