Job 7 20

Job 7:20 kjv

I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

Job 7:20 nkjv

Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself?

Job 7:20 niv

If I have sinned, what have I done to you, you who see everything we do? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?

Job 7:20 esv

If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?

Job 7:20 nlt

If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
O watcher of all humanity?
Why make me your target?
Am I a burden to you?

Job 7 verses

Job 7 20 Meaning

In Job 7:20, Job expresses profound despair and a sense of being unjustly targeted by God. He challenges God, asserting that even if he has sinned, his sin could not possibly warrant the immense suffering God is inflicting upon him. Job perceives God as an omniscient observer who meticulously watches humanity, not for benevolent care, but to find fault and actively torment him, transforming his very existence into an unbearable burden.

Job 7 20 Context

Job 7:20 is embedded within Job's extended lament and protest against his severe suffering, which began in chapter 3 and continues through chapter 10. After his friends have arrived and accused him directly or indirectly, Job expresses his deepest anguish and confusion, feeling utterly abandoned and unfairly punished by God. In chapter 7 specifically, Job articulates the futility of life, the swiftness of human existence, and his intense physical and psychological pain. He yearns for death as an escape and feels God is relentlessly pursuing him, denying him even a moment's rest or relief from his suffering. This verse particularly encapsulates his struggle to reconcile his perceived innocence with God's treatment of him, portraying God not as a protector, but as an oppressive overseer and relentless adversary. His words reflect the common, yet limited, "retribution theology" prevalent in his day, which asserted that all suffering was a direct consequence of sin, and Job grapples vehemently with this idea in his own situation.

Job 7 20 Word analysis

• If I have sinned (חָטָאתִי, chaṭa’ti):

  • Word: chaṭa’ti comes from chaṭa, meaning "to miss the mark," "to go astray," "to fail," "to offend."
  • Significance: Job's usage here is almost hypothetical. He's not acknowledging a specific sin worthy of his immense pain, but rather presenting a defiant argument: "Even if I have missed the mark in some unknown way, is this suffering justified?" He is asserting that the enormity of his punishment far outweighs any possible, unconscious transgression on his part. This highlights his strong conviction of righteousness concerning any egregious sin.

• what have I done to You (מָה אֶפְעַל־בָּךְ, mah ’eph‘al-bākh):

  • Word: mah (what), ’eph‘al (I should do, act), bākh (to you).
  • Significance: This is a rhetorical question indicating bewilderment and defiance. Job implies that no action of his could conceivably injure the Almighty God to such an extent as to provoke this kind of divine retribution. It underscores his belief in his own cosmic insignificance in comparison to God, making God's intense scrutiny and punishment appear arbitrary or excessive.

• O watcher of men (נֹצֵר הָאָדָם, notzer hā’ādām):

  • Word: notzer (from natsar, to watch, guard, keep, observe, preserve). hā’ādām (humanity, mankind, man).
  • Significance: While natsar can mean benevolent guardianship (Ps 121:3-4), Job uses it pejoratively. He portrays God as an obsessive, watchful deity, not a benevolent protector, but an scrutinizing eye seeking out every flaw. It paints a picture of God not as merciful, but as an omniscient persecutor, always looking to find a reason to strike.

• Why have You set me as Your target (מָה שַׂמְתָּנִי לְמִפְגָּע לָךְ, mah samtanī le-miphgā‘ lākh):

  • Word: mah (why), samtanī (You have set me), le-miphgā‘ (as a target/place for striking), lākh (for You).
  • Significance: The imagery is vivid and violent. Miphga‘ implies a place designated for hitting or striking. Job feels God has singled him out as a special mark for His attacks. This communicates Job's profound sense of being hunted, assaulted, and under a relentless, direct, personal attack from God. It shows how profoundly misunderstood God's purpose for his suffering was from Job's limited perspective.

• so that I have become a burden to myself (וָאֶהְיֶה עָלַי לְמָשָׂא, vā’ehyeh ‘ālay le-māsā’):

  • Word: vā’ehyeh (and I have become), ‘ālay (upon myself), le-māsā’ (a burden, a load, something oppressive).
  • Significance: The culminating despair. His physical and emotional anguish has reached such a peak that his own existence has become unbearable. This phrase speaks to deep internal suffering, where the very act of living, of being himself, feels like an overwhelming weight. It describes complete spiritual and emotional collapse, feeling weighed down by life itself.

Job 7 20 Bonus section

Job's words here represent a kind of legal or disputational language directed at God, framing his suffering as an indictment from the divine "prosecutor" with Job as the unfairly targeted defendant. This perspective aligns with other passages where Job longs for a courtroom setting with God (Job 9, 23). This verse, like much of Job's discourse, operates from a human, earth-bound perspective that is unaware of the cosmic, heavenly conflict involving Satan and God's greater redemptive plan, which is the true background to his suffering (Job 1-2). His laments, while humanly understandable, demonstrate that human wisdom alone cannot comprehend divine justice or the deeper purposes of God's providence.

Job 7 20 Commentary

Job 7:20 captures the intense psychological and spiritual agony of a righteous man struggling with unexplainable suffering. It reveals Job's profound confusion and skewed perception of God amidst his trial. From his limited perspective, God, the all-powerful and all-knowing "watcher of men," has turned into an adversary, an arbitrary assailant who has singled him out as a personal "target" for attack. Job, confident in his own righteousness, sees no proportionality between any potential minor sin he might have committed and the devastating punishment he is enduring. His raw cry "what have I done to You?" is not a question seeking an answer, but a bitter rhetorical challenge born of desperation. The final lament, "so that I have become a burden to myself," underscores his complete mental and emotional collapse. He has no relief from within or without, experiencing self-loathing simply for existing.

This verse starkly contrasts Job's immediate experience with the true character of God, which is ultimately revealed to be just, sovereign, and loving, though sometimes inscrutable in His ways. Job's words serve as a potent reminder of the human tendency to misunderstand God's purposes during suffering, particularly when the reasons for trials are hidden. It portrays the intense inner turmoil when faith is stretched to its limits and one's view of God becomes distorted by pain and perceived injustice, challenging the simplified theological formulas of his contemporaries.