Job 7:16
New International Version
I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning.

New Living Translation
I hate my life and don’t want to go on living. Oh, leave me alone for my few remaining days.

English Standard Version
I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.

Berean Standard Bible
I loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

King James Bible
I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

New King James Version
I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath.

New American Standard Bible
“I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are only a breath.

NASB 1995
“I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

NASB 1977
“I waste away; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

Legacy Standard Bible
I have rejected everything; I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

Amplified Bible
“I waste away and loathe my life; I will not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath [futile and without substance].

Christian Standard Bible
I give up! I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I give up! I will not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.

American Standard Version
I loathe my life; I would not live alway: Let me alone; for my days are vanity.

Contemporary English Version
Leave me alone and let me die; my life has no meaning.

English Revised Version
I loathe my life; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I hate my life; I do not want to live forever. Leave me alone because my days are so brief.

Good News Translation
I give up; I am tired of living. Leave me alone. My life makes no sense.

International Standard Version
I hate the thought of living forever! Leave me alone, because my days are pointless."

Majority Standard Bible
I loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

NET Bible
I loathe it; I do not want to live forever; leave me alone, for my days are a vapor!

New Heart English Bible
I loathe my life. I do not want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.

Webster's Bible Translation
I lothe it; I would not live always: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

World English Bible
I loathe my life. I don’t want to live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I have wasted away—I do not live for all time. Cease from me, for my days [are] vanity.

Young's Literal Translation
I have wasted away -- not to the age do I live. Cease from me, for my days are vanity.

Smith's Literal Translation
I melted away; I shall not live forever: desist from me, for my days are vanity.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I have done with hope, I shall now live no longer: spare me, for my days are nothing.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I despair; by no means will I live any longer. Spare me, for my days are nothing.

New American Bible
I waste away: I will not live forever; let me alone, for my days are but a breath.

New Revised Standard Version
I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are a breath.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I am despondent; I would not live for ever; leave me alone, for my days are vanity.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I have lost hope for myself and I am not living to eternity. Depart from me, for my days are empty!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
I loathe it; I shall not live alway; Let me alone; for my days are vanity.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For I shall not live for ever, that I should patiently endure: depart from me, for my life is vain.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Continues: Life Seems Futile
15so that I would prefer strangling and death over my life in this body. 16I loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath. 17What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart upon him,…

Cross References
Psalm 39:4-5
“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is. / You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah

Ecclesiastes 2:17
So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Psalm 144:4
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Psalm 102:3
For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.

Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

Isaiah 38:12
My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me.

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

Psalm 78:39
He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

Ecclesiastes 6:12
For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?

2 Corinthians 5:2-4
For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, / because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. / For while we are in this tent, we groan under our burdens, because we do not wish to be unclothed but clothed, so that our mortality may be swallowed up by life.

Psalm 89:47
Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men!

Philippians 1:23
I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.

Psalm 90:9-10
For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh. / The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

1 Corinthians 15:19
If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all men.


Treasury of Scripture

I loathe it; I would not live always: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

I loathe it.

Job 3:20-22
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; …

Job 6:9
Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!

Job 10:1
My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

let me alone.

Job 10:20
Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,

Job 14:6
Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.

Psalm 39:10,13
Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand…

my days.

Psalm 62:9
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

Psalm 78:33
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

Psalm 144:4
Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

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Job 7
1. Job excuses his desire of death.
12. He complains of his own restlessness, and reasons with God.














I loathe my life!
Job's expression of loathing for his life reflects the depth of his suffering and despair. This sentiment is echoed in other parts of the Bible, such as in the laments of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14-18) and the Psalms (Psalm 88). Job's intense emotional state is a response to his immense physical pain, loss, and the perceived absence of God's justice. In the ancient Near Eastern context, life was often seen as a gift from God, and to loathe it was to express profound anguish and a sense of abandonment. This phrase highlights the human struggle with suffering and the search for meaning in the midst of trials.

