Job 7:14 — Word Study
WLCוְחִתַּתַּ֥נִי בַחֲלֹמ֑וֹת וּֽמֵחֶזְיֹנ֥וֹת תְּבַעֲתַֽנִּי׃
BSAthen You frighten mechâthath [scare, affright] with dreamschălôwm [visions of the night, prophetic messages] and terrify mebâʻath▸ [startle, dismay] with visionschizzâyôwn [revelations, divine communications, through spiritual encounters, from the spiritual realm]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְחִתַּתַּ֥נִי | and you will dismay me | Verb piel sequential perfect second person masculine singular, suffix |
| בַחֲלֹמ֑וֹת | by dreams | Preposition, noun common feminine plural absolute |
| וּֽמֵחֶזְיֹנ֥וֹת | and from visions | Conjunction, preposition, noun common feminine plural absolute |
| תְּבַעֲתַֽנִּי׃ | you will terrify me | Verb piel imperfect second person masculine singular, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, |
| KJV | Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions: |
| ASV | Then thou scarest me with dreams, And terrifiest me through visions: |
| YLT | And thou hast affrighted me with dreams, And from visions thou terrifiest me, |
| WEB | then you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions, |
| BBE | Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear; |
All translations agree on the rendering of Job's fear through dreams and visions.
The structure features a main clause followed by two prepositional phrases that specify the sources of Job's fear.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
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 7:14
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 7:14 describes Job's feelings of terror as he experiences frightening dreams and visions. This verse captures his emotional state during a time of suffering, where he feels that even in sleep, he cannot find peace. Job's lament continues as he expresses a desire for relief from his distress, illustrating the depth of his anguish and hopelessness.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 40:5–7 | both of these men—the Egyptian king’s cupbearer and baker, who were being held in the prison—had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. |
| 2 | Genesis 41:8 | In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. |
| 3 | Judges 7:13–14 | And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.” |
| 4 | Daniel 2:1 | In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled his spirit, and sleep escaped him. |
| 5 | Matthew 27:19 | While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חִתַּתַּ֥נִי, chit.tat.tanigenerated
The verb חִתַּתַּ֥נִי (chit.tat.tani) is a piel form indicating an action directed toward the subject. It conveys a sense of being dismayed or terrified, suggesting that Job feels completely shattered by the experiences he describes.
This word is rooted in חָתַת (chathath), which means to prostrate or break down. Job uses it here to express his emotional and psychological state, emphasizing the severity of his fear.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
Translations generally agree on the meaning of Job's experience of fear through dreams and visions.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb חִתַּתַּ֥נִי (you frighten me) governs the structure of the sentence, with two phrases detailing the sources of Job's fear: one through dreams and the other through visions.
The sentence structure emphasizes Job's emotional turmoil, as he links his fear directly to these supernatural experiences.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חִתַּתַּ֥נִי as με (me), indicating a direct rendering of Job's fear. This choice maintains the focus on Job's personal experience of terror and aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning.
The Greek word used for 'visions' is ὁράμασίν, which reflects a similar emphasis on divine communication, highlighting the spiritual nature of Job's distress.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 7:14 reveals Job's deep distress as he feels frightened by dreams and terrified by visions. In this moment, he expresses how these experiences add to his suffering, illustrating his emotional turmoil.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Job refers to supernatural experiences that frighten him, which may include both ordinary dreams and prophetic revelations.
Job's terror stems from the overwhelming nature of his dreams and visions, which disrupt his peace and contribute to his anguish.
In the Bible, dreams and visions are often seen as methods through which God communicates messages or warnings to individuals.
Job's experience highlights the profound impact of emotional and spiritual distress, reminding us of the importance of seeking peace amid turmoil.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do I respond to fears or anxieties that feel overwhelming, like Job's experiences?
- What role do dreams and visions play in my understanding of God's communication?
- In what ways can I find comfort during times of distress?
- How can I support others who are experiencing fear or anxiety?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early commentary from Gregory the Dialogist interprets Job's experience of fear, noting the profound impact of dreams and visions on his emotional state.
