Job 7:7-17

7 God, have thou mind, for my life is wind, and mine eye shall not turn again, that it see goods. (God, remember that my life is but a breath, and I shall no longer see any good days.)
8 Neither the sight of man shall behold me; but thine eyes be in me (but thy eyes be upon me), and I shall not be in deadly life, that is, I shall not abide (alive).
9 As a cloud is wasted, and passeth soon away, so he that goeth down to hell, shall not go up (from) thence; (Like a cloud that fadeth, and soon passeth away, is he who goeth down to the Sheol, or the grave, and shall never come up from there;)
10 neither he shall turn again more into his house, and his place shall no more know him. (nor shall he return to his house, and his place shall know him no more.)
11 Wherefore and I shall not spare my mouth; I shall speak in the tribulation of my spirit, I shall talk (al)together with the bitterness of my soul (I shall speak out of the bitterness of my soul).
12 Whether I am a sea, either a whale, for thou hast (en)compassed me with a prison? (Am I a sea, or a whale, for thou hast surrounded me with a prison?)
13 If I shall say, My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved, or quieted, speaking with me in my bed; (If I shall say, My bed shall comfort me, and I shall be relieved, or quieted, talking to myself in my bed;)
14 thou shalt make me afeared by dreams, and thou shalt shake me with horror, either hideousness, by sights. (then thou shalt make me afraid with dreams, and thou shalt make me shake with visions of horror, or of hideousness.)
15 Wherefore my soul chose hanging, and my bones have chosen death.
16 I despaired, (and) now I shall no more live; Lord, spare thou me, for my days be nought.
17 What is a man, for thou magnifiest him? either what settest thou thine heart toward him? (What is a man, that thou magnifiest him? or why settest thou thy heart toward him?)

Job 7:7-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 7

In this chapter Job goes on to defend himself in an address to God; as that he had reason to complain of his extraordinary afflictions, and wish for death; by observing the common case of mankind, which he illustrates by that of an hireling, Job 7:1; and justifies his eager desire of death by the servant and hireling; the one earnestly desiring the shadow, and the other the reward of his work, Job 7:2; by representing his present state as exceeding deplorable, even worse than that of the servant and hireling, since they had rest at night, when he had none, and were free from pain, whereas he was not, Job 7:3-5; by taking notice of the swiftness and shortness of his days, in which he had no hope of enjoying any good, Job 7:6,7; and so thought his case hard; and the rather, since after death he could enjoy no temporal good: and therefore to be deprived of it while living gave him just reason of complaint, Job 7:8-11; and then he expostulates with God for setting such a strict watch upon him; giving him no ease night nor day, but terrifying him with dreams and visions, which made life disagreeable to him, and death more eligible than that, Job 7:12-16; and represents man as unworthy of the divine regard, and below his notice to bestow favours on him, or to chastise him for doing amiss, Job 7:17,18; and admitting that he himself had sinned, yet he should forgive his iniquity, and not bear so hard upon him, and follow him with one affliction after another without intermission, and make him the butt of his arrows; but should spare him and let him alone, or however take him out of the world, Job 7:19-21.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.