Job 7:14

Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:

Then thou scarest {H2865} me with dreams {H2472}, and terrifiest {H1204} me through visions {H2384}:

then you terrify me with dreams and frighten me with visions.

then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,

Then thou scarest me with dreams, And terrifiest me through visions:

Context of Job 7:14

In Job 7, we find Job in the depths of his profound suffering, responding to the accusations of his friends and directly lamenting his condition to God. Having lost his children, wealth, and health, Job expresses his utter misery, longing for death as a release from his pain (Job 6:9). This particular verse highlights the comprehensive nature of his torment: it extends beyond his waking hours, invading his sleep and robbing him of any respite.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Unrelenting Anguish: Job's suffering is not confined to physical pain or worldly loss; it permeates his mental and emotional state, even manifesting in his subconscious during sleep. The verse emphasizes that his torment is continuous, day and night.
  • Perceived Divine Antagonism: Job feels that God Himself is actively afflicting him, not merely allowing his suffering. He perceives God as an oppressor who uses dreams and visions—often sources of divine communication or comfort in other biblical contexts—as instruments of terror. This reflects Job's deep sense of abandonment and confusion about God's actions.
  • Mental and Emotional Torment: The terms "scarest" and "terrifiest" underscore the intense psychological distress Job experiences. His nights are not peaceful but filled with nightmares and frightening visions, adding another layer to his despair and making rest impossible.
  • Human Vulnerability: This verse powerfully illustrates the extreme vulnerability of human beings, particularly when confronted with overwhelming and inexplicable suffering. It speaks to the reality of mental anguish and the feeling of being pursued by an unseen force.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew words behind "scarest" (בִּלַּעְתָּ - billāʿtā, from balaʿ) and "terrifiest" (חִתַּתָּנִי - ḥittatānī, from ḥatat) convey a profound sense of being consumed, swallowed up, shattered, and dismayed. These are not just fleeting bad dreams but experiences that utterly overwhelm and break Job's spirit, emphasizing the depth of his internal affliction. It's an active, aggressive terror that he attributes directly to God's dealings with him.

Practical Application and Reflection

Job 7:14 offers a poignant portrayal of profound despair and the reality of mental and emotional suffering. It reminds us that:

  • It's Okay to Lament: The Bible does not shy away from depicting raw human emotion, including feelings of being terrified and abandoned by God. Job's honest complaints validate the experience of those who feel overwhelmed by life's trials, even to the point of experiencing mental and emotional distress.
  • Suffering Can Be Comprehensive: This verse highlights that suffering can impact every aspect of a person's life, including their inner world and sleep. It underscores the importance of acknowledging and addressing mental health alongside physical well-being.
  • God Hears Our Cries: Despite Job's accusations and feelings of terror, God ultimately responds to him (Job 38:1). This serves as a reminder that even when we feel God is against us or that our prayers are unheard, He is attentive to our anguish and will provide answers in His time.
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 40:5

    ¶ And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which [were] bound in the prison.

  • Genesis 40:7

    And he asked Pharaoh's officers that [were] with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye [so] sadly to day?

  • Genesis 41:8

    And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but [there was] none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

  • Daniel 2:1

    ¶ And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

  • Judges 7:13

    And when Gideon was come, behold, [there was] a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

  • Judges 7:14

    And his fellow answered and said, This [is] nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: [for] into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

  • Matthew 27:19

    When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

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