Explanation of Job Chapter 7

Introduction:
Job 7 continues Job’s response to Eliphaz, which began in Chapter 6. Job is in deep anguish and laments his suffering, expressing his hopelessness and frustration. This chapter highlights Job’s despair, his questioning of God's actions, and his plea for relief from suffering. The passage can be divided into three key sections:

1. Job's Misery and the Brevity of Life (Verses 1-10)

2. Job's Complaint to God (Verses 11-21)

I. Job’s Misery and the Brevity of Life (Verses 1-10)

Job begins by comparing human life to hard labor or military service. He sees life as a painful and futile struggle.

Verse 1

"Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? Are not his days also like the days of an hireling?"

• Job likens human existence to that of a soldier or hired worker, both of whom must endure hardship.

• He implies that suffering is inevitable, and life is filled with toil.

Verse 2

"As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:"

• A servant longs for evening rest, just as a laborer waits for his wages.

• Job expresses his own longing for relief from his suffering, similar to how a worker eagerly anticipates rest after a hard day.

Verse 3

"So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me."

• Job describes his sleepless nights filled with suffering and meaningless existence.

• His pain has persisted for months, reinforcing his despair.

Verse 4

"When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day."

• Job's nights are restless; he longs for dawn but finds no relief in the new day.

• His suffering is relentless, making sleep impossible.

Verse 5

"My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome."

• Job describes the physical agony of his disease. His body is decaying, covered in sores, and infected with worms.

• This vivid image highlights his extreme suffering.

Verse 6

"My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope."

• Life moves quickly, like a shuttle weaving fabric.

• Job sees no hope in his fleeting days; suffering dominates his existence.

Verse 7

"O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good."

• Life is fragile and transient, like a passing wind.

• Job feels that his future holds no happiness.

Verse 8

"The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not."

• Job believes he will soon die, and those who see him now will see him no longer.

Verse 9

"As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more."

• Death is final, like a disappearing cloud. Once a person dies, they do not return.

Verse 10

"He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more."

• Once dead, a person does not return home.

• Job emphasizes the irreversible nature of death.

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II. Job’s Complaint to God (Verses 11-21)

Having described his misery, Job now directs his complaint to God Himself.

Verse 11

"Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul."

• Job decides to speak freely, refusing to suppress his grief.

• He openly expresses his bitterness and pain.

Verse 12

"Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?"

• Job asks if he is like the sea or a monster that needs to be restrained.

• He feels unjustly restricted by God’s control over his suffering.

Verse 13

"When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;"

• Job hopes for comfort in sleep.

Verse 14

"Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:"

• Instead of relief, Job experiences horrifying dreams.

• He feels tormented even in his sleep.

Verse 15

"So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life."

• Job would rather die than continue suffering.

Verse 16

"I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity."

• He finds life meaningless and pleads to be left alone.

Verse 17

"What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?"

• Job questions why God even cares about humans.

• He wonders why God focuses so much on humanity.

Verse 18

"And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?"

• Job asks why God constantly tests human beings.

Verse 19

"How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?"

• Job pleads for a moment of peace.

Verse 20

"I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?"

• Job wonders what he has done to deserve such suffering.

• He feels like a target of divine punishment.

Verse 21

"And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be."

• Job pleads for forgiveness but believes he will die soon.

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Themes in Job Chapter 7

1. The Futility of Life:

   • Job compares human existence to labor, wind, and a vanishing cloud.

   • Life is temporary and full of toil.

2. Physical and Emotional Suffering:

   • Job’s body is covered in sores and worms.

   • He experiences sleepless nights and terrifying dreams.

3. Questioning God's Justice:

   • Job challenges God’s actions, asking why He tests humans.

   • He wonders if God cares too much about insignificant humans.

4. Desire for Death:

   • Job longs for death as relief from suffering.

5. Plea for Divine Mercy:

   • Job asks God to forgive him and remove his pain.

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Conclusion

Job 7 is a powerful chapter filled with raw emotion, philosophical questions, and the struggle to understand suffering. Job does not receive immediate answers from God, but his words set the stage for deeper discussions about divine justice, human suffering, and the nature of faith.