Job 19:17
My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body.
Original Language Analysis
ר֭וּחִֽי
My breath
H7307
ר֭וּחִֽי
My breath
Strong's:
H7307
Word #:
1 of 6
wind; by resemblance breath, i.e., a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the
זָ֣רָה
is strange
H2114
זָ֣רָה
is strange
Strong's:
H2114
Word #:
2 of 6
to turn aside (especially for lodging); hence to be a foreigner, strange, profane; specifically (active participle) to commit adultery
וְ֝חַנֹּתִ֗י
H2603
וְ֝חַנֹּתִ֗י
Strong's:
H2603
Word #:
4 of 6
properly, to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (i.e., move to favor by petition)
Historical Context
Ancient culture valued family intimacy and children highly. Job's alienation from his wife and loss of children would compound his suffering with profound social and emotional isolation.
Questions for Reflection
- How does suffering isolate us from those closest to us?
- What does Christ's experience of total abandonment mean for our isolation?
Analysis & Commentary
'My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body.' Job's isolation extends to intimate relationships: his 'breath' (רוּחִי, ruchi) is 'strange' (זָרָה, zarah—alien, foreign) to his wife, despite entreaties for sake of 'children of mine own body' (בְּנֵי בִטְנִי, beney vitni). His disease makes him repulsive even to his wife. Some scholars suggest this refers to bad breath from disease; others see emotional alienation. Either way, marital intimacy is destroyed. Suffering isolates, breaking closest bonds. This anticipates Christ's 'My God, why hast thou forsaken me?' Total isolation, even from intimates, characterizes extreme suffering. Job's experience, though not salvific like Christ's, reflects suffering's alienating power.