Job 16:7 — Word Study
WLCאַךְ־ עַתָּ֥ה הֶלְאָ֑נִי הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ כָּל־ עֲדָתִֽי׃
BSASurelyʼak [certainly, without a doubt] He has nowʻattâh [at this time, in this moment] exhausted melâʼâh■ [made weary, worn out] You have devastatedshâmêm■ [made desolate, left empty] allkôl [everything, the entirety of] my familyʻêdâh [congregation, loved ones]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אַךְ־ | nevertheless | Adverb |
| עַתָּ֥ה | now | Adverb |
| הֶלְאָ֑נִי | he has made weary me | Verb hiphil perfect third person masculine singular, suffix |
| הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ | you have devastated | Verb, Hiphil, perfect second person masculine singular |
| כָּל־ | all | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| עֲדָתִֽי׃ | company my | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Surely He has now exhausted me; You have devastated all my family. |
| KJV | But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. |
| ASV | But now he hath made me weary: Thou hast made desolate all my company. |
| YLT | Only, now, it hath wearied me; Thou hast desolated all my company, |
| WEB | But now, God, you have surely worn me out. You have made all my company desolate. |
| BBE | But now he has overcome me with weariness and fear, and I am in the grip of all my trouble. |
Where they part company is הֶלְאָ֑נִי — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence structure presents two main clauses, each expressing a strong emotional statement from Job regarding his exhaustion and the devastation of his family.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשָׁמֵם
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 16:7
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Job's Lamentgenerated
Job 16:7 captures Job's profound sense of weariness and loss. In this passage, Job laments not only his physical and emotional exhaustion but also the devastation that has befallen his family. This moment is part of a larger dialogue where Job expresses his pain and seeks understanding from his friends, who have offered little comfort. His words reflect the depth of his suffering and the feeling of abandonment in his trials.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 3:17 | There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest. |
| 2 | Job 7:3–16 | So I am allotted months of futility, and nights of misery are appointed me. |
| 3 | Job 10:1 | “I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul. |
| 4 | Psalm 6:6–7 | I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. |
| 5 | Proverbs 3:11–12 | My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke; |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — הֶלְאָ֑נִי, hel.'A.nigenerated
The word הֶלְאָ֑נִי (hel.'A.ni) is a verb in the Hiphil stem, meaning 'he has made weary me.' It indicates a state of being worn out or exhausted, which Job feels intensely in his current circumstances. This form suggests that Job is not just weary but has been caused to be weary by external forces, emphasizing his vulnerability and the weight of his suffering.
The root of this word, לָאָה (la'ah), conveys a sense of weariness or impatience. In this context, Job's use of the verb highlights his deep emotional and spiritual fatigue, underscoring the intensity of his lament.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb הֶלְאָ֑נִי (he has made weary me) governs the main clause, expressing Job's state of exhaustion. The structure follows a straightforward order, with the subject implied and the object נִי (me) following the verb, emphasizing Job's personal experience of weariness.
The second part of the verse introduces another finite verb הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ (you have devastated), which describes the action taken against Job's family. This parallel structure highlights both Job's personal suffering and the broader devastation he feels.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word used for הֶלְאָ֑נִי is με (me), which indicates a direct translation of Job's weariness. This choice reflects a straightforward rendering of Job's emotional state without additional interpretation.
The Greek word for הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ is πεποίηκεν (he has made desolate), which captures the essence of devastation, paralleling the Hebrew meaning while emphasizing the impact of the action.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 16:7 expresses Job's deep exhaustion and the devastation of his family. He feels worn out and acknowledges the emptiness left in his life due to his losses. This verse highlights Job's emotional pain and the sense of abandonment he experiences.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job is expressing that he feels utterly worn out and depleted, both physically and emotionally, due to his suffering.
Job is lamenting the loss of his loved ones, feeling that they have been left empty and desolate due to the calamities he has faced.
Job's words reflect a deep struggle with his faith as he grapples with his pain and questions the reasons behind his suffering.
Job's honest lament teaches us the importance of expressing our pain and seeking understanding in times of suffering.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I felt exhausted by my own circumstances, and how can I seek support?
- How do I cope with feelings of loss or devastation in my life?
- What does it mean to me to express my grief openly, as Job does?
- How can I find hope in the midst of my struggles, similar to Job's journey?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early commentators reflect on Job's lament, noting the profound emotional and spiritual struggle he faces, as seen in quotations from Ephrem the Syrian and Gregory the Dialogist.
