Job 7:5
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Job 7:5
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.
Chapter Context
Job 7 is a wisdom dialogue chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of faith, salvation, covenant. Written during the patriarchal period (literary composition later), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Ancient wisdom traditions often wrestled with the problem of suffering and divine justice.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-21: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it reveals key aspects of God's character through divine actions and declarations. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Job and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Job 7:5
5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.
Analysis
Job's graphic description of physical deterioration shocks with its visceral honesty. 'Clothed with worms' (labash rimmah, לָבַשׁ רִמָּה) uses the verb for putting on garments—his body is 'dressed' in parasitic infestation, likely maggots in his sores. 'Clods of dust' (gush aphar, גּוּשׁ עָפָר) refers to crusted, hardened dirt mixed with bodily discharge forming scabs. His skin is 'broken' (ragam, רָגַם) and 'loathsome' (ma'as, מָאַס), meaning rejected, despised, and repulsive.
This verse confronts sanitized spirituality with the brutal reality of physical suffering. Job doesn't spiritualize his agony but describes it with unflinching detail. The Reformed tradition affirms the goodness of embodied existence while recognizing the body's subjection to corruption through the fall (Romans 8:23). Our bodies 'groan' awaiting redemption, legitimating Job's graphic lament.
Theologically, Job's deteriorating flesh foreshadows Isaiah 53's description of the suffering servant: 'His visage was so marred more than any man' (Isaiah 53:14). Christ's incarnation means God in flesh experienced bodily suffering, validating physical anguish as worthy of lament and deserving of redemption. Job's corrupting body anticipates resurrection's necessity.
Historical Context
Scholars have debated Job's specific disease, with proposals including elephantiasis, pemphigus, leprosy, or chronic eczema. The description matches dermatological conditions common in the ancient Near East where hygiene was limited. Job's sitting in ashes (2:8) and scraping himself with potsherd indicates advanced skin disease with purulent lesions.
Reflection
- How does Job's honest description of physical suffering rebuke gnostic tendencies to spiritualize or minimize bodily affliction?
- What comfort does the incarnation and bodily resurrection of Christ offer those experiencing physical deterioration?
- In what ways should Job's example shape pastoral care for those experiencing disfiguring or repulsive illnesses?
Cross-References
- Parallel theme: Job 17:14, Isaiah 14:11