JobChapter 6

Job Chapter 6: Meaning

Job fires back at Eliphaz, saying his pain is too heavy to measure and his friends have let him down.

Summary

Job speaks up to defend himself. He says his grief and pain are heavier than sand on a beach. He is not complaining for no reason. He has real reasons to feel the way he does. Job says that even animals do not cry out when they have food. He is crying out because something is terribly wrong.

Job tells his friends that he wishes God would just end his life. He has been staying true to God's words, and that gives him strength. But his body is weak and he has no hope left.

Then Job turns to his friends and says they have failed him. He compares them to streams in the desert that look full in winter but dry up in summer when people need water most. Travelers come looking for water and find nothing. That is what his friends are like. They came to help but have nothing real to offer.

Job asks his friends to stop talking if they have nothing true to say. He wants them to be honest with him. He says real words of truth are powerful, not the empty things they are saying.

Historical Context

The story takes place in an ancient land near the Middle East. Streams in the desert called wadis would fill up during rainy seasons but dry out in summer. Travelers crossing the desert counted on those streams for water. Finding a dry streambed when you were thirsty was a matter of life and death.

Job used this picture to describe how his friends failed him. In the ancient world, a good friend was someone you could count on no matter what. Job felt completely let down.