He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.

JOB 16:14KJV
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Job 16:14 (KJV)

What does Job 16:14 mean?

Job 16:14 describes how Job feels relentlessly attacked and overwhelmed by suffering, as if God is breaking him down repeatedly and charging at him with the force of a powerful warrior. The verse uses vivid language to express Job’s sense of being battered without relief.

In this verse, Job is speaking to his friends while pouring out his pain and frustration. He uses the image of repeated breaches—like a wall being smashed again and again—and compares his suffering to being assaulted by a giant. This highlights how Job feels both vulnerable and powerless in the face of his ongoing trials.

The Hebrew behind Job 16:14

  • "breaketh" (פָּרַץ, pārats) means to break through or burst open, often used for a wall being breached. Job’s use of this word emphasizes the sense of being forcefully and repeatedly broken down.
  • "breach" (פֶּרֶץ, perets) refers to a gap or break, especially in a wall or defense. The repetition ("breach upon breach") paints a picture of relentless, accumulating damage.
  • "giant" (גִּבּוֹר, gibbor) means a mighty man or warrior, not a mythical giant. Job is comparing his suffering to being attacked by a strong, unstoppable fighter, not a literal giant.

Why Job 16:14 matters

  • Job’s language clarifies that he sees his suffering as not just a single event, but a series of overwhelming blows, making his sense of despair more understandable.
  • The imagery of a breached wall and a charging warrior shows how exposed and defenseless Job feels, deepening the emotional impact of his complaint.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by showing how Job interprets his suffering as coming directly from God, not just from random misfortune or human enemies.

Where else these words appear

“breach” Hebrew H6556 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 38:29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
  • 1 Chronicles 13:11 And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzza: wherefore that place is called Perezuzza to this day.
  • Isaiah 30:13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.

“breaketh” Hebrew H6555 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
  • 2 Kings 14:13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Bethshemesh, and came to Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
  • Nehemiah 4:7 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,

“runneth” Hebrew H7323 · used in 92 verses

  • Genesis 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
  • 2 Samuel 18:22 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready?
  • Esther 8:14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.