Job 9:18
He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.
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
יִ֭תְּנֵנִי
He will not suffer
H5414
יִ֭תְּנֵנִי
He will not suffer
Strong's:
H5414
Word #:
2 of 7
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
הָשֵׁ֣ב
me to take
H7725
הָשֵׁ֣ב
me to take
Strong's:
H7725
Word #:
3 of 7
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);
רוּחִ֑י
my breath
H7307
רוּחִ֑י
my breath
Strong's:
H7307
Word #:
4 of 7
wind; by resemblance breath, i.e., a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the
כִּ֥י
H3588
כִּ֥י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
5 of 7
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern judicial punishments often involved relentless severity—repeated blows without mercy. Job's description of divine prosecution borrows this imagery, experiencing God's action as merciless judge rather than merciful father. His limited revelation lacks the fuller picture of divine compassion.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we maintain hope when trials compound faster than recovery permits?
- What does Job's saturation with bitterness teach about suffering's totalizing power?
- In what ways did Christ's drinking the cup of divine wrath spare us from the bitterness Job experienced?
Analysis & Commentary
Job describes relentless affliction: 'He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.' The phrase 'suffer me to take my breath' (yitteneni hasheb ruchi, יִתְּנֵנִי הָשֵׁב רוּחִי) means to recover or catch one's breath—Job gets no respite between blows. 'Filleth me' (yasbienu, יַשְׂבִּעֵנִי) means to saturate or satisfy—but instead of satisfaction, God fills Job with 'bitterness' (mamerurim, מַמְּרֻרִים), plural intensive form suggesting overwhelming bitter experience.
Job's imagery evokes drowning or exhaustion—before recovering from one blow, another lands. This describes suffering's crushing momentum where trials compound faster than recovery allows. The saturation with bitterness suggests total immersion in anguish—every sense, every moment dominated by suffering. Job cannot find air pocket for relief.
Christ experienced this saturation in Gethsemane and Golgotha—'My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death' (Matthew 26:38). The cup of divine wrath contained such bitterness that Christ sweat blood contemplating it. Yet He drank it fully, being saturated with bitterness so believers need never be. Job's bitter cup foreshadows Christ's cup of wrath, which He drank to the dregs.