Then Job answered and said: “Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job doesn't just launch into a new complaint; he answers Eliphaz, addressing the accusations of impatience and despair directly. He wishes his immense suffering and his passionate words could be weighed against each other, suggesting his complaints are a direct, and perhaps even lighter, consequence of his unbearable calamities.
Then Job answered and said: “Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After Eliphaz had spoken, offering comfort but subtly implying Job's suffering was due to sin, Job responds by first wishing his overwhelming grief and the immense weight of his calamity could be fairly weighed against any perceived impatience or strong words he's uttered. Job feels his friends, particularly Eliphaz, have misunderstood the depth of his suffering and are offering hollow advice rather than genuine empathy.
Job feels his friends are quick to judge his words, but he wishes they'd weigh his immense suffering against his bitter complaints. What does this tell us about how we perceive pain?
Job begins by asking for a comparison: 'Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!' (Job 6:2). He's not just talking about sadness, but a deep-seated anguish that he feels is immense. He wants his friends to understand that his words, though perhaps harsh, are a response to a crushing weight of suffering. This isn't about minimizing his pain, but about asking for understanding by putting his afflictions on one side of a scale and his outward expressions of grief on the other. He believes his calamity would far outweigh any perceived excess in his words.
Job's friends, especially Eliphaz, seem to miss the mark, offering advice that feels inadequate or even accusatory. How does Job respond to this lack of empathy?
Job feels misunderstood by his friends. Eliphaz, in particular, seems to interpret Job's cries as impatience or even a sign of hidden sin. Job, however, feels his complaints are a natural response to the overwhelming nature of his suffering, which he believes comes directly from God. He laments that instead of offering true comfort, his friends offer words that are 'unsavory without salt' (Job 6:6) – meaning they are insipid, useless, and lack any real substance or wisdom. He desires genuine understanding and a recognition of the sheer weight of his pain, not quick judgments based on assumptions.
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Job's suffering isn't just random misfortune; he sees it as direct attacks from God. What does this profound conviction reveal about his theology?
Job doesn't just feel generally afflicted; he explicitly states, 'The arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks the poison; the terrors of God array themselves against me' (Job 6:4). This is a powerful theological statement. Job believes his suffering is not a matter of chance or the work of lesser forces, but a deliberate, targeted assault by God Himself. This perspective intensifies his anguish because the very One he should be able to trust is, in his perception, the source of his destruction. It highlights his struggle to reconcile his belief in God's power and sovereignty with his own devastating experience.
Understand the original words
ka'as · Hebrew Noun
A state of intense agitation, grief, resentment, or deep sorrow of heart, often resulting from extreme suffering or provocation.
havvah · Hebrew Noun
Extreme distress, misery, or a state of deep misfortune resulting from disaster; the condition of being completely overwhelmed by trial.
This passage mirrors Job's initial response, showing him speaking again after his friends have offered their counsel, highlighting the ongoing dialogue and debate.
Job 10:1Here, Job also expresses a desire to speak his mind freely and complain to God, similar to how he starts Job 6 by asserting his right to respond to Eliphaz's words.
Job 42:1-6This shows the ultimate resolution of the dialogue, where Job finally encounters God directly and acknowledges his own limitations after hearing his friends' arguments and his own lengthy responses.
Luke 14:7Jesus' teaching about choosing the best places echoes the theme of proper order and position in arguments, relevant to Job's feeling that his friends have misjudged him and his rightful place to respond.
pulpitJob 6:1: "But Job answered and said,"
Verses 1, 2. - But Job answered and said, Oh that my grief were throughly weighed! rather, my anger, or my vexation - the same word as that used by Eliphaz when reproaching Job, in Job 5:2. Job wishes that, before men blame him, they would calmly weigh the force of his feelings and expressions against the weight of the calamity which oppresses him. His words may seem too strong and too violent; but are they more than a just counterpoise to the extreme chara…
ellicottJob 6:1: "But Job answered and said,"
VI. (1) But Job answered and said.—Job replies to Eliphaz with the despair of a man who has been baulked of sympathy when he hoped to find it. We cannot trace, nor must we expect to find, the formal reply of a logical argument, fliphaz, he feels, has so misjudged his case that he is neither worthy of a direct reply nor susceptible of one. It is enough for him to reiterate his complaint, and long for one who can enter into it.
Job doesn't just launch into a new complaint; he answers Eliphaz, addressing the accusations of impatience and despair directly. He wishes his immense suffering and his passionate words could be weighed against each other, suggesting his complaints are a direct, and perhaps even lighter, consequence of his unbearable calamities.
After Eliphaz had spoken, offering comfort but subtly implying Job's suffering was due to sin, Job responds by first wishing his overwhelming grief and the immense weight of his calamity could be fairly weighed against any perceived impatience or strong words he's uttered. Job feels his friends, particularly Eliphaz, have misunderstood the depth of his suffering and are offering hollow advice rather than genuine empathy.
After Eliphaz had spoken, offering comfort but subtly implying Job's suffering was due to sin, Job responds by first wishing his overwhelming grief and the immense weight of his calamity could be fairly weighed against any perceived impatience or strong words he's uttered. Job feels his friends, particularly Eliphaz, have misunderstood the depth of his suffering and are offering hollow advice rather than genuine empathy.
"Then Job answered and said: “Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been rash." — Job doesn't just launch into a new complaint; he answers Eliphaz, addressing the accusations of impatience and despair directly. He wishes his immense suffering and his passionate words could be we…
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Last reviewed October 2026