Job 10:9

Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?

Remember {H2142}, I beseech thee, that thou hast made {H6213} me as the clay {H2563}; and wilt thou bring {H7725} me into dust {H6083} again {H7725}?

Please remember that you made me, like clay; will you return me to dust?

Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?

Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay; And wilt thou bring me into dust again?

Commentary on Job 10:9 KJV

Job 10:9 is a poignant cry from a man in the depths of suffering, appealing to God's very act of creation. In this verse, Job desperately implores God to remember His relationship with him as Creator and Sustainer, questioning the apparent contradiction between God's careful craftsmanship and Job's current state of severe affliction.

Context

This verse is part of Job's extended lament in Chapter 10, where he pours out his soul to God, feeling unjustly persecuted despite his innocence. He questions God's motives and actions, struggling to reconcile divine justice with his immense personal pain. Job's plea here is not a challenge to God's power, but an appeal to His character, reminding Him that He is the one who intricately formed Job. This period of intense suffering for Job is a central theme in the Book of Job, exploring themes of divine sovereignty, human suffering, and faith.

Key Themes

  • Divine Creation and Human Dependence: Job emphasizes God's role as the ultimate Maker. The metaphor of "clay" highlights God's absolute power and skill as the divine Potter, and humanity's utter dependence and fragility as the created. This echoes other biblical passages where God is depicted as the potter and we are the clay.
  • Human Frailty and Mortality: By referring to himself as "clay" and anticipating a return "into dust," Job acknowledges the transient and vulnerable nature of human life. This reflects the biblical understanding of humanity's origin from the dust of the earth and eventual return to it, as seen in Genesis 2:7 and Ecclesiastes 12:7.
  • A Plea for Compassion: Job's "Remember, I beseech thee" is a heartfelt request for God to consider His own handiwork. It's an appeal for divine compassion, suggesting that a Creator would not willingly destroy that which He so carefully fashioned.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "clay" here is chomer (חֹמֶר), which often refers to potter's clay, emphasizing its malleability and the craftsman's complete control over it. "Dust" is aphar (עָפָר), a common biblical term for the earth, ground, and often a symbol of mortality and humility. The juxtaposition of these two terms powerfully conveys the human condition: intricately formed yet inherently fragile and destined to return to the earth.

Practical Application

Job 10:9 reminds us of our place before God: we are His creation, intricately designed and known by Him. In times of suffering or confusion, this verse offers a framework for our prayers. We can appeal to God not just as a distant deity, but as our Creator who knows our frame and remembers that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14). It encourages us to lay bare our struggles before Him, trusting that the One who made us also cares for us, even when His ways are mysterious. It fosters humility and dependence on God's sovereign will, while also inviting honest lament and fervent prayer.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Genesis 2:7

    And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

  • Isaiah 64:8

    But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand.

  • Genesis 3:19

    In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.

  • Ecclesiastes 12:7

    Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

  • Psalms 25:6

    Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they [have been] ever of old.

  • Psalms 25:7

    Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.

  • Jeremiah 18:6

    O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

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