Job6

Job responds to Eliphaz by expressing the overwhelming weight of his grief, which he attributes to the arrows and terrors of the Almighty. He longs for death as a release from his suffering, questioning his own strength to endure. Job then criticizes his friends for their lack of pity and unreliability, challenging them to teach him his error rather than reprove his desperate words, while asserting his own righteousness.

Job Justifies His Complaint

1
Iyov responded:
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"I wish my frustration could be weighed, all my calamities laid on the scales! ​
3
They would outweigh the sands of the seas! No wonder, then, that my words come out stammered! ​
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For the arrows of Shaddai find their mark in me, and my spirit is drinking in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. ​
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"Does a wild donkey bray when it has grass? Does an ox low when it has fodder? ​
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Can food without flavor be eaten without salt? Do egg whites have any taste? ​
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I refuse to touch them; such food makes me sick. ​

Job Prays for Immediate Death

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"If only I could have my wish granted, and God would give me what I'm hoping for - ​
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that God would decide to crush me, that he would let his hand loose and cut me off! ​
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Then I would feel consoled; so that even in the face of unending pain, I would be able to rejoice; for I have not denied the words of the Holy One. ​
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"Have I enough strength to go on waiting? What end can I expect, that I should be patient?
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Is my strength the strength of stones? Is my flesh made of bronze? ​
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Clearly, I have no help in myself; common sense has been driven from me.

The Unreliability of His Friends

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"A friend should be kind to an unhappy man, even to one who abandons Shaddai. ​
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But my brothers are as deceptive as vadis, as vadi streams that soon run dry; ​
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they may turn dark with ice and be hidden by piled-up snow;
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but as the weather warms up, they vanish; when it's hot, they disappear.
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Their courses turn this way and that; they go up into the confusing waste and are lost.
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The caravans from Tema look for them, the travelers from Sh'va hope to find them;
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but they are disappointed, because they were confident; on arrival there, they are frustrated. ​
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"For now, you have become like that -just seeing my calamity makes you afraid. ​
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Did I say to you, 'Give me something,'or, 'From your wealth, offer a bribe on my behalf,'
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or, 'Save me from the enemy's grip,'or, 'Redeem me from the clutches of oppressors'?

Job Demands Constructive Counsel

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"Teach me, and I will be silent. Make me understand how I am at fault. ​
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Honest words are forceful indeed, but what do your arguments prove? ​
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Do you think [your own] words constitute argument, while the speech of a desperate man is merely wind?
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I suppose you would even throw dice for an orphan or barter away your friend! ​
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"So now, I beg you, look at me! Would I lie to your face?
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Think it over, please; don't let wrong be done. Think it over again: my cause is just. ​
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Am I saying something wrong? Can't I recognize trouble when I taste it? ​

Study Notes for Job 6

Verse 2

Job wishes his suffering could be objectively measured, implying that if the friends truly understood the weight of his calamity, they would not criticize his words.

Verse 3

The hyperbole ('heavier than the sand of the sea') explains why his words are rash and uncontrolled. His overwhelming pain causes his desperate expressions to be 'swallowed up' by bitterness.

Verse 4

Job attributes his despair directly to God ('the Almighty'), viewing his affliction not as random chance but as a deliberate military assault (arrows, poison, terrors set in array) from the divine.

Verse 5

Job uses natural analogies to argue that complaining is a normal, expected response to pain. Animals only cry out when they lack what they need; his outcry proves his state is unnatural and painful.

Verse 6

This verse reinforces the idea that suffering requires a response. Just as bland food needs salt, his life requires something to alleviate its bitterness; the friends' words offer no such relief.

Verse 7

His current circumstances are so repulsive that they are compared to food his soul previously refused to touch. His physical revulsion mirrors his spiritual and emotional distress.

Verse 8

Job shifts from justifying his complaints to expressing a fervent death wish, framing death as the only true relief he desires from God.

Verse 9

Job asks God to complete the destruction that has already begun, using the physical imagery of God 'letting loose his hand' to cut him off swiftly.

Verse 10

Job suggests that death would bring comfort because it would end his pain, and he would die knowing he had remained faithful ('not concealed the words of the Holy One'), confirming his integrity.

Verse 12

These rhetorical questions emphasize Job’s profound physical weakness. He contrasts his fragile human body with the imagined strength of stones and brass, concluding that he cannot endure indefinitely.

Verse 14

Job states the moral necessity of compassion for the afflicted. He accuses his friends of failing this fundamental duty, suggesting their lack of pity indicates a forsaking of true piety.

Verse 15

The friends are compared to wadis (seasonal streams) that promise water in the desert but are ultimately unreliable, disappearing when the heat (Job's crisis) is most intense.

Verse 20

The travelers (like the friends) are ashamed because their expectations of finding sustenance (comfort, wisdom) were dashed. False hope leads only to confusion and disappointment.

Verse 21

Job applies the metaphor directly, stating the friends have proven worthless, seeing his utter collapse and reacting with fear rather than supportive intimacy.

Verse 24

Job challenges his friends to move beyond condemnation and provide specific, constructive instruction. He promises silence and acceptance if they can point out his exact error.

Verse 25

Job contrasts the power of 'right words' (truthful and helpful counsel) with the futility of their current, judgmental arguments, which have only served to expose his desperation.

Verse 27

This is a severe accusation of betrayal. Job suggests that in their misguided zeal, they are exploiting his vulnerability ('overwhelm the fatherless') and acting treacherously against their 'friend'.

Verse 29

Job appeals for them to reconsider their judgment, arguing that a true examination of his situation will prove his righteousness and show that their previous condemnation was based on iniquity.

Verse 30

Job concludes his defense by asserting his moral and intellectual clarity. He affirms that despite his suffering, he retains the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

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