Job 7:19
How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Job isn't just asking for a break; he's pleading for God to simply "look away" for a moment. This isn't a request for God to leave him, but for his intense, scrutinizing gaze to cease, offering the barest possible moment of respite—as brief as swallowing one's own spit.
Job is in the midst of a fierce lament, feeling relentlessly pursued by God's gaze and judgment. He’s already pleaded with God to look away and give him a moment’s respite, comparing their struggle to a wrestling match where he can’t even catch his breath. This plea comes after a long series of complaints about the vanity of human life and the severity of his suffering.
Have you ever felt like God's eyes are constantly on you, searching for fault? Job feels this intensely, but his complaint isn't about God's presence, but his attention.
A Watchful Gaze
Job uses strong language here, complaining that God won't 'look away' from him. This isn't about God abandoning Job, but about God's unceasing, intense focus on his suffering. It's like Job is in a wrestling match, and his opponent (God) never takes his eyes off him, waiting for any sign of weakness.
The Weight of Divine Scrutiny
This intense scrutiny feels oppressive to Job. He doesn't ask God to leave him, but to turn His gaze for even a moment. This highlights how, even in deep suffering, we can feel the weight of God's attention and desire a brief respite from His perceived judgment.
Job uses a peculiar, everyday phrase to describe his suffering: 'till I swallow my spittle.' What could this possibly mean, and why is it so significant?
A Fleeting Moment
The phrase 'till I swallow my spittle' is an ancient proverb, similar to our modern expressions like 'in the blink of an eye' or 'catch my breath.' It signifies the shortest possible interval of time, a moment of rest so brief it's almost imperceptible.
No Respite Allowed
Job's point is that he isn't even granted these infinitesimal moments of peace. His afflictions are so constant and overwhelming that he has no opportunity for even the simplest, most basic bodily functions to occur without interruption. It paints a picture of relentless, suffocating pressure.
This psalm echoes Job's feeling of being constantly watched and scrutinized by God, highlighting the intensity of divine awareness that Job found so overwhelming.
Job 9:18Job uses a similar expression here to describe the overwhelming and incessant nature of God's anger, emphasizing that he wasn't even given a moment to breathe or recover.
Lamentations 3:8-9This passage speaks to a similar feeling of being trapped and unable to cry out for help, illustrating how a sense of divine restraint can feel suffocating.
Hebrews 12:5-6This New Testament passage reinterprets divine discipline, showing that God's intense focus on us isn't always punitive but can be a sign of His loving correction and care.
jfbJob 7:19: "How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?"
- How long (like a jealous keeper) wilt thou never take thine eyes off (so the Hebrew for "depart from") me? Nor let me alone for a brief respite (literally, "so long as I take to swallow my spittle"), an Arabic proverb, like our, "till I draw my breath."
pulpitJob 7:19: "How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?"
Verse 19. - How long wilt thou not depart from me? rather, Wilt thou not look away from me? (see the Revised Version). Job does not go so far as to ask that God should "depart from" him. He knows, doubtless, that that would be the extreme of calamity. But he would have God sometimes turn away his eyes from him, and not always regard him so intently. There is something of the same tone of complain…
Job isn't just asking for a break; he's pleading for God to simply "look away" for a moment. This isn't a request for God to leave him, but for his intense, scrutinizing gaze to cease, offering the barest possible moment of respite—as brief as swallowing one's own spit.
Job is in the midst of a fierce lament, feeling relentlessly pursued by God's gaze and judgment. He’s already pleaded with God to look away and give him a moment’s respite, comparing their struggle to a wrestling match where he can’t even catch his breath. This plea comes after a long series of complaints about the vanity of human life and the severity of his suffering.
Job is in the midst of a fierce lament, feeling relentlessly pursued by God's gaze and judgment. He’s already pleaded with God to look away and give him a moment’s respite, comparing their struggle to a wrestling match where he can’t even catch his breath. This plea comes after a long series of complaints about the vanity of human life and the severity of his suffering.
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"How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?" — Job isn't just asking for a break; he's pleading for God to simply "look away" for a moment. This isn't a request for God to leave him, but for his intense, scrutinizing gaze to cease, offering the b…
