Job 30:18

18 God's great power becomes like clothes to me. He chokes me like the neck of my shirt.

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 slipping away. Days of suffering grab hold of me.
17 At night my bones hurt. My gnawing pains never stop.
18 God's great power becomes like clothes to me. He chokes me like the neck of my shirt.
19 He throws me down into the mud. I'm nothing but dust and ashes.
20 "God, I cry out to you. But you don't answer me. I stand up. But all you do is look at me.
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