Job 16:7

7 “O God, you have ground me down and devastated my family.

Job 16:7 Meaning and Commentary

Job 16:7

But now he hath made me weary
Or "it hath made me weary" {u}, that is, "my grief", as it may be supplied from ( Job 16:6 ) ; or rather God, as appears from the next clause, and from the following verse, where he is manifestly addressed; who by afflicting him had made him weary of the world, and all things in it, even of his very life, ( Job 10:1 ) ; his afflictions were so heavy upon him, and pressed him so hard, that his life was a burden to him; they were heavier than the sand of the sea, and his strength was not equal to them; he could scarcely drag along, was ready to sink and lie down under the weight of them:

thou hast made desolate all my company,
or "congregation" F23; the congregation of saints that met at his house for religious worship, as some think, which now through his affliction was broke up, whom Eliphaz had called a congregation of hypocrites, ( Job 15:34 ) ; which passage Job may have respect unto; or rather his family, his children, which were taken away from him: the Jews say F24, ten persons in any place make a congregation; this was just the number of Job's children, seven sons and three daughters; or it may be he may have respect to his friends, that came to visit him, who were moved and stupefied as it were at the sight of him and his afflictions, as the word F25 is by some translated, and who were alienated from him; were not friendly to him, nor administered to him any comfort; so that they were as if he had none, or worse.


FOOTNOTES:

F21 "Dolor meus", V. L. so Aben Ezra & Cocceius.
F23 (ytde) "meam congregationem", Pagninus; "conventum meum", Montanus, Bolducius.
F24 Vid. Drusium in loc.
F25 "Stupefe isti", Tigurine version; so Jarchi.

Job 16:7 In-Context

5 But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your grief.
6 Instead, I suffer if I defend myself, and I suffer no less if I refuse to speak.
7 “O God, you have ground me down and devastated my family.
8 As if to prove I have sinned, you’ve reduced me to skin and bones. My gaunt flesh testifies against me.
9 God hates me and angrily tears me apart. He snaps his teeth at me and pierces me with his eyes.
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