Job 7:6
Job 7:6 in Multiple Translations
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.
My days go quicker than the cloth-worker's thread, and come to an end without hope.
My days pass quicker than a weaver's shuttle and they come to an end without hope.
My dayes are swifter then a weauers shittle, and they are spent without hope.
My days swifter than a weaving machine, And they are consumed without hope.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.
My days have passed more swiftly than the web is cut by the weaver, and are consumed without any hope.
My days pass as quickly as a weaver’s ◄shuttle/stick that takes the thread back and forth►, and they end without my confidently expecting that things will be better the next day.
Berean Amplified Bible — Job 7:6
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Job 7:6 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
יָמַ֣/י
קַ֭לּוּ
מִנִּי
אָ֑רֶג
וַ֝/יִּכְל֗וּ
בְּ/אֶ֣פֶס
תִּקְוָֽה
יָמַ֣/י
yôwm
H3117
day
N-mp | Suff
קַ֭לּוּ
qâlal
H7043
to lighten
V-Qal-Perf-3cp
מִנִּי
min
H4480
from
Prep
אָ֑רֶג
ʼereg
H708
shuttle
N-ms
וַ֝/יִּכְל֗וּ
kâlâh
H3615
to end
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp
בְּ/אֶ֣פֶס
ʼepheç
H657
end
Prep | N-ms
תִּקְוָֽה
tiqvâh
H8615
cord
N-fs
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Job 7:6
יָמַ֣/י
yôwm
H3117
"day"
N-mp | Suff
The Hebrew word 'yom' refers to a day, which can be a literal 24-hour period or a figurative space of time. It is used in the Bible to describe a wide range of time periods, from a single day to a year or a lifetime. The word 'yom' is used in many different contexts throughout the Bible.
Definition: : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow
Usage: Occurs in 1930 OT verses. KJV: age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger. See also: Genesis 1:5; Genesis 33:13; Exodus 23:15.
קַ֭לּוּ
qâlal
H7043
"to lighten"
V-Qal-Perf-3cp
The Hebrew word qalal means to make something light or easy, but it can also mean to curse or bring into contempt. It appears in various forms throughout the Old Testament, including in the books of Exodus and Psalms.
Definition: 1) to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be slight, be abated (of water) 1a2) to be swift 1a3) to be trifling, be of little account 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be swift, show oneself swift 1b2) to appear trifling, be too trifling, be insignificant 1b3) to be lightly esteemed 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to make despicable 1c2) to curse 1d) (Pual) to be cursed 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to make light, lighten 1e2) to treat with contempt, bring contempt or dishonour 1f) (Pilpel) 1f1) to shake 1f2) to whet 1g) (Hithpalpel) to shake oneself, be moved to and fro
Usage: Occurs in 79 OT verses. KJV: abate, make bright, bring into contempt, (ac-) curse, despise, (be) ease(-y, -ier), (be a, make, make somewhat, move, seem a, set) light(-en, -er, -ly, -ly afflict, -ly esteem, thing), [idiom] slight(-ly), be swift(-er), (be, be more, make, re-) vile, whet. See also: Genesis 8:8; 2 Kings 3:18; Psalms 37:22.
מִנִּי
min
H4480
"from"
Prep
This Hebrew word means a portion or part of something, and is often used to show the relationship between things, like from or out of something.
Definition: prep 1) from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than 1a) from (expressing separation), off, on the side of 1b) out of 1b1) (with verbs of proceeding, removing, expelling) 1b2) (of material from which something is made) 1b3) (of source or origin) 1c) out of, some of, from (partitively) 1d) from, since, after (of time) 1e) than, more than (in comparison) 1f) from...even to, both...and, either...or 1g) than, more than, too much for (in comparisons) 1h) from, on account of, through, because (with infinitive) conj 2) that Aramaic equivalent: min (מִן־ "from" H4481)
Usage: Occurs in 1094 OT verses. KJV: above, after, among, at, because of, by (reason of), from (among), in, [idiom] neither, [idiom] nor, (out) of, over, since, [idiom] then, through, [idiom] whether, with. See also: Genesis 2:6; Exodus 16:32; Leviticus 14:26.
אָ֑רֶג
ʼereg
H708
"shuttle"
N-ms
This word refers to a weaving tool, like a shuttle or a loom. It is used in the Bible to describe the work of a weaver. The KJV translates it as beam or weaver's shuttle.
Definition: loom, shuttle
Usage: Occurs in 2 OT verses. KJV: beam, weaver's shuttle. See also: Judges 16:14; Job 7:6.
וַ֝/יִּכְל֗וּ
kâlâh
H3615
"to end"
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp
This Hebrew word means to finish or end something, like completing a task or using up a resource, as seen in Genesis 2:2 where God finished creating the heavens and earth.
