Job 6:2
Job 6:2 in Multiple Translations
“If only my grief could be weighed and placed with my calamity on the scales.
Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
Oh that my vexation were but weighed, And all my calamity laid in the balances!
If only my passion might be measured, and put into the scales against my trouble!
“If my grief could be weighed and my troubles placed on the scales
Oh that my griefe were well weighed, and my miseries were layed together in the balance.
O that my provocation were thoroughly weighed, And my calamity in balances They would lift up together!
“Oh that my anguish were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances!
Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
O that my sins, whereby I have deserved wrath, and the calamity that I suffer, were weighed in a balance.
“If all my troubles and misery could be put on a scale and weighed,
Berean Amplified Bible — Job 6:2
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Job 6:2 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
ל֗וּ
שָׁק֣וֹל
יִשָּׁקֵ֣ל
כַּעְשִׂ֑/י
ו/הית/י
וְ֝/הַוָּתִ֗/י
בְּֽ/מֹאזְנַ֥יִם
יִשְׂאוּ
יָֽחַד
ל֗וּ
lûwʼ
H3863
if
Conj
שָׁק֣וֹל
shâqal
H8254
to weigh
V-Qal-Ptc
יִשָּׁקֵ֣ל
shâqal
H8254
to weigh
V-Niphal-Imperf-3ms
כַּעְשִׂ֑/י
kaʻaç
H3708
vexation
N-ms | Suff
ו/הית/י
hayâh
H1962
calamity
Conj | N-fs | Suff
וְ֝/הַוָּתִ֗/י
havvâh
H1942
desire
Conj | N-fs | Suff
בְּֽ/מֹאזְנַ֥יִם
môʼzên
H3976
balance
Prep | N-md
יִשְׂאוּ
nâsâʼ
H5375
to lift
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp
יָֽחַד
yachad
H3162
unitedness
N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Job 6:2
ל֗וּ
lûwʼ
H3863
"if"
Conj
This Hebrew word means if or wish, used in phrases like if only or would that, expressing a desire or unlikely condition, as seen in Jeremiah and Daniel.
Definition: 1) if, oh that!, if only! 1a) if (unlikely condition) 1b) if only!, oh that!, would that!
Usage: Occurs in 22 OT verses. KJV: if (haply), peradventure, I pray thee, though, I would, would God (that). See also: Genesis 17:18; 1 Samuel 14:30; Psalms 81:14.
שָׁק֣וֹל
shâqal
H8254
"to weigh"
V-Qal-Ptc
To weigh or measure something, like a merchant weighing goods, is what this Hebrew word means, as seen in Proverbs 16:11.
Definition: 1) to weigh, weigh out, pay out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to weigh 1a2) to weigh out (a price) 1a3) of grief (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be weighed 1b2) to be weighed out Aramaic equivalent: te.qal (תְּקַל "to weigh" H8625A)
Usage: Occurs in 21 OT verses. KJV: pay, receive(-r), spend, [idiom] throughly, weigh. See also: Genesis 23:16; Esther 4:7; Isaiah 33:18.
יִשָּׁקֵ֣ל
shâqal
H8254
"to weigh"
V-Niphal-Imperf-3ms
To weigh or measure something, like a merchant weighing goods, is what this Hebrew word means, as seen in Proverbs 16:11.
Definition: 1) to weigh, weigh out, pay out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to weigh 1a2) to weigh out (a price) 1a3) of grief (fig) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be weighed 1b2) to be weighed out Aramaic equivalent: te.qal (תְּקַל "to weigh" H8625A)
Usage: Occurs in 21 OT verses. KJV: pay, receive(-r), spend, [idiom] throughly, weigh. See also: Genesis 23:16; Esther 4:7; Isaiah 33:18.
כַּעְשִׂ֑/י
kaʻaç
H3708
"vexation"
N-ms | Suff
This noun refers to the feeling of anger or frustration, like in Deuteronomy 32 where it describes God's vexation with the Israelites. It can also mean grief or provocation. It's a strong negative emotion.
