Job 7 1

Job 7:1 kjv

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

Job 7:1 nkjv

"Is there not a time of hard service for man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?

Job 7:1 niv

"Do not mortals have hard service on earth? Are not their days like those of hired laborers?

Job 7:1 esv

"Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand?

Job 7:1 nlt

"Is not all human life a struggle?
Our lives are like that of a hired hand,

Job 7 verses

Job 7 1 Meaning

Job 7:1 profoundly expresses Job's deep anguish and weariness, articulating his view that human existence on earth is akin to a period of compulsory, burdensome service or military campaign. He likens an individual's allotted time to the rigorous, joyless days of a hired laborer, whose primary anticipation is the termination of the day's toil and the receipt of their meager wage, not the work itself. This verse encapsulates the crushing burden of suffering, suggesting life is an inescapable, preordained period of hardship and relentless effort, without inherent reward or relief until its completion.

Job 7 1 Context

Job chapter 7 begins as Job continues his lament in response to Eliphaz's second speech in chapter 5, where Eliphaz implied Job's suffering was a consequence of sin and encouraged him to seek God. Overwhelmed by intense physical pain, psychological distress, and the accusations of his friends, Job's words in this chapter convey a profound sense of despair, questioning the purpose and nature of his painful existence. Verse 1 serves as an overarching statement introducing his cry for relief and expression of weariness. He is not merely complaining about temporary discomfort, but reflecting on what he perceives as the fundamental hardship and predetermined brevity of human life under God's sovereignty. His perspective here is a reflection of profound desolation, far from understanding any divine purpose in his ordeal.

Job 7 1 Word analysis

• Is not: (Hebrew: הֲלֹא, haloʾ) - This is a rhetorical question, used to introduce a strong, emphatic affirmation. It functions to say, "Surely it is!" or "Indeed, is it not true?" Job is asserting a conviction, not seeking information.

• man's: (Hebrew: אֱנוֹשׁ, ʾĕnôš) - Refers to man in his frail, mortal, and transient state, emphasizing weakness and dependency, as opposed to adam (generic humanity) or ish (a strong, specific man). It highlights the fragile and vulnerable nature of humanity, particularly in suffering.

• life: (Hebrew: צָבָא, tzavaʾ) - This is the crucial and multifaceted word. While it can mean "army" or "host," here it denotes "compulsory service," "warfare," or "a prescribed term of service" (like military service). It signifies a difficult, burdensome, and perhaps divinely ordained period of arduous labor or struggle, from which there is no escape until its completion. This is not "life" in a general sense, but life viewed as a hard, conscripted campaign.

• on earth: (Hebrew: עַל־אֶרֶץ, ʿal-ʾerets) - Specifies the earthly realm, emphasizing that this "compulsory service" is characteristic of human existence in the terrestrial sphere, tied to the dust and its limitations.

• merely drudgery?: This translates the sense of tzavaʾ in a context of suffering. It implies an existence of burdensome toil, duty, or appointed struggle rather than joy or free will.

• Are not: (Hebrew: וְכִימֵי, vekhîmey) - And the days of, similarly forming another rhetorical question for emphatic assertion.

• his days: (Hebrew: יָמָיו, yāmāyw) - Refers to the span of a person's life, his appointed time or duration of existence.

• like those of a hired laborer?: (Hebrew: כִּימֵי שָׂכִיר, kîmê śāḵîr) - The comparison to a śāḵîr (hired laborer or hired hand) is highly significant. A hired laborer works for a specific, often meager wage, under strict conditions, without ownership or personal investment in the outcome of the work beyond the payment. Their life is defined by hard labor and the longing for its end – the "sunset" that brings the workday's termination and the anticipated, even if small, reward. This imagery reinforces the idea of life as a period of difficult, inescapable duty, eagerly awaiting its conclusion and rest.

• "Is not man's life on earth merely drudgery?" (הֲלֹא צָבָא לֶאֱנוֹשׁ עֲלֵי אָרֶץ): This phrase profoundly sets the tone. By using tzavaʾ ("compulsory service/warfare") and ʾĕnôš ("frail man"), Job portrays human existence as an unchosen enlistment in a difficult, wearisome campaign. It implies a sense of obligation and burden, a fixed term of struggle rather than a free and joyful existence. The rhetorical haloʾ further intensifies the statement, presenting it as an undeniable truth from Job's agonizing perspective.

• "Are not his days like those of a hired laborer?" (וְכִימֵי שָׂכִיר יָמָיו): This second rhetorical question serves as an analogy, reinforcing and clarifying the first. The hired laborer is driven by necessity, works diligently because time is limited and a wage is due, and yearns for the end of the day to find rest and receive payment. This analogy perfectly captures Job's desire for release from his "toil" and his longing for death as the ultimate "rest" and end to his unbearable service. It speaks of labor performed not for fulfillment, but for survival and the hope of cessation.

Job 7 1 Bonus section

The concept of life as tzava (compulsory service/warfare) echoes through many ancient Near Eastern cultures, where a fixed term of labor or military duty was a recognized part of life, often a challenging one. Job's choice of this word is intentional, drawing on a relatable, universal experience of preordained difficult service. His specific anguish applies this universal experience of hardship directly to the entirety of life itself for the individual enosh (frail man). The image of the sakhir (hired laborer) also underscores an ancient economic reality: these were often the most vulnerable in society, their security resting solely on their daily effort and the hope of payment, highlighting their lack of control and intrinsic dignity within the work itself, purely existing for a transactional purpose. This lament of Job foreshadows the broader biblical truth, amplified in the New Testament, that believers too are "soldiers of Christ" (2 Tim 2:3), called to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12), enduring struggle until their appointed time of rest. This isn't a life of leisure but a period of purposeful spiritual combat and perseverance.

Job 7 1 Commentary

Job 7:1 offers a poignant insight into the suffering psyche, reflecting a worldview where human life is not inherently joyful but an appointed period of trial. Job views himself as a conscripted soldier serving a grueling, fixed term, or a hired hand bound by duty until the sun sets on his difficult day. This is a common human experience of life's hardships, articulated by someone at the extreme end of suffering. The verse highlights the often-unbidden and unavoidable nature of struggle, prompting contemplation on divine sovereignty in human adversity. It contrasts sharply with simplified views of life as always prosperous for the righteous, instead portraying it as a burden whose end (death) is desired as rest. Practically, it encourages compassion for those enduring prolonged hardship and a recognition that sometimes, earthly existence can indeed feel like a compulsory, tiresome journey. For believers, it deepens appreciation for Christ's promise of rest for the weary and the ultimate cessation of all toil in the new creation.