Job 30:18
By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
Original Language Analysis
כֹּ֭חַ
force
H3581
כֹּ֭חַ
force
Strong's:
H3581
Word #:
2 of 7
vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means, produce)
יִתְחַפֵּ֣שׂ
changed
H2664
יִתְחַפֵּ֣שׂ
changed
Strong's:
H2664
Word #:
3 of 7
to seek; causatively, to conceal oneself (i.e., let be sought), or mask
לְבוּשִׁ֑י
of my disease is my garment
H3830
לְבוּשִׁ֑י
of my disease is my garment
Strong's:
H3830
Word #:
4 of 7
a garment (literally or figuratively); by implication (euphemistically) a wife
Historical Context
In ancient Near Eastern culture, clothing signified social status and identity. Fine garments distinguished the wealthy from poor, leaders from servants. That Job's disease has 'changed' his garments indicates complete loss of identity—he's unrecognizable, his clothes no longer mark him as the great man of the East. Ancient medical conditions producing skin lesions, edema, or wasting would literally change how garments fit. The imagery anticipates Christ being stripped and clothed in mockery (Matthew 27:28), His identity obscured by suffering.
Questions for Reflection
- How does disease or suffering change our identity and how others perceive us? What remains constant when external markers are stripped away?
- What does it mean that even Job's clothing—his external covering—has become an instrument of suffering?
- How does Christ's being stripped and re-clothed in mockery redeem our experiences of losing dignity and identity through suffering?
Analysis & Commentary
By the great force of my disease is my garment changed (בְּרָב־כֹּחַ יִתְחַפֵּשׂ לְבוּשִׁי)—The phrase rav-koach (רָב־כֹּחַ) means great force or violence; chaphash (חָפַשׂ) means to disguise, change, or search for; levush (לְבוּשׁ) means garment or clothing. Job's disease has so disfigured him that his very clothing no longer fits—swelling, lesions, or wasting have altered his body's shape. Alternatively, discharge or sores have so stained his garments they're unrecognizable.
It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat (כְּפִי כֻתָּנְתִּי יַאַזְרֵנִי)—Pi (פֶּה) means mouth or opening; kuttoneth (כֻּתֹּנֶת) means tunic or coat; azar (אָזַר) means to gird or bind. The disease clings to Job's neck like a tight collar, constricting and choking him. Or his garment's neck-hole has become too tight for his swollen condition. Either way, what should clothe him comfortably now strangles him. Clothing in Scripture signifies identity, status, dignity—Job's disease has stripped even this.