Definition: : finish 1) to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be complete, be at an end 1a2) to be completed, be finished 1a3) to be accomplished, be fulfilled 1a4) to be determined, be plotted (bad sense) 1a5) to be spent, be used up 1a6) to waste away, be exhausted, fail 1a7) to come to an end, vanish, perish, be destroyed 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to complete, bring to an end, finish 1b2) to complete (a period of time) 1b3) to finish (doing a thing) 1b4) to make an end, end 1b5) to accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass 1b6) to accomplish, determine (in thought) 1b7) to put an end to, cause to cease 1b8) to cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend 1b9) to destroy, exterminate 1c) (Pual) to be finished, be ended, be completed
Usage: Occurs in 199 OT verses. KJV: accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine, destroy (utterly), be (when... were) done, (be an) end (of), expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, [idiom] fully, [idiom] have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make clean riddance, spend, quite take away, waste. See also: Genesis 2:1; 2 Chronicles 29:17; Psalms 18:38.
בְּ/אֶ֣פֶס
ʼepheç
H657
"end"
Prep | N-ms
This word can mean the soles of the feet or the ankles, but it can also mean an end or a stop to something. In Deuteronomy 28:35, it describes a curse that will afflict the Israelites from the soles of their feet to the top of their head.
Definition: 1) ceasing, end, finality 2) expressing non-existence
Usage: Occurs in 43 OT verses. KJV: ankle, but (only), end, howbeit, less than nothing, nevertheless (where), no, none (beside), not (any, -withstanding), thing of nought, save(-ing), there, uttermost part, want, without (cause). See also: Numbers 13:28; Isaiah 5:8; Psalms 2:8.
תִּקְוָֽה
tiqvâh
H8615
"cord"
N-fs
In Hebrew, this word for hope means a cord that attaches or expectancy, like waiting for something to happen. It appears in the Bible as a feeling of expectation or a thing someone longs for. The KJV translates it as hope or expectation.
Definition: cord
Usage: Occurs in 33 OT verses. KJV: expectation(-ted), hope, live, thing that I long for. See also: Joshua 2:18; Psalms 62:6; Psalms 9:19.
Study Notes — Job 7:6
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Job 7:6 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Job 7:6
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 7:6
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 7:6
- Trapp's Commentary on Job 7:6
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 7:6
- Cambridge Bible on Job 7:6
- Barnes' Notes on Job 7:6
- Whedon's Commentary on Job 7:6
- Sermons on Job 7:6
Context — Job Continues: Life Seems Futile
4When I lie down I think: ‘When will I get up?’ But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.
5My flesh is clothed with worms and encrusted with dirt; my skin is cracked and festering.
6My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.
7Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness. 8The eye that beholds me will no longer see me. You will look for me, but I will be no more.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 9:25 | My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good. |
| 2 | Job 17:15 | where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me? |
| 3 | Job 17:11 | My days have passed; my plans are broken off— even the desires of my heart. |
| 4 | Proverbs 14:32 | The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin, but the righteous man has a refuge even in death. |
| 5 | Isaiah 38:12–13 | 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. I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me. |
| 6 | 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. |
| 7 | Psalms 144:4 | Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. |
| 8 | Psalms 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. |
| 9 | Job 16:22 | For when only a few years are past I will go the way of no return. |
| 10 | 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, |
Job 7:6 Summary
[Job 7:6 means that our lives are short and can feel like they're moving really fast, like a weaver's shuttle going back and forth. This can be a sad and overwhelming feeling, especially when we're going through tough times. But even in the midst of suffering, we can find hope in God's presence and promises (see Psalm 23:4), and remember that our time on earth is a chance to love and serve Him (see Matthew 22:37-40).]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the weaver's shuttle in Job 7:6?
The weaver's shuttle is used to illustrate the swift and fleeting nature of life, as it rapidly moves back and forth, much like our days passing quickly (see Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 for a similar theme).
Why does Job say his days come to an end without hope?
Job's statement reflects his emotional despair and sense of hopelessness in the midst of suffering, feeling that his life is short and lacking in joy or fulfillment (compare to Psalm 38:9, where David expresses a similar sense of desperation).
How does this verse relate to the broader themes of the book of Job?
Job 7:6 highlights the human experience of suffering and the search for meaning in a seemingly chaotic world, which is a central theme throughout the book of Job (see Job 1:1-3 for an introduction to Job's story).
What can we learn from Job's perspective on the brevity of life?
Job's words remind us to cherish each day and prioritize what is truly important, as our time on earth is short (see Psalm 90:12, which encourages us to number our days and gain a heart of wisdom).
Reflection Questions
- In what ways do I, like Job, feel like my days are passing swiftly and without hope?
- How can I, in the midst of suffering or difficulty, find comfort in God's presence and promises?
- What are some things in my life that I can let go of, in order to focus on what is truly important and eternal?
- How can I, like Job, bring my honest emotions and questions before God, trusting in His goodness and sovereignty?
Gill's Exposition on Job 7:6
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle,.... Which moves very swiftly, being thrown quick and fast to and fro; some versions render it "a racer" (b) one that runs a race on foot, or rides on
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 7:6
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope. Days. "I have cut off like a weaver my life" (Isaiah 38:12). Every day, like the weaver's shuttle, leaves a thread behind; and each shall wear as he weaves.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 7:6
The time of my life hastens to a period; and therefore vain are those hopes which you give me of a restitution to my former prosperity in this world. A weaver’ s shuttle, which passeth in a moment from one end of the web to the other. Without hope, to wit, of enjoying any good day here.