Then Thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions. But lest anyone should be at pains to make out these words after the literal sense,Early Church Fathers on Job 7 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 7:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThen thou scarest me with dreams,.... Not with dreams and visions being told him, as were by Eliphaz, Job 4:13; but with dreams he himself dreamed; and which might arise from the force of his
Read John Gill on Job 7 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAm I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me? Why dost thou deny me the comfort of care-assuaging sleep? Why scarest thou me with frightful dreams?
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 7 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWith sad and dreadful dreams, arising either from that melancholy humour which is now so fixed in me, and predominant over me, or from the devil’ s malice, who by thy permission disturbs me in this manner; so that I am afraid to go to sleep, and my remedy proves as bad as my disease. Visions are the same thing with dreams; for there were not only day visions, which were offered to men’ s sight when they were awake; but also night visions, which were presented to men’ s fancy in their sleep and dreams. See 41:1,2 Da 2:1,31 4:5,10.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 7 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 7:14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:Ver. 14. Then thou scarest me with dreams] Extremam tentationem describit, saith Vatablus; and the devil doubtless had a great hand in this business (for it was within his commission, and he would not neglect any part of it); but Job taketh notice of none but God, the chief agent, and to him he applieth himself. His providence is exercised even about dreams, which, in melancholy people, happen (especially when they are sick) to be oftentimes very horrid and hideous; as that they fall down from some high place, commit some capital offence, are slain, torn in pieces by devils, &c. Bishop Foliot’ s terrible night…
Read John Trapp on Job 7 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 14. Thou sparest me with dreams] There is no doubt that Satan was permitted to haunt his imagination with dreadful dreams and terrific appearances; so that, as soon as he fell asleep, he was suddenly roused and alarmed by those appalling images. He needed rest by sleep, but was afraid to close his eyes because of the horrid images which were presented to his imagination. Could there be a state more deplorable than this?
Read AdamClarke on Job 7 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges13, 14. Further description of the plagues employed to subdue him. ease my complaint] Complaint always means complaining, not malady; ch. Job 9:27, Job 10:1, Job 21:4, Job 23:2. When he looks for sleep That knits up the ravelled sleeve of care, Balm of hurt minds, instead of finding it he is scared with dreams and terrified through visions. Such distressing dreams and terrors in sleep are said to be one of the symptoms of Elephantiasis.
Read Cambridge on Job 7 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThen thou scarest me - This is an address to God. He regarded him as the source of his sorrows, and he expresses his sense of this in language indeed very beautiful, but far from reverence. With dreams - see Job 7:4.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 7 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible14. Dreams — According to Avicenna, those afflicted with elephantiasis suffer from frequent melancholy dreams.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 7 →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
then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,
then you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions,
then You frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions,
then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions,
Tyndale line
Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:
Then thou scarest me with dreams, And terrifiest me through visions:
Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:
Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:
Then fearest thou me with dreames, and astonishest me with visions.
Strictly literal
Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions;
And thou hast affrighted me with dreams, And from visions thou terrifiest me,
And You have frightened me with dreams, || And You terrify me from visions,
Then wouldst thou frighten me with dreams, and with visions wouldst thou terrify me;
then you scare me with dreams and terrify me through visions,
From the Latin
Thou wilt frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions.
Simplified
then you scare me so much with dreams and terrify me with visions
Then you send dreams to me, and visions of fear;
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 and the Septuagint agree on the wording of Job 7:14, with all words matched. The Septuagint provides a direct correspondence to the Hebrew, maintaining the essence of Job's lament.
וְחִתַּתַּ֥נִי בַחֲלֹמ֑וֹת וּֽמֵחֶזְיֹנ֥וֹת תְּבַעֲתַֽנִּי׃
4 of the 4 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 7:14
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.
The Hebrew word חָתַת (chathath) is a primitive root meaning to prostrate, break down, or cause dismay. It encompasses a range of meanings including being shattered, dismayed, or terrified, and can be used in various forms such as Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of breaking or causing fear. The entries do not indicate any significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[חָתַת] vb. be shattered, dismayed
Qal
be shattered, broken
be dismayed
Niph. and at my name he is put in awe
Pi. dismay, scare
Hiph.
shatter
cause to be dismayed
dismay, terrify
base
H2865 חָתַת be shattered, dismayed
2865 chathath khaw-thath'
a primitive root; properly, to prostrate; hence, to break
down, either (literally) by violence, or (figuratively) by
confusion and fear:--abolish, affright, be (make) afraid,
amaze, beat down, discourage, (cause to) dismay, go down,
scare, terrify.