Definition: anger, vexation Also means: ka.as (כַּ֫עַשׂ "vexation" H3708B)
Usage: Occurs in 25 OT verses. KJV: anger, angry, grief, indignation, provocation, provoking, [idiom] sore, sorrow, spite, wrath. See also: Deuteronomy 32:19; Psalms 10:14; Psalms 6:8.
ו/הית/י
hayâh
H1962
"calamity"
Conj | N-fs | Suff
The Hebrew word for calamity means ruin or destruction. It describes a disastrous event or situation, like a calamity that happens to someone.
Definition: destruction, calamity
Usage: Occurs in 1 OT verses. KJV: calamity. See also: Job 6:2.
וְ֝/הַוָּתִ֗/י
havvâh
H1942
"desire"
Conj | N-fs | Suff
Havvah refers to a strong desire, but often in a bad sense, and can also mean ruin or calamity. It's used to describe something naughty or wicked, like mischief or iniquity. This concept appears in various KJV translations.
Definition: 1) desire 1a) desire (in bad sense) 2) chasm (fig. of destruction) 2a) engulfing ruin, destruction, calamity
Usage: Occurs in 16 OT verses. KJV: calamity, iniquity, mischief, mischievous (thing), naughtiness, naughty, noisome, perverse thing, substance, very wickedness. See also: Job 6:2; Psalms 57:2; Psalms 5:10.
בְּֽ/מֹאזְנַ֥יִם
môʼzên
H3976
"balance"
Prep | N-md
In the Bible, this word means a pair of scales used for weighing, like the ones in the book of Leviticus. It symbolizes fairness and justice. The prophet Daniel also used scales in his visions.
Definition: scales, balances Aramaic equivalent: mo.zen (מֹאזֵנְיָא "scale" H3977)
Usage: Occurs in 15 OT verses. KJV: balances. See also: Leviticus 19:36; Isaiah 40:12; Psalms 62:10.
יִשְׂאוּ
nâsâʼ
H5375
"to lift"
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to lift or raise something, and it's used in many ways, like lifting a burden or raising someone's status. It appears in books like Genesis and Isaiah, often talking about God lifting people up. It's about supporting or carrying something or someone.
Definition: : raise/take_up 1) to lift, bear up, carry, take 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to lift, lift up 1a2) to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure 1a3) to take, take away, carry off, forgive 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be lifted up, be exalted 1b2) to lift oneself up, rise up 1b3) to be borne, be carried 1b4) to be taken away, be carried off, be swept away 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to lift up, exalt, support, aid, assist 1c2) to desire, long (fig.) 1c3) to carry, bear continuously 1c4) to take, take away 1d) (Hithpael) to lift oneself up, exalt oneself 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to cause one to bear (iniquity) 1e2) to cause to bring, have brought
Usage: Occurs in 609 OT verses. KJV: accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable ([phrase] man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, [idiom] needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, [phrase] swear, take (away, up), [idiom] utterly, wear, yield. See also: Genesis 4:13; Numbers 4:2; 1 Samuel 14:3.
יָֽחַד
yachad
H3162
"unitedness"
N-ms
This adverb means together, describing people doing something in unity, like in Psalm 133:1.
Definition: 1) union, unitedness
Usage: Occurs in 139 OT verses. KJV: alike, at all (once), both, likewise, only, (al-) together, withal. See also: Genesis 13:6; Psalms 62:10; Psalms 2:2.
Study Notes — Job 6:2
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Job 6:2 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Job 6:2
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 6:2
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 6:2
- Trapp's Commentary on Job 6:2
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 6:2
- Cambridge Bible on Job 6:2
- Barnes' Notes on Job 6:2
- Whedon's Commentary on Job 6:2
- Sermons on Job 6:2
Context — Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just
1Then Job replied:
2“If only my grief could be weighed and placed with my calamity on the scales.
