Job 7

Job laments his severe suffering, comparing his life to a hireling's toil and expressing the swiftness and hopelessness of his days. He describes his decaying body and restless nights, then questions God's intense scrutiny, preferring death to his current anguish. Job concludes by asking why God does not pardon his sins before he perishes.

In Job 7, Job continues his lament, describing his life as a period of appointed suffering, akin to a hireling's weary existence. He speaks of restless nights filled with tossing and turning, and a body afflicted with worms and loathsome skin. Job emphasizes the fleeting nature of human life, comparing it to wind and a vanishing cloud, asserting that one who descends to the grave will not return. In his bitterness, he resolves to speak freely, questioning why God relentlessly watches and terrifies him with dreams. Job expresses a preference for death over his current life, which he finds loathsome and vain. He challenges God, asking why He so magnifies and tests humanity, and implores Him to grant a moment of respite. Finally, Job acknowledges his sin but queries why God has made him a target and does not pardon his transgression before he dies and is forgotten.

Job 7 opens with Job's profound lament concerning the brevity and hardship of human existence, likening man's days to those of a hireling who yearns for rest after toil. He describes his own experience as months of vanity and wearisome, sleepless nights, where he is tormented by constant tossing until dawn. His physical suffering is vividly portrayed, with his flesh clothed in worms and dust, and his skin broken and loathsome. Job reflects on the swift passage of his days, which he declares are spent without hope, emphasizing the transient nature of life, which he calls "wind." He asserts that his eyes will no longer see good, and that once he is gone, he will not be found, just as a cloud vanishes and one who descends to the grave does not return to their home. Driven by the anguish and bitterness of his soul, Job declares he will not restrain his complaint. He directly addresses God, questioning why he is so closely watched, as if he were a dangerous sea or a whale. He recounts how even in his bed, seeking comfort, God terrifies him with disturbing dreams and visions. This torment leads Job to prefer strangling and death over his present life, which he finds utterly loathsome and vain. He pleads with God to leave him alone, for his days are fleeting. Job then challenges God's constant attention and testing of humanity, asking why He visits and tries man every moment. He implores God for a brief moment of peace. Acknowledging his sin, Job questions why God has made him a specific target, becoming a burden to himself. He concludes by asking why God does not pardon his transgression and remove his iniquity, for he knows he will soon sleep in the dust, and then God will seek him, but he will be no more.