Job 30:18 (KJV)

What does Job 30:18 mean?

Job 30:18 describes how severely Job feels the effects of his disease. In the KJV, Job pictures his clothing as altered by the force of his illness and clinging tightly around him. The image makes his suffering feel close and inescapable.

Job is speaking about his own distress. After describing pain in the preceding verse, he turns to the image of a garment and the tight opening of a coat. Clothing, normally something a person puts on, becomes part of Job’s picture of being confined by suffering.

The Hebrew behind Job 30:18

• “changed” — חָפַשׂ (ḥāphas): This word can carry the sense of being altered or disfigured. In the KJV’s wording, the force of Job’s disease changes the appearance of his garment.
• “collar” — פֶּה (peh): This word often means “mouth” or “opening.” Here it refers to the opening of a coat, giving a picture of something fitting closely around the body.

Why Job 30:18 matters

• Job’s description uses ordinary clothing to make his bodily distress vivid. The “collar of my coat” gives readers a familiar picture of pressure close to the body.
• The verse is part of Job’s complaint spoken toward God. In verse 20, Job says, “I cry unto thee,” showing whom he addresses as he describes his suffering.