3For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas— no wonder my words have been rash. 4For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 31:6 | let God weigh me with honest scales, that He may know my integrity. |
| 2 | Job 23:2 | “Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning. |
| 3 | Job 4:5 | But now trouble has come upon you, and you are weary. It strikes you, and you are dismayed. |
Job 6:2 Summary
In this verse, Job is saying that he wishes his sadness and pain could be measured, so he could understand how big it is, similar to how God weighs the heart in Proverbs 21:2. He feels like his emotional pain is just as real as his physical suffering, and he wants to find a way to deal with it, as one might find comfort in knowing the extent of their suffering, like the Psalmist in Psalms 42:11. This verse reminds us that it's okay to acknowledge and express our emotions, and that God is big enough to handle our honesty, as seen in Psalms 62:8. By being honest with God about our pain, like Job in Job 6:2, we can begin to find healing and comfort, as promised in Matthew 11:28.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Job trying to say in this verse?
Job is expressing his deep emotional pain and desire to have it measured and compared to his physical suffering, as seen in Job 6:2, similar to how God weighs the heart in Proverbs 21:2.
Why does Job want his grief to be weighed?
Job wants his grief to be weighed to understand the magnitude of his emotional pain, which he feels is immense, as he later says it would outweigh the sand of the seas in Job 6:3, and to possibly find relief from it, as one might find comfort in knowing the extent of their suffering, like the Psalmist in Psalms 42:11.
Is Job's request for his grief to be weighed a sign of his lack of faith?
No, Job's request is a sign of his humanity and honesty before God, as he is expressing his true feelings, similar to the Psalmist in Psalms 13:1-2, and it does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith, but rather a desire to understand and cope with his situation, as seen in his statement of trust in God in Job 2:3.
How can we relate to Job's desire to have his grief measured?
We can all relate to feeling overwhelmed by our emotions and wanting to understand the depth of our pain, as expressed in Lamentations 3:1-20, and Job's request can serve as an example of how to honestly express our feelings to God, as encouraged in Psalms 62:8.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I am struggling to cope with emotional pain, and how can I bring them before God in prayer, like Job in Job 6:2?
- How do I respond when faced with suffering, and what can I learn from Job's example of honesty and trust in the midst of pain, as seen in Job 2:3 and Job 13:15?
- What are some ways I can support others who are going through difficult times, and how can I pray for them, as Job's friends initially did in Job 2:11-13?
- What does this verse teach me about the importance of acknowledging and expressing my emotions, and how can I apply this to my relationship with God, as seen in Psalms 51:17?
- How can I balance honesty about my struggles with trust in God's sovereignty, as Job does in Job 6:2 and Job 2:3?
Gill's Exposition on Job 6:2
Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed,.... Or, "in weighing weighed" (u), most nicely and exactly weighed; that is, his grievous affliction, which caused so much grief of heart, and which had been
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 6:2
Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! Throughly weighed.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Job 6:2
My grief; either, 1. My calamity, as it follows, or the cause or matter of my grief; the act being put for the object, as is usual, fear for the thing feared, &c., and the same thing being here repeated in differing words. Or, 2. My sorrow; or, my wrath, or rage, as thou didst call it, . So his wish is, that his sorrow or wrath were laid in one scale of the balances, and his calamity in the other, that so it might be known whether his sorrow or wrath was greater than his misery, as was pretended. Were throughly weighed; were fully understood and duly considered. Thy harsh rebukes and censures of my impatience, and hypocrisy, and wickedness, proceedeth from thy ignorance or insensibleness of my insupportable calamities. I desire no favour from thee. But oh that I had a just and equal judge, that would understand my case, and consider whether I have not just cause for such bitter complaints; or, at least, whether the greatness of my burden should not procure some allowance to my infirmity, if I should speak something indecently and unadvisedly, and protect me from such severe censures! Laid in the balances together; either, 1.
