Chapter 6
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1But Job answered and said,
2Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
3For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.
4For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
5Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?
6Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
7The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.
8Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for!
9Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
10Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.
11What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?
12Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass?
13Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?
14To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
15My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;
16Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:
17What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.
18The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.
19The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.
20They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.
21For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.
22Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?
23Or, Deliver me from the enemy’s hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?
24Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
25How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?
26Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?
27Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.
28Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.
29Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.
30Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?
“To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.”
Overview
Job responds to Eliphaz by defending the legitimacy of his outcry, arguing that his grief is heavier than the sand of the sea. He compares his friends to a seasonal brook that fails travelers when they need it most. He challenges them to show him specifically where he has erred and laments that his friends have become treacherous comforters who are afraid of his condition rather than showing true compassion.
Key Themes
The Weight of Grief
Job's grief is immeasurable, and his outcry is proportional to his suffering, challenging those who would minimize the pain of others.
Failed Friendship
Job compares his friends to seasonal streams that overflow in winter but vanish in summer when travelers need water most, illustrating fair-weather friendship.
The Desire for Honest Engagement
Job begs his friends to engage honestly with his actual situation rather than offering formulaic theological answers.
Study Questions
How does Job's image of the dried-up brook (vv. 15-20) describe fair-weather friendship?
What does Job's request 'Teach me, and I will hold my tongue' (v. 24) reveal about his openness to genuine correction?
How can we be better comforters than Job's friends when someone is suffering?
What does it mean to 'weigh' someone's grief rather than dismiss it (v. 2)?
How does Job's honesty about his pain challenge the expectation that faith always looks cheerful?
Connection to Christ
Job's experience of being abandoned by friends in his hour of greatest need anticipates Christ's abandonment by His disciples in Gethsemane. Jesus knew the sting of failed friendship, yet He remained faithful to His mission of love.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Job 6. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?