Job 6 21

Job 6:21 kjv

For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.

Job 6:21 nkjv

For now you are nothing, You see terror and are afraid.

Job 6:21 niv

Now you too have proved to be of no help; you see something dreadful and are afraid.

Job 6:21 esv

For you have now become nothing; you see my calamity and are afraid.

Job 6:21 nlt

You, too, have given no help.
You have seen my calamity, and you are afraid.

Job 6 verses

Job 6 21 Meaning

In Job 6:21, Job accuses his friends of failing to provide genuine support. He declares that they have become utterly useless or even a cause of his further dismay ("nothing," "stumbling block," or "mockery" are various interpretations) to him. He states that when they witness his extreme suffering, which is described as a terrifying affliction, they themselves become filled with fear, preventing them from offering true empathy or comfort. Their own dread at the sight of his pain causes them to recoil or misjudge his condition rather than standing with him in it.

Job 6 21 Context

Job 6:21 is part of Job's passionate reply to Eliphaz, the first of his friends to speak. Following Eliphaz's subtle accusations of sin in chapter 4 and 5, Job defends his integrity and laments the depth of his suffering. He criticizes his friends not only for their lack of understanding but also for their perceived disloyalty and inadequacy as comforters. Earlier in Job 6, he expresses the crushing weight of his affliction, desires for death, and refutes the idea that he is simply weak or impatient. He compares his friends' help to deceitful, dried-up streams that fail when most needed (vv. 14-20). Verse 21, therefore, concludes this specific line of attack by emphasizing that far from offering solace, their reaction to his suffering makes them useless or even detrimental, driven by their own fear rather than empathy. This accusation underscores Job's central complaint throughout the book: that his friends' theology prevents them from genuinely comforting him in his innocent suffering, forcing him instead to challenge their traditional retribution theology.

Job 6 21 Word analysis

• For (וכי - w'khiy): This conjunction introduces a strong affirmation, serving as an explanation or indeed, emphasizing Job's firm declaration.

• now (תהיו - tih'yu): Implies a current state, a shift in their behavior or usefulness from Job's perspective. It highlights the immediacy and impact of their present reaction.

• you are nothing / you have become nothing / to me (לי לחוכית - liy l'khawkhiyth): This phrase is highly debated.

  • לי (liy): "to me" or "for me." Present in many translations (ESV, NIV) and significant, indicating Job's personal judgment of their uselessness.
  • לחוכית (l'khawkhiyth): From a root possibly meaning "thorn," "hook," "trap," "snare," "a cause of stumbling," "mockery," or "emptiness/nothingness."
    • Interpreted as "nothing" (KJV, JPS), suggesting their complete failure to provide aid or comfort.
    • Interpreted as "a trap" or "a stumbling block" (e.g., in some scholarly readings), meaning they are more hindrance than help.
    • Interpreted as "mockery" (related to roots of derision), implying they treat his suffering with disdain or a false show of concern.
    • Interpreted as "a desolate waste" or "a place of terror," which aligns with their reaction of fear.
    • The implication is their practical uselessness, not just a verbal lack of comfort, but a contributing factor to his distress.

• you see (ותיראו - w'tiy'r'u): While some versions translate "you see" (NASB, following Septuagint), the Hebrew root (ירא - yare') primarily means "to fear," "to be afraid," "to reverence." The connection to "seeing" (ra'ah) in similar forms causes this ambiguity. However, in the context of the next word and "and are afraid," it's more consistent to read it as "you become fearful at the sight of" or "you are terrified by." The parallel with "are afraid" supports this.

• a terror / my casting down / my affliction (מחותית - mi-chaw'tawth): Another heavily debated word, often translated variably.

  • From the root חתת (ḥathat), which means "to be shattered," "to be dismayed," "to be terrified."
  • "Terror" or "dreadful thing" (NASB), implying that Job's suffering itself is a terrifying spectacle for them.
  • "My casting down" (KJV) suggests Job's own state of ruin.
  • "My affliction" (ESV), connecting his suffering to something that causes fear/dismay.
  • This phrase captures the essence of their reaction: they observe his devastation, and it evokes a strong, personal fear in them. Their fear, not his need, drives their interaction.

• and are afraid (ותיראו - w'tiy'r'u - repeat): The repetition of the root for "fear" (yare') strengthens the emphasis on their fear. Some interpretations see the phrase "you see a terror and are afraid" as one unified idea where the terror itself elicits their fear. Job is saying that his suffering fills them with fear, thus incapacitating their ability to genuinely help.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• For now you are nothing / a stumbling block / a cause for dread to me: Job expresses that their presence and supposed help are not only useless but potentially harmful. Their words are empty, and their actions fail to provide comfort. This highlights the chasm between Job's expectation of friendship and his reality.
• You see a terror / my affliction, and are afraid: This explains why they are useless. Their self-centered fear dominates. They are not focused on Job's pain for his sake, but for what it represents to them. The terror of his inexplicable suffering paralyses their compassion and causes them to retreat into a safer theological framework that judges rather than comforts. They are afraid of his affliction (perhaps that it might be contagious, or challenge their own worldview), not afraid for him in compassion.

Job 6 21 Bonus section

The specific choice of words in Job 6:21 by different ancient translators and modern scholars highlights a significant theological and personal tension in the book. The term for "nothing" or "stumbling block" (l'khawkhiyth) is an hapax legomenon (a word appearing only once in the Hebrew Bible) in this precise form, leading to much interpretive difficulty. Its connection to roots signifying mockery, desolation, or a piercing thorn, speaks volumes about Job's perception of his friends. They are either treating his pain with disdain, contributing to his inner desolation, or literally piercing him with their judgmental words. Furthermore, the notion of their fear at his affliction foreshadows the larger struggle in the book where the friends cling to a rigid theology (that suffering equals sin) to protect themselves from the terror of gratuitous suffering, rather than grappling with the complex nature of God's justice. Job, in essence, sees them running scared from the truth of his experience, which shatters their comfortable, simplistic view of the world.

Job 6 21 Commentary

Job 6:21 serves as a profound accusation from Job against his friends, crystallizing his disappointment in their ability to comfort him. He articulates that they have become not merely unhelpful, but a source of his further dismay or a revelation of their own moral cowardice. The crux of Job's complaint is that his visible, overwhelming affliction incites their own fear, not compassionate understanding. This fear is multi-faceted: it could be the fear that such an ordeal could happen to them, the fear that God's justice is not as simple as they believed (thus challenging their secure theology), or simply revulsion at the intensity of his pain. Whatever its source, their fear manifests as an inability to empathize truly. Instead of providing the deep solace Job desperately seeks, their fear pushes them to abandon him emotionally or even to adopt a condemning stance, further isolating him. This verse powerfully exposes the superficiality of their comfort and their self-preservation in the face of radical suffering that threatens their neat worldview.

• Example: Imagine someone offering condolences to a grieving person by focusing on how uncomfortable they feel around death, rather than offering true presence or solace. Their discomfort and fear become the dominant narrative.
• Example: A person struggling financially seeking help, only to have "friends" pull away, fearful that the person's problems might somehow rub off on them, rather than extending a hand of support.