Together with my grief; or rather, 2. Together with any the most heavy thing to be put into the other scale, as with the sand, &c., as is expressed in the next verse; where also the particle it, being of the singular number, showeth that there was but one thing to be weighed with the sand.
Trapp's Commentary on Job 6:2
Job 6:2 Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!Ver. 2. Oh that my grief were throughly weighed] Heb. Were weighed by weighing. The word rendered grief signifieth also anger, and is the same with that wherewith Eliphaz began his speech, Job 5:2, where he saith, "Wrath killeth the foolish man," pointing at Job, as an angry man exalting folly. Here, therefore, Job beginneth his refutation, wishing that that anger or grief of his, so hardly censured, were duly weighed in an even balance; for then it would appear that there was some reason for his passion, that he had enough upon him to cry for, and that he had not complained without a cause. We read of a certain philosopher, who, hearing of his son’ s death, brake out into a loud lamentation; for which being reproved, Permittite, inquit, ut homo sim, Suffer me, I pray you, said he, to show myself to be a man, that is, sensible of my sufferings. And my calamity weighed in the balances together] That is, that my calamity were accurately set against my grief, my laments and my torments equally poised; it would then appear that I have not yet grieved or complained up to the height or weight of those calamities which are upon me. "Even to day is my complaint bitter" (saith he elsewhere in answer to Eliphaz too, interpreting his complaints to be rebellion against God): "my stroke is heavier than my groaning," Job 23:2.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Job 6:2
Verse 2. O that my grief were thoroughly weighed] Job wished to be dealt with according to justice; as he was willing that his sins, if they could be proved, should be weighed against his sufferings; and if this could not be done, he wished that his sufferings and his complainings might be weighed together; and it would then be seen that, bitter as his complaint had been, it was little when compared with the distress which occasioned it.
Cambridge Bible on Job 6:2
2. my grief] Rather, my impatience (ch. Job 4:2). The word expresses the whole demeanour which in ch. 3, and to the eyes of his friends, he shews under his trouble. He desires that it were weighed and also his calamity. Naturally he wishes them weighed against one another. It is not certain that this is expressed in the word together; that word may mean, and my whole calamity laid in the balances.
Barnes' Notes on Job 6:2
O that my grief were thoroughly weighed - The word rendered “grief” here (כעשׂ ka‛aś) may mean either vexation, trouble, grief; Ecclesiastes 1:18; Ecclesiastes 2:23; or it may mean anger; Deuteronomy 32:19; Ezekiel 20:28.
Whedon's Commentary on Job 6:2
First long strophe — BY JOB OF HIS , Job 6:2-10.First strophe — His grief is so great that it cannot be weighed, Job 6:2-4.2. Grief — ëòùׂ, vexation or wrath. See on Job 5:2.
Sermons on Job 6:2
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
The Heavenly Birth and Its Earthly Counterfeits by J.C. Philpot | Joseph Philpot preaches about the rejection of Christ by His own people due to hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and worldliness, despite their outward religious practices. He emphasi |
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Three Homilies on the Devil - Part 2 by St. John Chrysostom | John Chrysostom preaches about the story of Adam and Job, highlighting the contrast between their responses to temptation and suffering. He emphasizes the importance of vigilance, |
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When the Heavens Seem as Brass by Theodore Epp | Theodore Epp discusses Job's noble character and his struggle with pride, emphasizing that despite his many virtues, Job's self-evaluation kept him from fully experiencing God's bl |
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Faith in the Midst of Perverseness by Oswald Chambers | Oswald Chambers delves into the profound concept of redemption, emphasizing that the ease of experiencing redemption is due to the immense cost paid by God. He highlights the impor |
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But Now It Is Come Unto Thee, by F.B. Meyer | F.B. Meyer emphasizes the difficulty of enduring personal trials, even for those who often provide comfort to others. He reflects on the loneliness that can accompany suffering, as |