Lexical Summary yatsur: To form, fashion, shape Original Word: יָצֻר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance member Passive participle of yatsar; structure, i.e. Limb or part -- member.ql see HEBREW yatsar NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom yatsar Definition form, member NASB Translation members (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [יְצֻרִים] noun masculine plural suffix וִּיצֻרַי my forms, members of my body Job 17:7. Topical Lexicon Concept Overview יָצֻר (Strong’s Hebrew 3338) stands as a vivid, concrete way of speaking of the human “frame,” the physical body that has been shaped by the Creator yet is subject to weakness and decline. The form itself is neither incidental nor autonomous; it is part of the deliberate workmanship of God (compare Genesis 2:7; Psalm 119:73). Its single appearance in Job highlights the tension between divine craftsmanship and human frailty. Occurrence in Job 17:7 “My eyes have grown dim with grief, and my whole body is but a shadow.” (Job 17:7) In Job’s lament, the term draws attention to the entire person—eyes dimmed by tears, a frame collapsed beneath affliction, and life reduced to a passing shadow. The verse functions rhetorically: Job’s physical disintegration mirrors what appears, from his perspective, to be divine withdrawal. The word therefore contributes to the central question of the book: How can a righteous sufferer reconcile severe bodily decay with unbroken divine sovereignty and goodness? Interplay with the Wider ‘Forming’ Motif in Scripture 1. Divine artistry: “Your hands have made and fashioned me” (Psalm 119:73). Both passages employ cognate terms derived from the same root as יָצֻר, revealing a thematic thread: the God who fashions humanity also remembers its frailty. Job 17:7 provides the experiential counterpart—what creation theology states propositionally, Job lives personally. Human Frailty and Mortality The verse invites reflection on several biblical truths: By joining these strands, Scripture teaches that bodily deterioration is neither a denial of divine care nor an end to hope. The Shadow Metaphor Job likens his frame to a “shadow,” an image frequently linked with brevity and insubstantiality (Psalm 144:4; James 4:14). Yet a shadow presupposes a source of light; the metaphor thus hints, even in lament, at the presence of God who alone casts true light (Psalm 27:1). Hope beyond Frailty • Resurrection promise: “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.” (Job 19:26) Ministry Applications 1. Pastoral comfort: When believers face illness or aging, Job 17:7 legitimizes lament while directing attention to the God who formed the body and will one day restore it. Summary יָצֻר encapsulates the mystery of a body created by divine hands yet vulnerable to decay. Its single occurrence in Job magnifies the biblical witness: the Maker of our frame understands its limits, shares in its suffering through the incarnate Christ, and will ultimately raise it in imperishable glory. Forms and Transliterations וִֽיצֻרַ֖י ויצרי vitzuRai wî·ṣu·ray wîṣurayLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 17:7 HEB: מִכַּ֣עַשׂ עֵינִ֑י וִֽיצֻרַ֖י כַּצֵּ֣ל כֻּלָּֽם׃ NAS: And all my members are as a shadow. KJV: by reason of sorrow, and all my members [are] as a shadow. INT: of grief my eye my members A shadow and all 1 Occurrence |
    |