I would not live forever.
Job's desire not to live forever underscores his current misery and the futility he feels. In the biblical context, eternal life is often portrayed as a blessing (Psalm 133:3, John 3:16), yet Job's wish to avoid it reflects his current state of hopelessness. This sentiment contrasts with the Christian hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ, who offers redemption and eternal joy. Job's statement can be seen as a precursor to the New Testament revelation of eternal life as a gift through Christ, which transforms suffering into a temporary state with the promise of future glory (Romans 8:18).

Leave me alone,
Job's plea for solitude is a cry for relief from his suffering and from the perceived scrutiny of God. This request can be compared to the isolation felt by other biblical figures, such as Elijah (1 Kings 19:4) and Jonah (Jonah 4:3), who also sought to escape their burdens. In the cultural context of the time, suffering was often seen as a result of divine displeasure, and Job's plea reflects his struggle to understand his plight. This phrase also foreshadows the ultimate solitude experienced by Jesus Christ on the cross, who bore the weight of humanity's sin and cried out in abandonment (Matthew 27:46).

for my days are but a breath.
Job acknowledges the brevity and fragility of human life, a theme echoed throughout Scripture (Psalm 39:5, James 4:14). This recognition of life's transience is a common biblical motif that emphasizes the need for reliance on God and the pursuit of eternal values. In the historical context, life expectancy was much shorter, and the unpredictability of life was a constant reality. Job's statement serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of earthly existence and the importance of seeking a relationship with God, who offers eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing intense suffering and questioning the reasons behind it.

2. Uz
The land where Job lived. It is often associated with the region east of Israel, though its exact location is uncertain.

3. Job's Suffering
The context of this verse is Job's lament over his intense suffering, which includes the loss of his children, wealth, and health.
Teaching Points
The Brevity of Life
Job's statement, "my days are but a breath," reminds us of the transient nature of our earthly existence. We should live with an eternal perspective, focusing on what truly matters.

The Reality of Suffering
Job's lament is a raw expression of human suffering. It teaches us that it is okay to bring our honest emotions before God, trusting that He understands our pain.

The Desire for Relief
Job's plea to be left alone reflects a deep desire for relief from his suffering. This can encourage us to seek God's comfort and presence in our own times of distress.

The Importance of Hope
While Job expresses despair, the broader account of Scripture encourages us to hold onto hope, knowing that God is sovereign and has a purpose even in our suffering.

Trust in God's Sovereignty
Despite Job's anguish, the book ultimately points to God's sovereignty and wisdom, reminding us to trust Him even when we do not understand our circumstances.(16) I loathe it--i.e., the thought of self-destruction; or, I loathe my life; or, according to others (see the margin), I waste away: this, however, is perhaps less probable. Then the thought comes with a ray of comfort, "I shall not live for ever;" for this seems more in accordance with the context than the Authorised Version: "I would not live always."

Verse 16. - I loathe it; rather, I am wasted away - "ulceratus tabesco" (Schultens). I would not live alway; rather, I shall not live alway. Let me alone; for my days are vanity; literally, cease from me; i.e. "cease to trouble me" - with, perhaps, the further meaning. "cease to trouble thyself about me;" for I am sufficiently reduced to nothingness - my life is mere vanity.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I loathe [my life]!
מָ֭אַסְתִּי (mā·’as·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3988: To spurn, to disappear

I would not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

live
אֶֽחְיֶ֑ה (’eḥ·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

forever.
לְעֹלָ֣ם (lə·‘ō·lām)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

Leave me alone,
חֲדַ֥ל (ḥă·ḏal)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 2308: To be flabby, desist, be lacking, idle

for
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

my days [are]
יָמָֽי׃ (yā·māy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3117: A day

[but] a breath.
הֶ֥בֶל (he·ḇel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1892: Emptiness, vanity, transitory, unsatisfactory


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OT Poetry: Job 7:16 I loathe my life (Jb)
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