Job 7:8
The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.
Original Language Analysis
לֹֽא
H3808
לֹֽא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
1 of 7
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
תְ֭שׁוּרֵנִי
me shall see
H7789
תְ֭שׁוּרֵנִי
me shall see
Strong's:
H7789
Word #:
2 of 7
to spy out, i.e., (generally) survey, (for evil) lurk for, (for good) care for
עֵינֶ֖יךָ
The eye
H5869
עֵינֶ֖יךָ
The eye
Strong's:
H5869
Word #:
3 of 7
an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
רֹ֑אִי
of him that hath seen
H7210
רֹ֑אִי
of him that hath seen
Strong's:
H7210
Word #:
4 of 7
sight, whether abstractly (vision) or concretely (a spectacle)
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern views of afterlife were generally pessimistic. Sheol (the grave) was conceived as a dark, joyless existence separated from God's active presence. Job's perspective reflects this limited Old Testament understanding, which Christ's resurrection would later revolutionize with certainty of bodily resurrection and eternal life.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the resurrection of Christ transform Job's pessimistic view of death and divine attention?
- In what ways can God's unwavering gaze be both terrifying (to the guilty) and comforting (to the justified)?
- What does Job's honest confrontation with mortality teach us about authentic rather than superficial faith?
Analysis & Commentary
Job addresses God directly, shifting from description to confrontation. 'The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more' anticipates his impending death—those who know him will soon observe his absence. The phrase 'thine eyes are upon me, and I am not' (ayin, אַיִן, 'I am not') employs the Hebrew word for non-existence or nothingness. Job contemplates his mortality while aware of God's scrutinizing gaze.
This creates a theological tension: God watches Job intently, yet Job will soon cease to exist. The verse questions whether divine attention provides meaning or mere surveillance before annihilation. Job hasn't yet grasped the resurrection hope that will emerge later (19:25-27). His perspective remains under the shadow of Sheol, where the dead exist in shadowy half-life without God's presence (Psalm 6:5).
The Reformed doctrine of divine omniscience affirms that God's eyes are indeed upon us (Psalm 33:18), but unlike Job's fearful interpretation, this gaze represents covenant love preserving His elect. Job speaks truth about mortality—we are vapor and shadow—but lacks the fuller revelation of bodily resurrection and eternal life in God's presence. His complaint will be answered not with philosophical argument but with God's sovereign self-revelation in chapters 38-41.