Your words cruelly pierce me, because you endeavor to present me as a false witness before God, whose wrath “has torn me.” Even in the middle of my mourning, where the loss of the children and cattle had dragged me,Early Church Fathers on Job 16 →
Ver. 7. But what am I to do? Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged; and though I forbear, it will not depart from me. [ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION] How this accords with the person of blessed Job, there is no one that is ignorant;Early Church Fathers on Job 16 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 16:7 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBut now he hath made me weary,.... Or "it hath made me weary" (u), that is, "my grief", as it may be supplied from Job 16:6; or rather God, as appears from the next clause, and from the following
Read John Gill on Job 16 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryBut now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. But now - truly now. He - God.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 16 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleBut; or, surely, as this Hebrew particle most commonly signifies. He, i.e. God, as appears by the following words and verses. Hath made me weary; either of complaining, or of my life. Thou; he speaks in the second person to God, as in the former clause in the third person of God. Such change of persons are very usual in Scripture, and elsewhere. Hast made desolate all my company; hast turned my society into desolation, by destroying my children and servants.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 16 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 16:7 But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.Ver. 7. But now he hath made me weary] i.e. God, whom he acknowledgeth the author of his afflictions; but he should better have borne up under them than to faint and fret even unto madness, as the Septuagint here translates, Quis eum fatigavit? Dolor, vel Deus ipse? (Lavat.). Job was now not only wet to the skin, but his soul came into iron, as Joseph’ s once, Psalms 105:18. Like Ezekiel’ s book, Ezekiel 2:10, he was written quite through with woes and lamentations. And he might say, with Heman, Psalms 88:15, "While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted." The grief which he here describeth, Maior erat quam ut…
Read John Trapp on Job 16 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(7) But now he hath made me weary.—He turns again, in his passionate plaint, to God, whom he alternately speaks of in the third person and addresses in the second. “Thou hast made desolate all my company,” by destroying all his children and alienating the hearts or his friends.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 16 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 7. But now he hath made me weary] The Vulgate translates thus: - Nunc autem oppressit me dolor meus; et in nihilum redacti sunt omnes artus mei; "But now my grief oppresses me, and all my joints are reduced to nothing." Perhaps Job alluded here to his own afflictions, and the desolation of his family. Thou hast made me weary with continual affliction; my strength is quite exhausted; and thou hast made desolate all my company, not leaving me a single child to continue my name, or to comfort me in sickness or old age. Mr. Good translates: - "Here, indeed, hath he distracted me; Thou hast struck apart all my witnesses."
Read AdamClarke on Job 16 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges7. made me weary] i. e. exhausted me; and now describes the new situation which he realizes. The second clause indicates in what way he had been wearied or exhausted, all his “company,” his familiar friends, all on whom he could rely, or hope in, had been removed from him, and turned into his enemies and haters, cf. ch. Job 19:13-19; every resource was taken from him, cf. ch. Job 15:34. In the first clause he is God, to whom as his emotion rises the speaker turns directly in the second clause—thou hast made desolate.
Read Cambridge on Job 16 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleBut now he hath made me weary - That is, God has exhausted my strength. This verse introduces a new description of his sufferings; and he begins with a statement of the woes that God had brought on him.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 16 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Surely He has now exhausted me; You have devastated all my family.
But now, God, you have surely worn me out. You have made all my company desolate.
Surely He has now exhausted me; You have devastated all my family.
Surely now he has worn me out, you have devastated my entire household.
Tyndale line
But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.
But now he hath made me weary: Thou hast made desolate all my company.
But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.
But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.
But now hee maketh mee wearie: O God, thou hast made all my congregation desolate,
Strictly literal
But now he hath made me weary; ...thou hast made desolate all my family;
Only, now, it hath wearied me; Thou hast desolated all my company,
Only, now, it has wearied me; You have desolated all my company,
But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.
But now, God, you have made me weary; you have made all my family desolate.
From the Latin
But what shall I do? If I speak, my pain will not rest: and if I hold my peace, it will not depart from me.
Simplified
God, you have worn me out. You have destroyed my whole family.
But now he has overcome me with weariness and fear, and I am in the grip of all my trouble.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads אַךְ־ עַתָּ֥ה הֶלְאָ֑נִי הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ כָּל־ עֲדָתִֽי׃, while the Septuagint matches 4 of the 6 words. The Septuagint's word order and articles differ, but the core meaning remains consistent with the Masoretic Text.
אַךְ־ עַתָּ֥ה הֶלְאָ֑נִי הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ כָּל־ עֲדָתִֽי׃
4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 16:7
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אַךְ (ak) is an adverb meaning 'surely' or 'indeed,' often used to emphasize what follows. It can also carry a restrictive sense, translating to 'only' or 'but.' The entries indicate its use in various contexts, but do not provide specific verse references.
