Job 9:25
New International Version
“My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.

New Living Translation
“My life passes more swiftly than a runner. It flees away without a glimpse of happiness.

English Standard Version
“My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good.

Berean Standard Bible
My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.

King James Bible
Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

New King James Version
“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.

New American Standard Bible
“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.

NASB 1995
“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.

NASB 1977
“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away; they do not see good.

Amplified Bible
“Now my days are swifter than a runner; They vanish, they see no good.

Christian Standard Bible
My days fly by faster than a runner; they flee without seeing any good.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
My days fly by faster than a runner; they flee without seeing any good.

American Standard Version
Now my days are swifter than a post: They flee away, they see no good,

Contemporary English Version
My life is speeding by, without a hope of happiness.

English Revised Version
Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"My days go by more quickly than a runner. They sprint away. They don't see anything good.

Good News Translation
My days race by, not one of them good.

International Standard Version
"My days pass faster than a runner; but they pass quickly without seeing anything good.

Majority Standard Bible
My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.

NET Bible
"My days are swifter than a runner, they speed by without seeing happiness.

New Heart English Bible
"Now my days are swifter than a runner. They flee away, they see no good,

Webster's Bible Translation
Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

World English Bible
“Now my days are swifter than a runner. They flee away. They see no good.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
My days have been swifter than a runner, "" They have fled, they have not seen good,

Young's Literal Translation
My days have been swifter than a runner, They have fled, they have not seen good,

Smith's Literal Translation
My days were swift above a runner: they fled, they saw not good.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
My days have been swifter than a post: they have fled away and have not seen good.

Catholic Public Domain Version
My days have been swifter than a messenger; they have fled and have not seen goodness.

New American Bible
My days are swifter than a runner, they flee away; they see no happiness;

New Revised Standard Version
“My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Now my days are swifter than a runner; they flee away, they see no good.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
My days are faster than a runner; they flee away and they see no good
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Now my days are swifter than a runner; They flee away, they see no good.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But my life is swifter than a post: my days have fled away, and they knew it not.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: How Can I Argue with God?
24The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He blindfolds its judges. If it is not He, then who is it? 25My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good. 26They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.…

Cross References
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 39:5
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

Psalm 39:4
“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is.

Psalm 90:10
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.

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

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?

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all. / For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.

Isaiah 40:6-7
A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. / The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass.

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,

1 Chronicles 29:15
For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

Hebrews 9:27
Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,

1 Corinthians 7:29-31
What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; / those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a purchase, as if they had nothing; / and those who use the things of this world, as if not dependent on them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

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

Psalm 103:15-16
As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; / when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

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.


Treasury of Scripture

Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

swifter

Job 7:6,7
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope…

Esther 8:14
So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

Job 9:24
The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

they flee away

Psalm 39:5,11
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…

Psalm 89:47
Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

Psalm 90:9,10
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told

Jump to Previous
Fled Flee Flight Fly Glimpse Good Joy Post Quicker Runner Swifter
Jump to Next
Fled Flee Flight Fly Glimpse Good Joy Post Quicker Runner Swifter
Job 9
1. Job acknowledges God's justice
22. Man's innocence is not to be condemned by afflictions














My days
The phrase "My days" refers to the personal and intimate experience of Job's life. In the Hebrew text, the word for "days" is "יָמַי" (yamai), which emphasizes the fleeting and temporary nature of human existence. In the context of Job's suffering, this phrase underscores the brevity and fragility of life, a theme that resonates throughout the wisdom literature of the Bible. It invites reflection on the importance of living with purpose and awareness of the divine, as life is but a vapor (James 4:14).

are swifter
The Hebrew word "קַלּוּ" (qalu) is used here, meaning "swift" or "quick." This word conveys a sense of urgency and rapidity, suggesting that Job feels his life is passing by at an alarming rate. The imagery of swiftness is often used in Scripture to describe the transient nature of life (Psalm 39:5). It serves as a reminder of the need to seek God earnestly and to make the most of the time given to us.

than a runner
The comparison to "a runner" (Hebrew: "מֵרֻץ" - meruts) paints a vivid picture of speed and determination. In ancient times, runners were often messengers or heralds, known for their agility and speed. This metaphor highlights the relentless passage of time, which, like a runner, moves forward with purpose and cannot be halted. It challenges believers to consider the direction and focus of their own life's race, as encouraged by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

they flee
The verb "flee" (Hebrew: "בָּרְחוּ" - barachu) suggests an escape or a rapid departure. This word choice reflects Job's perception that his days are not only swift but also elusive, slipping away beyond his grasp. It evokes a sense of loss and the inability to hold onto time, urging readers to cherish each moment and to find solace in God's eternal nature (Psalm 90:12).

without seeing any good
The phrase "without seeing any good" captures Job's profound sense of despair and disillusionment. The Hebrew word for "good" is "טוֹב" (tov), which encompasses goodness, prosperity, and well-being. Job's lament is that his life, despite its swiftness, lacks the blessings and joy he once knew. This expression of sorrow invites believers to empathize with those who suffer and to trust in God's ultimate goodness and justice, even when it is not immediately apparent (Romans 8:28).

(25) Swifter than a post.--The runner, with his messages and dispatches. He now turns away from the contemplation of God and His dealings to that of his own misery.

Verse 25. - Now my days are swifter than a post. Life slips away so fast that before it is well begun, it is ended. Job compares it to the swift passage of the trained runner, or messenger, who carried despatches for kings and other great personages in the olden times (see 2 Chronicles 30:6; Esther 3:13; Esther 8:10, 14). Herodotus says of the trained runners employed by the Persians, "Nothing mortal travels so fast as these Persian messengers" (Herod., 8:98). There is abundant evidence of the employment of such persons in ancient Egypt. They flee away, they see no good. It seems to Job that his prosperity (Job 1:2-5) was only for a moment. He scarcely could look on it before it was gone.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
My days
וְיָמַ֣י (wə·yā·may)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3117: A day

are swifter
קַ֭לּוּ (qal·lū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7043: To be slight, swift or trifling

than
מִנִּי־ (min·nî-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

a runner;
רָ֑ץ (rāṣ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7323: To run

they flee
בָּֽ֝רְח֗וּ (bā·rə·ḥū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1272: To bolt, to flee suddenly

without
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

seeing
רָא֥וּ (rā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7200: To see

any good.
טוֹבָֽה׃ (ṭō·w·ḇāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good


Links
Job 9:25 NIV
Job 9:25 NLT
Job 9:25 ESV
Job 9:25 NASB
Job 9:25 KJV

Job 9:25 BibleApps.com
Job 9:25 Biblia Paralela
Job 9:25 Chinese Bible
Job 9:25 French Bible
Job 9:25 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Job 9:25 Now my days are swifter than (Jb)
Job 9:24
Top of Page
Top of Page