Job responds to Eliphaz's first speech with raw, unfiltered anguish. He wishes his grief could be weighed on scales — it would outweigh the sand of the seas. He insists that his outcry is proportional to his suffering, not the reckless speech Eliphaz implied. Job describes God's arrows embedded in him and his spirit drinking their poison. He compares his friends to seasonal streams (wadis) that overflow in winter but vanish in summer heat precisely when travelers need them most. He challenges his friends: has he asked them for money or rescue? All he wants is an honest answer. He pleads with them to look at him — would he lie to their faces? The chapter reveals that Job's deepest wound is not his physical suffering but the failure of his friends to offer genuine compassion.
What Makes This Chapter Remarkable
The wadi metaphor (verses 15-20) is one of the most vivid images in the entire book. Caravans from Tema and Sheba travel through the desert counting on water at known wadi crossings, only to arrive and find dry gravel. They detour toward the wadi in hope and perish. Job applies this directly to his friends: they are seasonal streams, abundant when conditions are easy, gone when the heat comes. The metaphor operates on multiple levels — it indicts fair-weather friendship, it describes the experience of theological betrayal (the theology that was supposed to comfort now fails), and it foreshadows the broader argument of the book that simple retribution theology evaporates under pressure. Job's description of God's arrows (verse 4) draws from warrior imagery — God is not a passive judge but an active combatant who has targeted Job personally.
Translation Friction
Job's language about God in this chapter borders on accusation — God is the one shooting arrows, God is the one arraying terrors against him. This sits in deliberate tension with Job's earlier refusal to curse God (chapters 1-2). The text holds both realities: Job will not abandon God, but he will not pretend God is not the source of his suffering. The food metaphors in verses 6-7 are notoriously difficult to translate — the exact foods Job describes are uncertain, and the point may be that bland, tasteless food is revolting, just as Eliphaz's bland theology is revolting to someone in agony. Job's wish for death (verses 8-10) is not suicidal despair in the modern clinical sense but a legal plea for release from unbearable suffering.
Connections
Job's desire to have his grief weighed on scales connects to the ancient Near Eastern concept of divine judgment as weighing (Egyptian Ma'at, Daniel 5:27 'weighed in the balances'). The wadi imagery connects to Jeremiah 15:18 where the prophet accuses God of being like a deceptive stream. Job's complaint that his friends have failed him anticipates Psalm 55:12-14 where the psalmist laments betrayal by a close companion. The arrow imagery appears again in Lamentations 3:12-13 where the sufferer describes God as an archer who has made him the target.
Job 6:1
וַיַּ֥עַן אִיּ֗וֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
Then Job answered and said:
KJV But Job answered and said,
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The standard dialogue formula va-ya'an ('and he answered') introduces Job's response to Eliphaz's first speech (chapters 4-5). The verb 'answered' in Hebrew does not require a prior question — it simply means 'responded' or 'took up speech.'
If only my anguish could be fully weighed,
and my disaster placed on the scales alongside it —
KJV Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb shaqol ('to weigh') is doubled for emphasis — 'truly, thoroughly weighed.' Job wants an objective measurement of his suffering. The mo'znayim ('balances, scales') evoke the ancient image of justice as precise measurement. Job's argument is mathematical: if you could quantify my pain, you would understand my words.
it would outweigh the sand of the seas.
That is why my words come out wild.
KJV For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb la'u is debated — it may mean 'swallowed up' (choked, unable to speak) or 'rash, wild' (spoken without restraint). In context, Job seems to be defending his earlier outcry: his words sound extreme because his suffering is extreme. The sand of the seas is a standard biblical image for what cannot be counted or measured (Genesis 22:17, 32:12).
For the arrows of the Almighty are stuck in me;
my spirit drinks their venom.
The terrors of God are lined up against me.
KJV For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
שַׁדַּיshaddai
"the Almighty"—the Almighty, the All-Sufficient, the Overpowering One
Shaddai appears more frequently in Job than in any other biblical book (31 times). In Job's mouth, the name emphasizes God's raw, unchecked power — the very attribute that makes God impossible to challenge in court.
Translator Notes
Shaddai ('the Almighty') is the divine name most associated with overwhelming power. The imagery of poisoned arrows was known in the ancient Near East — arrows were sometimes dipped in toxic substances. The verb ya'arkhuni ('they array themselves against me') is military terminology for troops lining up in battle order. Job feels surrounded by divine hostility on every side.
Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass?
Does an ox bellow over its feed?