אַךְ 159 adv. 1. surely. 2. with a restrictive force, emphasizing what follows
base
H389 אַךְ 1. surely. 2. with a restrictive force, emphasizing what follows
389 'ak ak
akin to 403; a particle of affirmation, surely; hence (by
limitation) only:--also, in any wise, at least, but,
certainly, even, howbeit, nevertheless, notwithstanding, only,
save, surely, of a surety, truly, verily, + wherefore, yet
(but).
see HEBREW for 0403
אַךְ (akh) — surely.
1) indeed, surely (emphatic)
2) howbeit, only, but, yet (restrictive)
DirObjM — AdverbHD
עַתָּ֫ה (attah) is an adverb of time meaning 'now.' It can also function as a conjunction or expletive, indicating immediacy or a current moment. The word is derived from a related term, עַת (att), and is used in various contexts to denote the present time.
עַתָּ֫ה 435, עָ֑֫תָּה, adv. of time, now
base
H6258 עַתָּ֫ה, עָ֑֫תָּה of time, now
6258 `attah at-taw'
from 6256; at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or
expletive:--henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.
see HEBREW for 06256
עַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) — now.
1) now
1a) now
1b) in phrases
Adv — AdverbHD
לָאָה (la'ah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be weary or impatient. It encompasses various forms, including being tired or grieved, and can describe both the state of weariness and the act of causing weariness in others. The word appears in different stems, such as Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, indicating nuances in its usage.
[לָאָה] vb. be weary, impatient
Qal be weary
Niph. be weary of doing a thing, make oneself weary in doing something, weary (i.e. strenuously exert) oneself
Hiph. weary, make weary, exhaust
base
H3811 לָאָה be weary, impatient
3811 la'ah law-aw'
a primitive root; to tire; (figuratively) to be (or make)
disgusted:--faint, grieve, lothe, (be, make) weary (selves).
לָאָה (la.ah) — be weary.
1) to be weary, be impatient, be grieved, be offended
1a) (Qal) to be weary, be impatient
1b) (Niphal) to be tired of something, weary oneself
1c) (Hiphil) to weary, make weary, exhaust
V-Hiphil-Perf-3ms | Suff — Verb hiphil perfect third person masculine singular · suffixHVhp3ms/Sp1bs
שָׁמֵם (shamem) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be desolated or appalled. It is built from a primitive root and encompasses a range of meanings including to stun, devastate, and cause horror. The verb appears in various forms, such as Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances like being made desolate or causing desolation.
[שָׁמֵם] vb. be desolated, appalled
Qal
be desolated
be appalled, awestruck
Niph.
be desolated
be appalled
Pō‛.
I sat appalled
transit. appalling, causing horror
Hiph.
devastate, ravage
appal
inwardly trans., shewing horror
Hoph. all the days of (its) being desolate
Hithpō‛.
be appalled, astounded
cause oneself desolation, ruin
base
H8074 [שָׁמֵם] be desolated, appalled
8074 shamem shaw-mame'
a primitive root; to stun (or intransitively, grow numb),
i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a
passive sense):--make amazed, be astonied, (be an)
astonish(-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make)
desolate(-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay,
lie, make) waste, wonder.
שָׁמֵם (sha.mem) — be desolate: destroyed.
: destroyed/deserted
1) to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be desolated, be deflowered, be deserted, be appalled
1a2) to be appalled, be awestruck
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be desolated, be made desolate
1b2) to be appalled
1c) (Polel)
1c1) to be stunned
1c2) appalling, causing horror (participle)
1c2a) horror-causer, appaller (subst)
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to devastate, ravage, make desolated
1d2) to appal, show horror
1e) (Hophal) to lay desolate, be desolated
1f) (Hithpolel)
1f1) to cause to be desolate
1f2) to be appalled, be astounded
1f3) to cause oneself desolation, cause oneself ruin
שָׁמֵם (sha.mem) — be desolate: appalled.
: appalled
1) to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be desolated, be deflowered, be deserted, be appalled
1a2) to be appalled, be awestruck
1b) (Niphal)
V-Hiphil-Perf-2ms — Verb · Hiphil · perfect second person masculine singularHVhp2ms
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.
(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.
(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).
עֵדָה (edah) refers to a congregation or assembly, typically a group gathered by appointment or acting together. It is derived from a related term and encompasses meanings such as company, multitude, and crowd. The entries consistently emphasize its use in the context of gatherings, without notable disagreement among the lexicons.
עֵדָה 149 n.f. congregation (prop. company assembled together by appointment, or acting concertedly)
base
H5712 עֵדָה congregation (prop. company assembled together by appointment, or acting concertedly
5712 `edah ay-daw'
feminine of 5707 in the original sense of fixture; a stated
assemblage (specifically, a concourse, or generally, a family
or crowd):--assembly, company, congregation, multitude,
people, swarm. Compare 5713.
see HEBREW for 05707
see HEBREW for 05713
עֵדָה (e.dah) — congregation.
congregation, gathering
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp1bs