חָתַת (cha.tat) — to to be dismayed.
1) to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be shattered, be broken
1a2) to be dismayed
1b) (Niphal) to be broken, be dismayed
1c) (Piel) to be shattered, be dismayed, be scared
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to be dismayed
1d2) to dismay, terrify
1d3) to shatter
Conj | V-Piel-2ms | Suff — Verb piel sequential perfect second person masculine singular · suffixHc/Vpq2ms/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word חֲלוֹם (chalowm) means 'dream' and can refer to both ordinary dreams and those with prophetic significance. It is derived from a root that suggests a connection to dreaming. The Aramaic equivalent is חֵ֫לֶם (chelem).
חֲלוֹם n.m. dream
ordinary dream of sleep
dreams with prophetic meaning
base
H2472 חֲלוֹם dream
2472 chalowm khal-ome'
or (shortened) chalom {khal-ome'}; from 2492; a
dream:--dream(-er).
see HEBREW for 02492
חֲלוֹם (cha.lom) — dream.
1) dream
1a) dream (ordinary)
1b) dream (with prophetic meaning)
Aramaic equivalent: che.lem (חֵ֫לֶם "dream" H2493)
Prep | N-mp — Preposition · noun common feminine plural absoluteHR/Ncfpa
The Scripture declares that the influence of the Spirit of God upon the soul extends to its sleeping as well as its waking thoughts. But, in accordance with the principle enunciated by St. Paul in (1 Corinthians 14:15) dreams, in which the understanding is asleep, are placed below the visions of prophecy, in which the understanding plays its part. Under the Christian dispensation, while we read frequently of trances and vision, dreams are never referred to as vehicles of divine revelation. In exact accordance with this principle are the actual records of the dreams sent by God. The greater number of such dreams were granted, for prediction or for warning, to those who were aliens to the Jewish covenant. And where dreams are recorded as means of God’s revelation to his chosen servants, they are almost always referred to the periods…
חִזָּיוֹן (chizzayown) means 'vision' and encompasses various forms of seeing, including ecstatic visions, night visions, and divine communication. It is derived from the root meaning of revelation or expectation, indicating its use in contexts like prophecy. The term is notably associated with the 'valley of vision,' possibly referring to Jerusalem.
חִזָּיוֹן n.m. vision
vision, in the ecstatic state
vision, in the night
divine communication
base
H2384 חִזָּיוֹן vision
2384 chizzayown khiz-zaw-yone'
from 2372; a revelation, expectation by dream:--vision.
see HEBREW for 02372
חִזָּיוֹן (chiz.za.von) — vision.
1) vision
1a) vision (in the ecstatic state)
1a1) valley of vision (perhaps fig. of Jerusalem or Hinnom)
1b) vision (in the night)
1c) vision, oracle, prophecy (in divine communication)
Conj | Prep | N-mp — Conjunction · preposition · noun common feminine plural absoluteHC/R/Ncfpa
- God often made known his will by
- God especially made himself known to prophets by
- OFTEN ACCOMPANIED
. A representative of the divine person and glory
. An audible voice from heaven
בָּעַת (ba`ath) is a primitive root meaning to terrify or startle. It covers a range of actions, including overwhelming or assailing someone, and is often used in a poetic context. The verb can appear in various forms, such as being terrified (Niphal) or actively terrifying (Piel).
[בָּעַת] vb. fall upon, startle, terrify
Niph. be terrified
Pi. (mostly poet.)
fall upon; overwhelm; assail
terrify
base
H1204 [בָּעַת] fall upon, startle, terrify . be terrified
. (mostly poet.) . fall upon; overwhelm; assail
. terrify
1204 ba`ath baw-ath'
a primitive root; to fear:--affright, be (make) afraid,
terrify, trouble.
בָּעַת (ba.at) — to terrify.
1) to terrify, startle, fall upon, dismay, be overtaken by sudden terror
1a) (Niphal) to be terrified
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to fall upon, overwhelm
1b2) to terrify
V-Piel-Imperf-2ms | Suff — Verb piel imperfect second person masculine singular · suffixHVpi2ms/Sp1bs