Job 7

11. Therefore, as such is my hard lot, I will at least have the melancholy satisfaction of venting my sorrow in words. The Hebrew opening words, "Therefore I, at all events," express self-elevation [UMBREIT].

12. Why dost thou deny me the comfort of care-assuaging sleep? Why scarest thou me with frightful dreams?
Am I a sea--regarded in Old Testament poetry as a violent rebel against God, the Lord of nature, who therefore curbs his violence ( Jeremiah 5:22 ).
or a whale--or some other sea monster ( Isaiah 27:1 ), that Thou needest thus to watch and curb me? The Egyptians watched the crocodile most carefully to prevent its doing mischief.

14. The frightful dreams resulting from elephantiasis he attributes to God; the common belief assigned all night visions to God.

15. UMBREIT translates, "So that I could wish to strangle myself--dead by my own hands." He softens this idea of Job's harboring the thought of suicide, by representing it as entertained only in agonizing dreams, and immediately repudiated with horror in Job 7:16 , "Yet that (self-strangling) I loathe." This is forcible and graphic. Perhaps the meaning is simply, "My soul chooses (even) strangling (or any violent death) rather than my life," literally, "my bones" ( Psalms 35:10 ); that is, rather than the wasted and diseased skeleton, left to him. In this view, "I loathe it" ( Job 7:16 ) refers to his life.

16. Let me alone--that is, cease to afflict me for the few and vain days still left to me.

17. ( Psalms 8:4 , 144:3 ). Job means, "What is man that thou shouldst make him [of so much importance], and that thou shouldst expend such attention [or, heart-thought] upon him" as to make him the subject of so severe trials? Job ought rather to have reasoned from God's condescending so far to notice man as to try him, that there must be a wise and loving purpose in trial. David uses the same words, in their right application, to express wonder that God should do so much as He does for insignificant man. Christians who know God manifest in the man Christ Jesus may use them still more.

18. With each new day ( Psalms 73:14 ). It is rather God's mercies, not our trials, that are new every morning ( Lamentations 3:23 ). The idea is that of a shepherd taking count of his flock every morning, to see if all are there [COCCEIUS].

19. How long (like a jealous keeper) wilt thou never take thine eyes off (so the Hebrew for "depart from") me? Nor let me alone for a brief respite (literally, "so long as I take to swallow my spittle"), an Arabic proverb, like our, "till I draw my breath."

20. I have sinned--Yet what sin can I do against ("to," Job 35:6 ) thee (of such a nature that thou shouldst jealously watch and deprive me of all strength, as if thou didst fear me)? Yet thou art one who hast men ever in view, ever watchest them--O thou Watcher ( Job 7:12 , Daniel 9:14 ) of men. Job had borne with patience his trials, as sent by God ( Job 1:21 , 2:10 ); only his reason cannot reconcile the ceaseless continuance of his mental and bodily pains with his ideas of the divine nature.
set me as a mark--Wherefore dost thou make me thy point of attack? that is, ever assail me with new pains? [UMBREIT] ( Lamentations 3:12 ).

21. for now--very soon.
in the morning--not the resurrection; for then Job will be found. It is a figure, from one seeking a sick man in the morning, and finding he has died in the night. So Job implies that, if God does not help him at once, it will be too late, for he will be gone. The reason why God does not give an immediate sense of pardon to awakened sinners is that they think they have a claim on God for it.