My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and come to their end without hope. “Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job isn't just saying his days are fast; he's comparing them to a weaver's shuttle, a tool that rapidly moves back and forth, completing the fabric. He feels his life is being quickly woven and is already nearing its end without any prospect of what is good or hopeful.
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and come to their end without hope. “Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is in deep despair, feeling physically tormented and abandoned by God. He questions the purpose of his suffering and feels that his life is rapidly slipping away without any hope for relief or a future. This verse comes as Job pushes back against his friends' attempts to comfort him with conventional wisdom, asserting that his situation is beyond such simple reassurances.
Ever feel like life just blurs past? Job uses a powerful image to describe this feeling. What does this ancient metaphor tell us about the pace of our own lives?
The Speed of Existence
Job compares his days to a weaver's shuttle, an image that speaks to incredible speed. Imagine a shuttle flying back and forth, quickly weaving the threads of a fabric. This wasn't just about Job's current suffering; it was a reflection on life itself.
Job ends his comparison with a devastating statement about hope. What did 'without hope' mean for him, and what does it mean for us?
The Darkness of No Tomorrow
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Job's life was not just passing quickly; it was ending 'without hope.' This wasn't a casual observation but a profound declaration of his despair.
Understand the original words
yamim · Hebrew Noun
A measurement of time emphasizing the transience, brevity, and mortality of human existence before God. It represents the period of opportunity for service and relationship with the Creator.
eregh · Hebrew Noun
A figure of speech representing rapid, uncontrollable movement, illustrating how quickly human life passes and reaches its destined conclusion.
tiqvah · Hebrew Noun
In a biblical context, refers to a confident expectation or trust in God’s intervention, character, or promises; its absence signifies despair and the finality of death.
ruach · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for that which is insubstantial, fleeting, and temporary. It emphasizes the fragility of human life and its dependence on God's sustaining breath (ruach).
This passage directly echoes Job's imagery, comparing life's brevity to a weaver cutting one's life short and finishing the 'web' like a swift shuttle.
Psalm 90:10While Job emphasizes the swiftness, this Psalm highlights the traditional lifespan as 'seventy years' or 'eighty for exceptional strength,' yet still acknowledges that they 'speed by' and pass quickly, mirroring Job's sense of life's rapid end.
1 Chronicles 29:15David's prayer speaks of life as a 'sojourner' and 'temporary resident' before God, emphasizing its fleeting nature, which resonates with Job's feeling that his days are quickly coming to an end without lasting hope.
This verse expresses a deep despair, stating 'our days are perishing,' which captures the hopelessness Job feels as his life quickly slips away without relief.
clarkeJob 7:6: "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope."
Swifter than a weaver's shuttle - The word ארג areg signifies rather the weaver than his shuttle. And it has been doubted whether any such instrument were in use in the days of Job. Dr. Russell, in his account of Aleppo, shows that though they wove many kinds of curious cloth, yet no shuttle was used, as they conducted every thread of the woof by their fingers. That some such instrument as the shuttle was in us…
jfbJob 7:6: "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope."
- (Isa 38:12). Every day like the weaver's shuttle leaves a thread behind; and each shall wear, as he weaves. But Job's thought is that his days must swiftly be cut off as a web;without hope—namely, of a recovery and renewal of life (Job 14:19; 1Ch 29:15).
Job isn't just saying his days are fast; he's comparing them to a weaver's shuttle, a tool that rapidly moves back and forth, completing the fabric. He feels his life is being quickly woven and is already nearing its end without any prospect of what is good or hopeful.
Job is in deep despair, feeling physically tormented and abandoned by God. He questions the purpose of his suffering and feels that his life is rapidly slipping away without any hope for relief or a future. This verse comes as Job pushes back against his friends' attempts to comfort him with conventional wisdom, asserting that his situation is beyond such simple reassurances.
Job is in deep despair, feeling physically tormented and abandoned by God. He questions the purpose of his suffering and feels that his life is rapidly slipping away without any hope for relief or a future. This verse comes as Job pushes back against his friends' attempts to comfort him with conventional wisdom, asserting that his situation is beyond such simple reassurances.
"My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle and come to their end without hope. “Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good." — Job isn't just saying his days are fast; he's comparing them to a weaver's shuttle, a tool that rapidly moves back and forth, completing the fabric. He feels his life is being quickly woven and i…
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Last reviewed October 2026