Job 6 2

Job 6:2 kjv

Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

Job 6:2 nkjv

"Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, And my calamity laid with it on the scales!

Job 6:2 niv

"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales!

Job 6:2 esv

"Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!

Job 6:2 nlt

"If my misery could be weighed
and my troubles be put on the scales,

Job 6 verses

Job 6 2 Meaning

Job, in immense agony, compares his suffering and anguish to an unbearable weight, far heavier and more numerous than all the sand on the seashores. He then asserts that this immeasurable distress is the direct reason for his "rash" or unfiltered words, spoken without full deliberation. He explains his strong, perhaps seemingly impetuous, outburst as a direct consequence of his profound and overwhelming pain, justifying his previous laments and complaints.

Job 6 2 Context

Job 6:2 serves as Job's vehement response to Eliphaz's preceding speech (Job 4-5). Eliphaz had subtly implied that Job's suffering must be due to hidden sin, based on the traditional "retribution principle" common in the ancient Near East – that righteousness leads to prosperity, and wickedness to suffering. He called Job to examine himself and turn to God for restoration. Job's words in verse 2, therefore, are not merely a complaint, but a direct rebuttal and justification. He does not deny his distress or the strength of his words but insists that their intensity is proportional to the unparalleled depth of his affliction. His suffering is not merely a consequence of sin, as Eliphaz suggested, but an overwhelming, existential burden that necessitates such a cry of anguish, challenging the simplistic framework of his friends.

Job 6 2 Word analysis

• For now (כִּי עַתָּה - ki 'attah): "Indeed now" or "truly at this moment." This phrase marks a present reality, emphasizing the immediacy and undeniable truth of Job's current situation. It serves to pivot from Eliphaz's detached advice to Job's raw, present experience.

• it would be heavier (יִתְקַל - yitqal): From the root קלל (qalal), often "to be light," but in the Hithpael stem here, it means to "weigh oneself," "be weighed," or to be heavy. It speaks to the immeasurable gravity of his calamity, grief, or "vexation," if it were to be truly assessed. The suffering itself is the subject being weighed.

• than the sand (מֵחוֹל - mikhōl): "From sand" or "than sand." Sand is a classic biblical metaphor for something innumerable, countless, or immense in quantity. The comparison heightens the scale of Job's pain beyond any tangible measurement.

• of the seas (יַמִּים - yammim): Reinforces the imagery of an uncountable, immeasurable quantity, suggesting the vastness and boundlessness of the affliction.

• Therefore (עַל־כֵּן - 'al-kēn): This conjunction indicates a direct causal relationship. What follows is a logical consequence of what preceded it. Job directly links his immeasurable suffering to his expression of it.

• my words (דְּבָרַי - děvāray): Refers to Job's complaints, lamentations, arguments, and protests that have poured forth from him since his suffering began. It encompasses everything he has uttered.

• have been rash (הֻלְעוּ - hul'û): From the root לעע (la'a'), typically meaning "to swallow" or "to gulp." In the Hophal (passive causative) stem, it conveys the idea of words being "poured out," "gobbled up," "hurled forth," or "gushed out uncontrollably." It signifies words spoken hastily, thoughtlessly, or under extreme pressure, implying that they escaped Job's control because of the overwhelming force of his internal pain, rather than being a result of deliberate transgression or irreverence.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas": This powerful metaphor communicates the utterly overwhelming and immeasurable nature of Job's suffering. He asserts that his calamity is not just great, but inestimable in its weight and extent, surpassing any quantifiable burden. It is an expression of deep, existential despair, where the very act of existing feels heavier than the earth itself.
  • "Therefore my words have been rash": This phrase directly connects the immeasurable burden of his suffering to the unmeasured, uncontrolled nature of his speech. Job argues that his words are not frivolous or sinful, but rather an authentic and inevitable outcome of the unbearable weight pressing upon him. His complaint is a desperate expression of anguish, not a deliberate defiance of God.

Job 6 2 Bonus section

• The Hophal passive of the verb la'a' (swallow) suggests a lack of active agency on Job's part concerning his words, as if they are "gobbled up" or forced out of him by the magnitude of his distress, rather than intentionally uttered with full self-control. This reinforces his defense against Eliphaz's implied accusation of sinful speech.
• The rhetorical structure uses hyperbole ("heavier than the sand of the seas") to convey the incommunicable nature of Job's pain, highlighting the inadequacy of language to describe true suffering and, by extension, the difficulty his friends face in comprehending it.
• This verse stands as a key point where Job challenges the simplistic theodicy of his friends, proposing that suffering can exist on a scale that defies easy moral categorization or conventional human understanding, demanding an equally profound and visceral response.

Job 6 2 Commentary

Job 6:2 offers profound insight into the psychology of intense suffering. Job defends his previous lament (Job 3) not as impious complaint but as an inevitable outflow of an unbearable reality. His suffering, he insists, is of such colossal weight and scale that it makes his passionate, unmeasured utterances a natural and proportionate response. The analogy to "sand of the seas" paints a picture of boundless, crushing sorrow, effectively telling Eliphaz that his friends have no conception of the true depth of Job's agony, hence their shallow and unhelpful counsel. This verse implicitly teaches that deep pain often finds expression in raw, unedited language, and that judging such expressions without comprehending their source can be insensitive and unjust. It validates the human cry from the depths, suggesting that such words, though "rash" in outward appearance, are authentic reflections of a soul in overwhelming distress.