Job 30 18

Job 30:18 kjv

By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

Job 30:18 nkjv

By great force my garment is disfigured; It binds me about as the collar of my coat.

Job 30:18 niv

In his great power God becomes like clothing to me; he binds me like the neck of my garment.

Job 30:18 esv

With great force my garment is disfigured; it binds me about like the collar of my tunic.

Job 30:18 nlt

With a strong hand, God grabs my shirt.
He grips me by the collar of my coat.

Job 30 verses

Job 30 18 Meaning

Job describes his profound physical suffering. His severe disease has so ravaged his body that it disfigures his very clothing, making it appear twisted or deformed. Furthermore, his ailment, like a restrictive collar or the tightly cinching mouth of a garment, presses in on him, causing intense discomfort and a sensation of being utterly constrained or choked by his own affliction. This illustrates his overwhelming physical deterioration and entrapment by pain.

Job 30 18 Context

Job chapter 30 vividly contrasts Job's former exalted status described in chapter 29 with his present profound degradation and suffering. Verse 18 is part of Job's lament about his extreme physical decay and social ostracism. Previously, he was revered and sought for wisdom; now, he is an object of scorn and ridicule, especially by the lowest and most despicable members of society (Job 30:1-14). His current state includes overwhelming physical pain and grotesque symptoms, which he attributes to God's severe hand upon him. The historical context reflects a Near Eastern society where prosperity and health were often seen as divine blessing, and severe suffering as a sign of divine disfavor or judgment for sin. Job's detailed description of his physical decay here is part of his larger argument challenging this simplistic retribution theology, insisting on his innocence despite his unbearable suffering.

Job 30 18 Word analysis

• בְּרֹב (b'rov): "By the greatness of," "in the abundance of," or "by reason of the much." This term highlights the intensity and overwhelming measure of the following noun.
  • Significance: Emphasizes the magnitude or severe degree of the disease's influence.
• כֹּחַ (koach): "Strength," "power," "force," "might."
  • Significance: Portrays the disease not as passive, but as an active, potent entity that vigorously assaults Job. Some translations interpret "koach chali" as the strength of God manifested as illness, aligning with Job's belief that God is behind his suffering.
• חָלְיִי (choli-yee): "My disease," "my sickness," "my ailment."
  • Significance: Clearly identifies Job's affliction as a debilitating physical illness, which he takes as deeply personal ("my").
• יִתְחַפֵּשׂ (yithchapeś): From the root chapes (חפש), "to search," "to examine." In the Hithpael stem, it denotes "to disguise oneself," "to become disguised," "to be altered," or "to be disfigured."
  • Significance: Indicates a profound and undesirable change or marring of Job's outward appearance. His body or garments are so affected they become unrecognizable or warped.
• סְלוּתִי (s’luthi): A rare and debated Hebrew word. Possible meanings include "my garment," "my covering," "my inner garment," or stemming from a root meaning "to despise" or "to make vile." Most contemporary versions interpret it as "my garment" for contextual coherence.
  • Significance: Refers to what is visible on Job's person, emphasizing that his physical torment extends even to his appearance and personal comfort. It underscores the complete disintegration of his former dignity.
• כְּפִי (k’pi): "Like my mouth," "like a mouth," or, more metaphorically, "like a narrow opening," particularly the neck opening of a garment or a collar.
  • Significance: Provides the vivid simile for the sensation of constriction. It evokes the feeling of being tightly constricted around the neck or body, implying a choking or suffocating sensation.
• יַקְפִּדֵנִי (yaqpideyniy): From qapad (קפד), meaning "to contract," "to draw together tightly," "to bind tightly," "to constrain," or "to shrink."
  • Significance: Conveys a feeling of relentless physical compression, limitation, and profound discomfort. It describes the oppressive grip of his affliction.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "By the great force of my disease": This phrase asserts the immense power and intensity of Job's sickness as the cause of his condition. It personalizes the disease, portraying it as an overwhelming, active agent that completely dominates and attacks his physical being. For Job, this power, while manifested through the disease, is ultimately an expression of God's active judgment against him, a recurring lament in his speeches.
• "my garment is disfigured": This highlights the outward, visible evidence of Job's agony. His clothing, a basic symbol of human dignity and societal status, has become marred. This reflects the disfigurement of his body (due to swelling, sores, or extreme emaciation), indicating that his illness has grotesquely altered his very form, stripping him of his personal identity and respectable appearance.
• "it binds me about as the collar of my coat": This powerful simile articulates the feeling of being suffocated and relentlessly constricted by his pain. The disease (or its physical effects) is so pervasive and oppressive that it makes his own clothes feel like a tight, unyielding collar around his throat or body. It depicts a state of inescapable physical imprisonment and torment, where comfort is impossible, and daily wear becomes an instrument of agony.

Job 30 18 Bonus section

The rare and somewhat ambiguous Hebrew word s’luthi in the original text of this verse may contribute to the sense of Job's suffering being unique and almost inexpressible. Its debated meaning highlights the difficulty even for the original hearers and subsequent generations to fully grasp the extremity of his unusual torment. This verse's focus on Job's garment being affected by his disease is significant, as clothing often symbolized one's identity and social standing in ancient cultures. For his clothing to be disfigured meant his social identity, purity, and honor were corrupted alongside his physical body, deepening his sense of humiliation and isolation.

Job 30 18 Commentary

Job 30:18 powerfully articulates the extreme, internal agony Job endures. His suffering is not merely pain but an active, formidable force that consumes him. The "great force of my disease" underscores its intensity, implying a direct, divine assault on his body, leading to its outward "disfigurement." This marring of his garment symbolizes the loss of his honor, dignity, and even his recognizable self. The imagery of the disease binding him "as the collar of my coat" vividly conveys a sense of inescapable physical oppression, as though his very being is constricted and suffocated by his overwhelming ailment. It paints a picture of being physically trapped and slowly crushed by his own affliction.