Job 7:3

So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.

So am I made to possess {H5157} months {H3391} of vanity {H7723}, and wearisome {H5999} nights {H3915} are appointed {H4487} to me.

So I am assigned months of meaninglessness; troubled nights are my lot.

So I am allotted months of futility, and nights of misery are appointed me.

So am I made to possess months of misery, And wearisome nights are appointed to me.

Commentary

Context of Job 7:3

Job 7:3 is part of Job's impassioned response to Bildad the Shuhite, marking his second major lament in the book. Having lost his children, his vast wealth, and now afflicted with a terrible physical disease, Job is in a state of profound despair. This verse encapsulates his feeling of endless, pointless suffering. It follows Job's earlier expressions of wishing for death and relief from his agony, as seen in his desperate cry in Job 3:21, setting the stage for his deep emotional and physical torment.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Profound Despair and Futility: Job describes his life as consisting of "months of vanity." This speaks to a deep sense of meaninglessness and emptiness that has enveloped his existence. His once-purposeful life now feels utterly profitless and hollow due to his overwhelming suffering.
  • Relentless and Unyielding Suffering: The phrase "wearisome nights are appointed to me" vividly portrays the ceaseless nature of Job's torment. Nights, typically a time for rest and recuperation, become periods of intensified pain, anxiety, and sleeplessness, highlighting that his affliction offers no respite, day or night.
  • A Sense of Divine Ordination: Job perceives his suffering not as random but as something "appointed" to him. This implies a belief that his agony is divinely decreed or inescapable. This conviction adds a layer of existential crisis, as Job grapples with understanding why a just God would seemingly inflict such relentless hardship upon him, a central question explored throughout the Book of Job regarding God's ways in human suffering.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "vanity" in "months of vanity" is shav' (שָׁוְא), which conveys emptiness, futility, worthlessness, or meaninglessness. It suggests a time that is devoid of true purpose or value. This term resonates with the concept of "vanity of vanities" found extensively in the book of Ecclesiastes, describing the transient and often pointless nature of life under the sun. The word "appointed" (Χ™Φ»Χ§ΦΌΦ·Χ“) carries the sense of something being set, fixed, or determined, reinforcing Job's feeling that his suffering is not accidental but a predetermined part of his experience.

Practical Application

Job's raw lament in this verse offers profound empathy for anyone enduring prolonged periods of difficulty, chronic illness, or deep emotional distress. It validates the feeling that suffering can sometimes feel endless and devoid of purpose, even impacting the ability to find rest. Job's honest expression reminds us that it is acceptable to voice our deepest pains and frustrations to God, even when we don't comprehend His plan. This passage encourages us to approach those in similar situations with compassion and patience, recognizing that simplistic explanations often fail to acknowledge the depth of their pain. Ultimately, Job's perseverance, despite his intense despair, points to the enduring human spirit and the eventual restoration that God brings, even if it is not immediately apparent, as seen in Job 42:10.

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Cross-References

  • Psalms 6:6 (4 votes)

    I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

  • Ecclesiastes 1:14 (3 votes)

    I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.

  • Job 29:2 (2 votes)

    Oh that I were as [in] months past, as [in] the days [when] God preserved me;

  • Job 16:7 (2 votes)

    But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.

  • Psalms 39:5 (2 votes)

    Behold, thou hast made my days [as] an handbreadth; and mine age [is] as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state [is] altogether vanity. Selah.