Job 6:7

The things [that] my soul refused to touch [are] as my sorrowful meat.

The things that my soul {H5315} refused {H3985} to touch {H5060} are as my sorrowful {H1741} meat {H3899}.

I refuse to touch them; such food makes me sick.

My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me.

My soul refuseth to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me.

In Job 6:7, Job continues his heartfelt lament, expressing the profound depths of his despair and the physical toll his suffering has taken. This verse vividly illustrates how his overwhelming grief has tainted even the most basic necessities of life, making sustenance itself repugnant.

Context of Job 6:7

This verse is part of Job's response to Eliphaz's initial counsel, which Job found unhelpful and even accusatory (Job 6:1). Having lost his children, wealth, and health (Job 1:19, Job 2:7), Job is in immense physical and emotional pain. He feels utterly forsaken and misunderstood, and his words here convey a deep sense of revulsion at his current existence, where even food brings no comfort but mirrors his sorrow.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Profound Despair: Job's words reveal an almost unbearable level of emotional suffering. His sorrow is so intense that it has permeated every aspect of his being, affecting his physical appetite and making food utterly unappetizing. This illustrates how deep grief can manifest physically.
  • The Bitterness of Affliction: The "things my soul refused to touch" speaks to a complete aversion, while "as my sorrowful meat" highlights how his very sustenance has become a symbol of his pain. His life, and everything in it, tastes bitter due to his overwhelming circumstances.
  • Physical Manifestation of Emotional Pain: This verse powerfully shows the interconnectedness of body and soul. Job's inner anguish directly impacts his physical desire for food, demonstrating how emotional distress can have tangible physical effects.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV phrase "sorrowful meat" translates the Hebrew לֶחֶם מַכְאוֹבִי (lechem makh'ovi). The word לֶחֶם (lechem) literally means "bread" but is often used broadly for "food" or "sustenance." The term מַכְאוֹבִי (makh'ovi) means "my pain" or "my sorrow." So, "my sorrowful food" or "the bread of my pain" vividly conveys that even the most basic act of eating is steeped in his suffering. It's not just food that is sorrowful, but food that is his sorrow.

Practical Application

Job 6:7 offers profound insight into the human experience of suffering. It reminds us:

  • Empathy for the Grieving: This verse helps us understand that deep sorrow can rob individuals of their appetite and joy in basic life functions. It fosters empathy for those who are so overwhelmed by grief that even food becomes unpalatable.
  • The Reality of Suffering's Scope: Job's lament highlights how suffering is not just an intellectual or spiritual battle but can impact every facet of one's existence, including physical well-being.
  • Permission to Lament: Job's raw honesty gives us permission to express our pain fully to God, even when it feels overwhelming and affects our basic needs. His lament is a testament to the depth of human anguish in the face of inexplicable suffering, a theme echoed in many Psalms of lament.
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.

  • Ezekiel 4:14

    Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.

  • Job 3:24

    For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.

  • Ezekiel 12:18

    Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness;

  • Ezekiel 12:19

    And say unto the people of the land, Thus saith the Lord GOD of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, [and] of the land of Israel; They shall eat their bread with carefulness, and drink their water with astonishment, that her land may be desolate from all that is therein, because of the violence of all them that dwell therein.

  • Daniel 10:3

    I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

  • Psalms 102:9

    For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,

  • 1 Kings 17:12

    And she said, [As] the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I [am] gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

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