Job 7:1-5
“Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand? Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me. When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night is long, and I toss and turn till the dawn. My flesh is clothed with worms and dirt; my skin hardens, then breaks out afresh.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Job isn't just complaining about life being hard; he's arguing that life is assigned. The Hebrew word suggests a "draft" or a "campaign," meaning every person has a divinely appointed service and a set time for it, much like a hired laborer working for a specific wage and duration.
Job isn't just saying life is hard; he's highlighting that man's existence is fundamentally like a contract—a set period of labor with an expected end. This implies a sense of being bound to a task or purpose, and like a hired worker, he anxiously awaits the completion and release from his difficult service.
Ever feel like you're just going through the motions, counting down the days? Job describes human life as a 'hard service.' What does that really mean for us today?
Job kicks off this chapter by asking if humanity doesn't have a tough job on earth. The original Hebrew word, 'tsaba,' can mean 'service,' 'task,' or even 'warfare.'
A Difficult Assignment
Think of it like being enlisted for a specific, demanding mission. It's not just about showing up; it's about fulfilling a duty, often under difficult conditions. Many commentators see this as a 'warfare' – a constant struggle against hardship, pain, and the challenges of living in a fallen world.
The Weary Hireling
The second part of the verse compares our days to those of a 'hired hand.' This isn't just about a limited time. A hired hand works hard, often with aches and pains, eagerly anticipating the end of the workday when they can finally rest and collect their pay. Job feels this same exhaustion and longing for relief.
Job feels his days are numbered and like a hired hand, he's ready for his shift to end. Does this mean life is just a countdown to death?
Job's lament isn't just about hardship; it's deeply tied to the finitude of life. The phrase 'appointed time' speaks to a divinely set limit.
A Limited Lifespan
Many scholars point out that the Hebrew can also be translated as 'appointed time' or 'time of service.' This emphasizes that our time on earth is not indefinite. It's a set period, like a contract for a hired laborer. There's a beginning and an end, determined by God.
Longing for Release
For Job, this appointed time feels like an unbearable burden. The suffering is so intense that he longs for the end of his service, the end of his days. It's a desperate wish for respite, for the 'payday' of death to bring relief from the relentless toil and pain of his current existence. This doesn't necessarily mean life is , but that for Job, in his extreme suffering, the of the suffering is highly desirable.
Understand the original words
enosh · Hebrew Noun
A general term for humanity, emphasizing their frailty, mortal nature, and dependence upon God, often contrasted with God's transcendence.
tsaba · Hebrew Noun
Refers to military service, forced labor, or burdensome, arduous work; used metaphorically to describe the toilsome and often painful experience of human life.
sakir · Hebrew Noun
One who serves another for pay, highlighting a life governed by the requirements, control, and timelines of another rather than one's own desires.
ebed · Hebrew Noun
A person owned by another, signifying total loss of personal autonomy, subjection to the will of another, and often implying a condition of harsh struggle.
This passage echoes Job's sentiment that life is unpredictable and often determined by circumstances beyond human control, like a race not always going to the swift.
Psalm 144:4Similar to Job's description of human days, this Psalm likens man's life to a fleeting shadow, emphasizing its brevity and vulnerability.
Isaiah 40:2The commentary notes that the Hebrew word for 'hard service' in Job 7:1 can mean 'warfare.' Isaiah 40:2 speaks of 'her warfare is accomplished,' drawing a parallel between human life and a period of service or conflict.
Matthew 20:8This parable about the laborers hired for a vineyard highlights the comparison of daily life to the experience of a hired hand, who works for a set time and expects a wage, reflecting Job's perspective on the structured, yet often toilsome, nature of human existence.
jfbJob 7:1: "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?"
CHAPTER 7Job 7:1-21. Job Excuses His Desire for Death.1. appointed time—better, "a warfare," hard conflict with evil (so in Isa 40:2; Da 10:1). Translate it "appointed time" (Job 14:14). Job reverts to the sad picture of man, however great, which he had drawn (Job 3:14), and details in this chapter the miseries which his friends will see, if, according to his request (Job 6:28), they…
pulpitJob 7:1: "Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?"
Verses 1-21. - In this chapter Job first bewails his miserable fate, of which he expects no alleviation (vers. 1-10); then claims an unlimited right of complaint (ver. 11); and finally enters into direct expostulation with God - an expostulation which continues from ver. 12 to the end of the chapter. At the close, he admits his sinfulness (ver. 20), but asks impatiently why God does…
Job isn't just complaining about life being hard; he's arguing that life is assigned. The Hebrew word suggests a "draft" or a "campaign," meaning every person has a divinely appointed service and a set time for it, much like a hired laborer working for a specific wage and duration.
Job isn't just saying life is hard; he's highlighting that man's existence is fundamentally like a contract—a set period of labor with an expected end. This implies a sense of being bound to a task or purpose, and like a hired worker, he anxiously awaits the completion and release from his difficult service.
Job isn't just saying life is hard; he's highlighting that man's existence is fundamentally like a contract—a set period of labor with an expected end. This implies a sense of being bound to a task or purpose, and like a hired worker, he anxiously awaits the completion and release from his difficult service.
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shav · Hebrew Noun
Used poetically to describe time that lacks substance, purpose, or satisfaction, reflecting the futility of life apart from divine meaning.
amal · Hebrew Noun
Refers to labor, trouble, or painful effort; it signifies the experience of distress, sorrow, or annoyance that accompanies fallen human existence.
basar · Hebrew Noun
The physical substance of living creatures; in Scripture, it often represents human frailty, mortality, and the propensity toward sin or corruption.
rimmah · Hebrew Noun
Small, crawling creatures often associated with decay, corruption, and the temporary, fragile state of the human body in the grave.
"“Has not man a hard service on earth, and are not his days like the days of a hired hand? Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, a…" — Job isn't just complaining about life being hard; he's arguing that life is assigned. The Hebrew word suggests a "draft" or a "campaign," meaning every person has a divinely appointed service and a…
