Job 7:20
If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Job isn't necessarily confessing a specific sin here; instead, he's framing it hypothetically: "Suppose I have sinned." The crucial point is that even if he has, it's impossible for him to do anything to God that would truly harm or affect the Almighty, highlighting the vast disparity between humanity and the divine.
Job, in anguish, is questioning God's relentless pursuit of him. He posits the idea that even if he has sinned, his actions couldn't possibly harm or affect the Almighty, who watches over all humanity. He feels God has targeted him specifically, making him a constant obstacle and a burden to himself.
Job starts this verse with 'I have sinned,' but is he truly confessing or just playing along with his friends' accusations? Let's look closer.
Job isn't necessarily admitting to the grievous sins his friends are accusing him of. Instead, he's using "If I have sinned" as a hypothetical scenario. He's saying, 'Even if, for the sake of argument, I have sinned, what does that actually mean in relation to an all-powerful God?'
Job calls God the 'watcher of mankind' and feels like he's become God's 'mark.' What does this intense scrutiny mean for their relationship?
Job feels like God's attention is fixed on him with relentless intensity. The word for 'watcher' here can imply a close, even hostile, observation, not just a general awareness.
Understand the original words
chata' · Hebrew Verb/Noun
A transgression or offense against God's law or character. It describes missing the mark of divine righteousness, leading to separation from God.
natsar · Hebrew Noun
One who keeps watch, observes, or guards. Biblically, God is often described as the sleepless guardian who observes human conduct for the purpose of judgment or protection.
mattarah · Hebrew Noun
An object aimed at; a target. Metaphorically used to describe someone who has become the focus of divine judgment, scrutiny, or calamity.
massa' · Hebrew Noun
Something heavy that weighs down or causes difficulty, hardship, or emotional/physical distress to another.
This passage echoes Job's feeling of helplessness against God's judgment, emphasizing that even if he were innocent, he would still be unable to answer God's accusations.
Psalm 38:4This psalm expresses a similar sense of overwhelming guilt and the feeling of being crushed by God's hand, relating to Job's feeling of being a burden to himself.
Lamentations 3:12This verse directly uses the imagery of God setting a person as a target, aligning with Job's perception of being singled out for divine punishment.
Job 35:6-8This passage, also from Job, explores the idea that human sin does not impact God's existence or actions, reinforcing Job's questioning of why his sin would warrant such severe attention from God.
clarkeJob 7:20: "I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?"
I have sinned; what shall I do - Dr. Kennicott contends that these words are spoken to Eliphaz, and not to God, and would paraphrase them thus: "You say I must have been a sinner. What then? I have not sinned against thee, O thou spy upon mankind! Why hast thou set up me as a butt or mark to shoot at? Why am I become a burden unto thee? Why…
bensonJob 7:20: "I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?"
Job 7:20 . I have sinned — Although I am free from those crying sins for which my friends suppose thou hast sent this uncommon judgment upon me; yet I freely confess that I am a sinner, and therefore obnoxious to thy justice. And what shall I do unto thee? — To satisfy thy justice, or regain thy favour. I can do nothing to purchase or deser…
Job isn't necessarily confessing a specific sin here; instead, he's framing it hypothetically: "Suppose I have sinned." The crucial point is that even if he has, it's impossible for him to do anything to God that would truly harm or affect the Almighty, highlighting the vast disparity between humanity and the divine.
Job, in anguish, is questioning God's relentless pursuit of him. He posits the idea that even if he has sinned, his actions couldn't possibly harm or affect the Almighty, who watches over all humanity. He feels God has targeted him specifically, making him a constant obstacle and a burden to himself.
Job, in anguish, is questioning God's relentless pursuit of him. He posits the idea that even if he has sinned, his actions couldn't possibly harm or affect the Almighty, who watches over all humanity. He feels God has targeted him specifically, making him a constant obstacle and a burden to himself.
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Job feels like a burden, not just to himself but to God. Is he suggesting God is weary of him?
This is one of the most startling parts of Job's lament. He feels so overwhelmed by his suffering that he perceives himself as a burden, and astonishingly, asks if he is a burden to God.
"If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?" — Job isn't necessarily confessing a specific sin here; instead, he's framing it hypothetically: "Suppose I have sinned." The crucial point is that even if he has, it's impossible for him to do any…