Trapp's Commentary on Job 7:6
Job 7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver’ s shuttle, and are spent without hope. Ver. 6. My days are swifter than a weaver’ s shuttle] Which is of a very swift and sudden motion. Nights and days pass the shuttle of man’ s life forward and backward, to and again. The night casts it to the day, and the day to the night; between these two time quickly wears off the thread of life. I have cut off, like a weaver, my life, saith good Hezekiah, Isaiah 38:12. And the heathens hammered at this in their fiction of the three sister destinies, whereof the poet saith, Clotho colum baiulat, Lachesis trahit, Atropos occat. You that are weavers, saith Lavater, or lookers on them at their work, think of this text, and learn to live holy. And they are spent without hope] Heb. In not hope.
I cannot conceive that I shall ever recover, or be recruited, whatever thou, O Eliphaz, hast gone about to put me in hope. All Job’ s desire was death, which he looked upon as the readiest remedy of all.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 7:6
Verse 6. Swifter than a weaver's shuttle] The word ארג areg signifies rather the weaver than his shuttle. And it has been doubted whether any such instrument were in use in the days of Job. Dr. Russell, in his account of Aleppo, shows that though they wove many kinds of curious cloth, yet no shuttle was used, as they conducted every thread of the woof by their fingers. That some such instrument as the shuttle was in use from time immemorial, there can be no doubt: and it is certain that such an instrument must have been in the view of Job, without which the figure would lose its expression and force. In almost every nation the whole of human existence has been compared to a web; and the principle of life, through the continual succession of moments, hours, days, weeks, months, and years, to a thread woven through that web. Hence arose the fable of the Parcae or Fates, called also the Destinies or Fatal Sisters. They were the daughters of Erebus and Nox, darkness and night; and were three in number, and named Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Clotho held the distaff; Lachesis spun off the thread; and Atropos cut it off with her scissors, when it was determined that life should end.
Job represents the thread of his life as being spun out with great rapidity and tenuity, and about to be cut off. And are spent without hope.] Expectation of future good was at an end; hope of the alleviation of his miseries no longer existed. The hope of future good is the balm of life: where that is not, there is despair; where despair is, there is hell. The fable above mentioned is referred to by Virgil, Ecl. iv., ver. 46, but is there applied to time: - Talia Secla, suis dixerunt, currite, fusis Concordes stabili fatorum numine Parcae. "The FATES, when they this happy thread have spun Shall bless the sacred clue, and bid it smoothly run." DRYDEN. Isaiah uses the same figure, Isaiah 38:12: - My life is cut off, as by the weaver: He will sever me from the loom. In the course of the day thou wilt finish my web. LOWTH. Coverdale translates thus: My dayes passe over more spedely then a weaver can weave out his webbe and are gone or I am awarre. A fine example of this figure is found in the Teemour Nameh, which I shall give in Mr.
Good's translation: - "Praise be to God, who hath woven the web of human affairs in the loom of his will and of his wisdom, and hath made waves of times and of seasons to flow from the fountain of his providence into the ocean of his power." The simile is fine, and elegantly expressed.
Cambridge Bible on Job 7:6
6. By his “days” is meant his life as a whole, not his individual days, which are far from passing quickly (Job 7:4); and “are spent” means, have been consumed (as Job 7:9), or, are come to an end (Genesis 21:15). He regards his life as near a close, for his disease was incurable; this is expressed by “without hope,” i. e. hope of recovery or relief.
Barnes' Notes on Job 7:6
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle - That is, they are short and few.
Whedon's Commentary on Job 7:6
6. A weaver’s shuttle — The art of weaving reaches back to the dawn of civilization.
Sermons on Job 7:6
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Sixteen Vital Facets of the Bible by Keith Daniel | In this sermon, the preacher warns about the dangers of being a backslider and burying God's Word for anything. He emphasizes that even in laughter, the heart of a backslider is so |
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16 Facets of the Word of God by Keith Daniel | In this sermon, the speaker reflects on a moment when they were in a restaurant filled with expensive and beautiful things. They noticed that in order to enter the restaurant, the |
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The Preciousness of Time and the Importance of Redeeming It by Jonathan Edwards | Jonathan Edwards preaches about the preciousness of time and the importance of redeeming it, emphasizing that time is exceedingly valuable as it determines our eternal welfare and |
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A Bubble, a Shadow, a Dream! by Thomas Brooks | Thomas Brooks emphasizes the fleeting nature of time, comparing it to a bubble, a shadow, and a dream, urging listeners to recognize the preciousness of each moment. He warns that |
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Tomorrow Comes by Samuel Davies | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the fate of the wicked and contrasts it with the hope of the righteous. The wicked, who have lived in wickedness, will die in the same manne |
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Hell Is Real by B.H. Clendennen | This sermon emphasizes the reality of hell as an everlasting punishment for those who reject God, highlighting the consequences of a life of continual sin and the importance of rep |
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Who Has Seen Him? by Alan Redpath | Paul, in his letter to Timothy, uses the metaphor of 'Departure' to describe death as a release from toil, a liberation, and a journey to God. He expresses his desire to depart and |