I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job isn't just saying he dislikes life; he's saying he's wasting away and finds the very idea of continuing to exist unbearable. His desperate plea to "leave me alone" isn't just for less suffering, but to cease being sustained in a life that has become utterly meaningless and fleeting.
I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is in the depths of despair, lamenting his miserable existence and feeling utterly abandoned by God. He's just described his intense suffering and the horrifying way his body is being afflicted, which leads him to this desperate plea. He's not asking to die immediately but expresses a profound weariness with life itself and a desire for relief from his torment, seeing his days as fleeting and meaningless.
Job isn't just sad; he's in a place of profound loathing for his existence. What does it mean to truly 'loathe' life?
Job uses the word 'loathe' (in Hebrew, ma'as) to express a deep, visceral rejection of his current state. It's not merely dislike or dissatisfaction; it's a feeling of utter disgust and contempt. He's not wishing for death in a suicidal way, but in the face of unbearable suffering, the very idea of continuing to exist feels repulsive.
Life as a Burden
Job cries, 'Leave me alone!' Is he asking God to stop supporting him, or to stop afflicting him?
The phrase 'leave me alone' is a plea for God to withdraw His hand. While some interpret this as a desire for God to stop sustaining his life (letting him die), the context strongly suggests Job wants God to stop afflicting him.
Cease the Torment
Ask a follow-up
Job calls his days 'a breath.' What profound truth about life's shortness is he emphasizing in his agony?
Job's description of his days as 'a breath' (in Hebrew, haḇal) is a powerful metaphor for extreme brevity and insignificance. It highlights how fleeting and insubstantial his life has become under his suffering.
The Vanishing Vapor
Understand the original words
ma'as · Hebrew Verb
To feel intense disgust, abhorrence, or detestation toward something or someone. In a biblical context, it often expresses deep existential weariness or moral aversion.
hebel · Hebrew Noun
Referring to the shortness and fragility of human life, often compared to vapor, mist, or wind that appears briefly and quickly vanishes.
This passage echoes Job's sentiment about the brevity of life, emphasizing how short and fleeting our days are. It highlights the human awareness of mortality that Job is grappling with here.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2These verses speak to the cyclical nature of life and death, and the idea that there is a 'time for everything,' including a time to be born and a time to die. This can offer a broader perspective on the timing of life and suffering that Job feels acutely.
Philippians 1:21-23Paul expresses a similar weariness with life due to suffering, yet desires to depart and be with Christ. This shows how a profound faith can lead to a desire for eternity, similar to Job's longing for release, but with a clearer hope in Christ.
Job 3:10-13In the chapter immediately preceding this, Job curses the day of his birth and expresses his desire to have died at birth. This shows a consistent theme of existential dread and a longing for oblivion in the face of immense suffering.
clarkeJob 7:16: "I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity."
I loathe it; I would not live alway - Life, in such circumstances, is hateful to me; and though I wish for long life, yet if length of days were offered to me with the sufferings which I now undergo, I would despise the offer and spurn the boon. Mr. Good is not satisfied with our common version, and has adopted the following, which in his notes he endeavors to illustrate and defend: Job 7:15 So that my soul c…
jfbJob 7:16: "I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity."
- Let me alone—that is, cease to afflict me for the few and vain days still left to me.
Job isn't just saying he dislikes life; he's saying he's wasting away and finds the very idea of continuing to exist unbearable. His desperate plea to "leave me alone" isn't just for less suffering, but to cease being sustained in a life that has become utterly meaningless and fleeting.
Job is in the depths of despair, lamenting his miserable existence and feeling utterly abandoned by God. He's just described his intense suffering and the horrifying way his body is being afflicted, which leads him to this desperate plea. He's not asking to die immediately but expresses a profound weariness with life itself and a desire for relief from his torment, seeing his days as fleeting and meaningless.
Job is in the depths of despair, lamenting his miserable existence and feeling utterly abandoned by God. He's just described his intense suffering and the horrifying way his body is being afflicted, which leads him to this desperate plea. He's not asking to die immediately but expresses a profound weariness with life itself and a desire for relief from his torment, seeing his days as fleeting and meaningless.
"I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath." — Job isn't just saying he dislikes life; he's saying he's wasting away and finds the very idea of continuing to exist unbearable. His desperate plea to "leave me alone" isn't just for less suffering…
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Last reviewed October 2026