Job - Chapter 7

Job 7.1 Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? Job 7.2 As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work: Job 7.3 So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. Job 7.4 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 7.5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. Job 7.6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. Job 7.7 O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good. Job 7.8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. Job 7.9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. Job 7.10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more. Job 7.11 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 7.12 Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me? Job 7.13 When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaints; Job 7.14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions: Job 7.15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. Job 7.16 I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity. Job 7.17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? Job 7.18 And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment? Job 7.19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? Job 7.20 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 7.21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Job : Chapter 7

Job's Lament: A Call to Reflection

Chapter 7 of the book of Job continues to explore the profound lament of this tried man. Why does he question his life's purpose? This powerful text compares life to hard, forced labor and expresses Job's yearning for relief. Throughout this chapter, we are confronted with essential themes such as the brevity of life, the apparent silence of God, and the existential anguish that dwells in the human soul.

Job 7 reveals Job's brutal honesty in his communication with God. He does not hide his suffering or his doubts, inviting us to meditate on biblical passages that shed light on these intense and provocative questions.

Biblical Reflections

We invite you to contemplate five biblical passages that resonate with the questions raised by Job:

Psalm 39:4-5

"Show me, O Lord, the end of my life and the number of my days, that I may know my frailty. You have made my days as short as a space; the span of my life is nothing before you. Indeed, man is but a breath."

These verses echo Job's reflections on the brevity of life, illustrated in Job 7:6-7.

Ecclesiastes 2:23

"All his days are laborious and his tasks are burdensome; even at night he has no rest. This is also absurd!"

This verse reflects Job's lamentations over his nights of agony, as we see in Job 7:3-4.

Psalms 8:4

"What is man that you care for him? Or the son of man, why should you worry about him?"

This question about the relationship between God and man is similar to that expressed by Job in 7:17-19.

2 Corinthians 5:4

"For when we are in this house, we groan and anguish, because we do not want to be undressed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be absorbed into life."

The apostle Paul expresses a sentiment similar to Job's in 7:11, about the weight of mortal existence.

Psalms 90:5-6

"You take them away, and they are like sleep; in the morning they are like the growing grass: in the morning it blossoms and sprouts; in the afternoon it is cut down and withered."

These verses reflect Job's meditations on the fragility of human life, as emphasized by Job 7:9-10.

By meditating on these passages, we are invited to confront our own existence, our relationship with God, and the transient nature of life. May these reflections lead us to a deeper understanding of our faith and divine mercy.