Job 7:2

"“Isn’t a man forced to labor on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?"

Key Reflection

In Job 7:2, the prophet expresses the harsh reality of human life, comparing it to that of a hired servant. The verse suggests that just as a hired hand labors under temporary conditions and eagerly awaits release from his duties, so too does a man toil on earth with no assurance of enduring beyond a limited span. This metaphor underscores the fleeting nature of human existence and the relentless demands of work and service in this world.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

As a servant earnestly desireth -Margin, gapeth after. The word hereשׁאףshâ'aphmeans to breathe hard, to pant, to blow, and then to desire earnestly. The shadow -This may refer either to a shade in the intense heat of the day, or to the night. Nothing is more grateful in oriental countries, when the sun pours down intensely on burning sands, than the shadow of a tree, or the shade of a projecting rock. The editor of the Pictorial Bible on this verse remarks, “We think we can say, that next to water, the greatest and deepest enjoyment we could ever realize in the hot climates of the East was, when on a journey, any circumstance of the road brought us for a few minutes under some shade.

More from Job 7

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