Chapter Overview
Summary
Job 7 continues Job's first response — meditating on the brevity-and-misery of human-life (vv. 1–10) and addressing God directly with the bitter 'why have you made me your target?' (vv. 11–21). Verse 17 — 'what is man, that you make so much of him?' — sardonically inverts Psalm 8:4's wonder-question.
Notable Variants
7:9 'as the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up' — pre-resurrection Sheol theology; 7:17 'what is man that you make so much of him?' inverting Ps 8:4's wonder; 7:20–21 'why do you not pardon my transgression?' — Job's bitter-petition.
Structural Notes
MT Job 7 = LXX Job 7. 21 verses.
Is not human life hard service on earth? Are not our days like the days of a hired laborer?
'Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand?' tracks MT.
Like a slave who longs for the shade, like a laborer waiting for his wages —
'Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages' tracks MT.
so I have been allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery have been counted out for me.
'So I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me' tracks MT.
When I lie down I think, 'When will I get up?' But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.
'When I lie down I say: When shall I arise? But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn' tracks MT.
My flesh is clothed with maggots and crusts of dirt; my skin cracks open and oozes.
'My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt; my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh' tracks MT.
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope.
'My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle and come to their end without hope' tracks MT. WEAVER'S-SHUTTLE swiftness.
Remember that my life is just a breath; my eyes will never see good again.
'Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good' tracks MT. LIFE-IS-A-BREATH (ruach / pneuma). James 4:14 ('what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes') extends.
The eye that sees me now will not see me again; your eyes will look for me, but I will be gone.
'The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone' tracks MT.
A cloud dissolves and is gone; so the one who goes down to Sheol does not come back up.
'As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up' tracks MT. CLOUD-FADES — pre-resurrection Sheol vocabulary. Job's protest stands within the OT's developing post-mortem theology; the book itself moves toward Job 19:25–27's redeemer-hope.
He will never return to his house, and his place will not recognize him anymore.
'He returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him anymore' tracks MT.
So I will not hold back my mouth. I will speak from the anguish of my spirit; I will pour out the bitterness of my soul.
'Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul' tracks MT. JOB-WILL-NOT-RESTRAIN. Direct-address-to-God begins.
Am I the sea? Am I the sea monster? That you post a guard over me?
'Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me?' tracks MT. SEA-MONSTER imagery — chaos-creature requiring divine-restraint.
When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint' —
'When I say: My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint' tracks MT.
then you terrify me with dreams and frighten me with visions.
'Then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions' tracks MT.
So my throat prefers strangling, my bones prefer death to this body.
'So that I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones' tracks MT.
I am done. I will not live forever. Leave me alone — my days are a breath.
'I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath' tracks MT.
What are human beings that you make so much of them, that you fix your attention on them?
'What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him' tracks MT. WHAT-IS-MAN — Ps 8:4's wonder-question sardonically-inverted by Job. Where the psalmist marvels at-divine-attention, Job complains about-it. Hebrews 2:6–8 cites Ps 8 Christologically; Job's-inversion shows the OT's-internal-debate on divine-attention.
You examine him every morning and test him every moment.
'Visit him every morning and test him every moment?' tracks MT.
How long until you look away from me? Will you not let me alone long enough to swallow my spit?
'How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?' tracks MT.
Even if I have sinned — what does that do to you, O Watcher of Humanity? Why have you made me your target? Why have I become a burden to you?
'If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?' tracks MT. WHY-AM-I-A-BURDEN-TO-YOU — Job's existential-cry.
Why not just forgive my rebellion and take away my guilt? For soon I will lie down in the dust, and you will look for me — but I will be gone.
'Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be' tracks MT. WHY-DO-YOU-NOT-PARDON. The implicit-confession + plea — even Job's-protest assumes guilt-to-be-pardoned and divine-search.