KJV Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job argues from nature: animals cry out only when they lack something. His outcry is not irrational; it is the natural response of a creature in genuine need. The pere' ('wild donkey') was a symbol of untamed freedom in the ancient Near East. Even this free creature is silent when satisfied. Job's logic is: if I am crying out, something is genuinely wrong.
Can tasteless food be eaten without salt?
Is there any flavor in the slime of a mallow plant?
KJV Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The exact identity of the foods is debated. Tafel means 'tasteless, unseasoned.' The second food, rir challamut, is traditionally rendered 'white of an egg' but more likely refers to the mucilaginous sap of a mallow or purslane plant — a bland, slimy substance. Job's point: Eliphaz's words are like unseasoned, tasteless food — technically present but offering nothing nourishing.
My whole being refuses to touch them;
they are like food that makes me sick.
KJV The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The metaphor continues: what Eliphaz offers as comfort is repulsive to Job. The phrase divei lachmi ('sickness of my bread') suggests food that induces nausea. Job's appetite — both physical and spiritual — rejects what his friends are serving.
If only my request would come!
If only God would grant what I hope for!
KJV Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The formula mi yitten ('who will give?' = 'if only!') expresses intense longing. Job's 'request' (she'elatah) is about to be revealed in the next verses: he wants God to end his life. The word tiqvah ('hope, expectation') carries painful irony — Job's only hope is for death.
That God would be willing to crush me,
that he would release his hand and cut me off!
KJV Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb dakha ('crush') describes total physical destruction. 'Release his hand' means to let his hand swing freely — to stop restraining the blow. Job wants God to finish what he has started. The verb batsa' ('cut off') can mean to sever or to break off, like snapping a thread.
Then I would still have this comfort —
I would leap for joy in unrelenting pain —
that I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
KJV Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Despite wanting death, Job clings to one consolation: he has not concealed or denied (kichad) the words of God. The verb salad is rare and likely means 'to leap, to exult.' The paradox is striking — Job's comfort in death would be the knowledge that he remained honest about God's own words even while suffering. The title Qadosh ('the Holy One') emphasizes God's utter distinctness.
What strength do I have left that I should keep waiting?
What is my future, that I should hold on?
KJV What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job asks two rhetorical questions exposing the absurdity of patience. He has no strength reserves to draw on, and his 'end' (qits — outcome, future) offers nothing worth enduring for. The verb ya'chel ('to wait, hope') is the same word used for patient endurance before God.
Is my strength the strength of stone?
Is my flesh made of bronze?
KJV Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job insists he is human, not mineral. Stone and bronze do not feel pain. Eliphaz's counsel assumes Job can simply endure, but Job's flesh is not bronze — it breaks, it bleeds, it feels every arrow described in verse 4.
Is there no help left within me?
Has all resourcefulness been driven from me?
KJV Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Tushiyyah ('resourcefulness, effective wisdom, sound judgment') is a wisdom-literature term describing the ability to navigate problems successfully. Job admits that his inner resources are exhausted — the very capacity that should help him cope has been expelled.
A person who withholds faithful love from a friend
abandons the fear of the Almighty.
KJV To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
Notes & Key Terms
1 term
Key Terms
חֶסֶדchesed
"faithful love"—faithful love, steadfast love, covenantal loyalty, mercy, kindness within a covenant bond
chesed in Job's mouth here describes what friends owe each other — not sentiment but active, committed loyalty in the worst moments. When chesed disappears from friendship, the entire covenantal fabric unravels.
Translator Notes
This verse is syntactically difficult and has been translated in many ways. The mas ('one who is melting, dissolving, despairing') describes the sufferer. The core argument is clear: withholding chesed from a suffering friend is a violation of the fear of Shaddai. Job elevates friendship loyalty to a theological obligation.
My brothers have betrayed me like a wadi,
like seasonal streams that overflow and vanish.
KJV My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The wadi metaphor begins here and continues through verse 20. A nachal is a streambed that runs with water during the rainy season but dries up completely in summer heat. The verb bagdu ('they have betrayed, dealt treacherously') is strong covenant-breaking language — the same verb used for marital unfaithfulness in Malachi 2:14-16.
Dark with ice,
swollen where snow melts into them —
KJV Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The wadi in winter is dark, turbid, rushing with snowmelt and ice — overflowing with apparent abundance. This is the friend in easy times: full, visible, impressive.
but when the heat comes, they shrink away;
in the scorching sun they disappear from their place.
KJV What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb zarav ('to scorch, dry up') describes the evaporation process. The parallel verb nidakhu ('they are extinguished') treats the wadis like flames that go out. The 'place' (maqom) they vanish from is exactly where travelers expected to find water — the wadi is defined by its location, and the location is now empty.
