look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse flips the common understanding of a "day's work"; Job isn't asking for God to let him finish his day's toil, but rather to have some respite during it, like a hired hand who hopes for the day to end and to receive his pay. It’s a poignant plea for a break from relentless suffering, even if only to briefly enjoy the fleeting moments of life before its inevitable conclusion.
look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is pleading with God to stop scrutinizing and afflicting him, arguing that human life is short and fragile, like that of a hired worker whose day of toil is barely worth enduring. He desires a respite from God's intense focus on him, so that he can experience some peace before his allotted time on earth runs out. This plea sets the stage for his meditations on the finality of death, contrasting it with the resilience of nature.
Job is pleading with God to ease up. What does this plea reveal about God's power and our human condition?
Job’s cry, “look away from him,” isn’t a demand but a desperate plea for God to withdraw His intense scrutiny and His heavy hand of affliction. He's not asking God to disappear, but to lighten the pressure, to give him a break from the overwhelming, pain-filled present.
This isn't just about Job; he's speaking about humanity. He's saying that life, especially under the weight of suffering, is so fragile that even a brief pause from intense divine pressure is a precious gift. It’s a yearning for a moment of peace, a breath of air before the inevitable end.
Why does Job compare human life to the daily grind of a hired worker? What does this tell us about finding joy?
The image of the "hired hand" is key here. A hired laborer works hard for a set day, often under difficult conditions, with the primary motivation being the anticipation of rest and wages at the end of that day.
Job suggests that the brief joy we can experience in life is similar to this. It’s not a deep, inherent pleasure, but a fleeting relief, a momentary satisfaction found in the hope of finishing the day's labor and receiving the promised reward. It's the small comfort of a pause, a chance to 'enjoy' what little is possible in a tough existence, like a worker resting his aching muscles before the day ends.
Understand the original words
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sha'ah · Hebrew Verb
To turn the eyes toward or away; implies divine attention or the withholding of divine scrutiny, which, in Job's context, can be a form of judgment or a burden.
sakir · Hebrew Noun
A laborer hired for wages; one who works for a set time, often implying a perspective on life as temporary, constrained, or subject to the demands of a master.
This passage shows Job's earlier, similar plea to God to look away from him, highlighting his continuous struggle with affliction and desire for respite.
Psalm 39:4The psalmist's prayer to know the end of his life parallels Job's desire for his allotted time to be known and perhaps hastened, emphasizing the brevity of human existence.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8This passage speaks of 'a time for everything,' including a time to be born and a time to die, reflecting the appointed 'day' that Job refers to for the hireling.
Luke 12:16-21Jesus' parable of the rich fool, who focused on accumulating possessions without regard for his life's shortness, contrasts with Job's longing for simple rest before his 'day' ends.
pooleJob 14:6: "Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day."
Turn from him; withdraw thine afflicting hand from him. That he may rest; that he may have some present comfort and ease. Or, and let it cease , to wit, the affliction, which is sufficiently implied. Others, and let him cease , to wit, to live, i.e. take away my life. But that seems not to agree with the following clause of this verse, nor with the succeeding verses. Till he shall accomplish, as an h…
cambridgeJob 14:6: "Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day."
6 . turn from him ] lit. look away from him , cf. ch. Job 7:19 , Job 10:20 .—turn thy keen scrutiny away from him. may rest ] i. e. have peace , from unwonted affliction. till he shall accomplish ] Or, so that he may enjoy —so that he may have such pleasure as is possible in his brief and evil life, which is of no higher kind than the joy of the labourer during his hot and toilsome “day,” cf. ch. Job…
This verse flips the common understanding of a "day's work"; Job isn't asking for God to let him finish his day's toil, but rather to have some respite during it, like a hired hand who hopes for the day to end and to receive his pay. It’s a poignant plea for a break from relentless suffering, even if only to briefly enjoy the fleeting moments of life before its inevitable conclusion.
Job is pleading with God to stop scrutinizing and afflicting him, arguing that human life is short and fragile, like that of a hired worker whose day of toil is barely worth enduring. He desires a respite from God's intense focus on him, so that he can experience some peace before his allotted time on earth runs out. This plea sets the stage for his meditations on the finality of death, contrasting it with the resilience of nature.
Job is pleading with God to stop scrutinizing and afflicting him, arguing that human life is short and fragile, like that of a hired worker whose day of toil is barely worth enduring. He desires a respite from God's intense focus on him, so that he can experience some peace before his allotted time on earth runs out. This plea sets the stage for his meditations on the finality of death, contrasting it with the resilience of nature.
"look away from him and leave him alone, that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day." — This verse flips the common understanding of a "day's work"; Job isn't asking for God to let him finish his day's toil, but rather to have some respite during it, like a hired hand who hopes for…
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Last reviewed October 2026