Caravans turn aside toward them,
go up into the wasteland, and perish.
KJV The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The subject shifts to the travelers who depend on the wadis. The 'paths of their way' describes caravan routes that detour toward known water sources. The tohu ('wasteland, void, chaos') is the same word used in Genesis 1:2 for the formless void — the travelers enter nothingness. They perish not from attack but from misplaced trust.
The caravans of Tema look for water;
the traveling merchants of Sheba set their hope on them.
KJV The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Tema and Sheba were major trading peoples of Arabia. Tema was located in northwest Arabia along major caravan routes; Sheba was in southern Arabia (modern Yemen). These are experienced desert travelers who know where water should be — and even they are deceived by the empty wadis.
They are put to shame because they trusted;
they arrive at the wadi and stand there, humiliated.
KJV They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb bosh ('to be ashamed, put to shame') describes the devastating experience of arriving at a place you trusted and finding it empty. The parallel verb chafar ('to be ashamed, confounded') intensifies the humiliation. This is Job's portrait of what his friends have done to him — he came to them expecting sustenance and found nothing.
That is what you have become to me now:
you see something terrifying, and you recoil.
KJV For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job applies the wadi metaphor directly: 'you have become lo' — 'nothing' or 'to it' (the empty wadi). The friends see Job's chattat ('terror, dismay, devastating condition') and respond with fear rather than compassion. Their theology cannot process what they are seeing, so they pull away.
Did I ever say, 'Give me something'?
Or, 'Pay a bribe for me out of your wealth'?
KJV Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job's rhetorical questions are devastating in their simplicity. He has not asked for money, rescue, or favors. The shochad ('bribe, gift') suggests he has not even asked them to intervene with authorities on his behalf. All he wanted was their presence and honesty.
Or, 'Rescue me from an enemy's grip'?
Or, 'Ransom me from the hand of tyrants'?
KJV Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb padah ('to ransom, redeem') involves paying a price to free someone from bondage or danger. Job has asked for none of this — his expectations of friendship are far simpler than financial rescue.
Teach me, and I will be silent.
Show me where I have gone wrong.
KJV Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job's offer is genuine and challenging: if his friends can identify a specific sin, he will accept it silently. The verb shagah ('to go astray, err') implies unintentional wandering rather than deliberate rebellion. Job is open to correction but demands specifics, not generalizations.
How painful honest words can be!
But what does your rebuke actually prove?
KJV How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb marats ('to be sharp, painful, forceful') acknowledges that truthful words do hurt — Job is not asking to be spared honest criticism. His complaint is that his friends' rebukes prove nothing. The verb yakach ('to argue, rebuke, prove in court') is legal language — Job wants evidence, not lectures.
Do you think you can rebuke mere words?
The speech of a desperate man is just wind to you.
KJV Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job accuses his friends of treating his anguished words as the target rather than engaging with his actual situation. They correct his language rather than addressing his pain. The no'ash ('desperate, despairing') person's words are dismissed as ruach ('wind, breath') — insubstantial, not worth taking seriously.
You would even cast lots over an orphan
and haggle over your own friend.
KJV Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
The verb naphal with 'al can mean 'to cast lots over' (as in dividing spoil) or 'to fall upon.' The verb karah ('to dig') suggests digging a pit or a trap. Job accuses his friends of treating the vulnerable (the orphan) as objects and their own friend as prey. The escalation is deliberate — if they would do this to a stranger, no wonder they treat Job this way.
Now, please — turn and look at me.
Would I lie to your face?
KJV Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job's plea is deeply personal: look at me. The physical act of facing another person in the ancient Near East carried the weight of honest encounter. Job insists that a face-to-face meeting would reveal his sincerity — lying while looking someone in the eye was considered especially shameful.
Turn back — do not let injustice stand.
Turn back! My righteousness is still at stake in this.
KJV Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job pleads with his friends to reverse course. The avlah ('injustice, wrongdoing') is their premature verdict against him. His tsidqi ('my righteousness') is what hangs in the balance — if his friends persist in their accusation, his integrity before God and community is destroyed.
Is there injustice on my tongue?
Can my palate not taste what is wrong?
KJV Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?
Notes & Key Terms
Translator Notes
Job closes the chapter by returning to the food metaphor from verses 6-7. His 'palate' (chek) is the organ of taste and discernment. Just as he could detect tasteless food earlier, he can detect moral wrong. He asks: do you really think I cannot tell the difference between justice and injustice, between truth and falsehood? Job claims the competence to evaluate his own moral condition.