Job 6:7 (KJV)

What does Job 6:7 mean?

Job 6:7 describes how Job feels forced to accept things that he once found completely unacceptable, comparing his suffering to being made to eat food that disgusts him. Job is expressing that what he now endures is something his soul would never have willingly touched before, but now it has become his sorrowful portion.

In this verse, Job is speaking to his friends, responding to their earlier words. He uses the image of "sorrowful meat" to show how bitter and unwelcome his current troubles are, emphasizing that he never would have chosen such suffering for himself. The verse highlights Job’s deep sense of misery and how far his life has fallen from what he once considered bearable.

The Hebrew behind Job 6:7

• "soul" (נֶפֶשׁ, nephesh): This word often means a person's inner self or life. Here, it shows that Job’s rejection is not just physical but comes from deep within.
• "refused" (מָאַס, ma'as): This word means to reject or despise. Job is saying he once strongly rejected these things, not just mildly disliked them.
• "touch" (נָגַע, naga‘): This word means to reach out and touch or handle. Job’s soul would not even come near these things before.
• "sorrowful" (דַּוָּה, davvah): This word carries the sense of something being sickly or loathsome. It emphasizes how repulsive Job finds his current “meat” or portion.
• "meat" (לֶחֶם, lechem): While often translated as "bread" or "food," here it refers to Job’s portion in life—what he is being given to endure.

Why Job 6:7 matters

• Job 6:7 helps clear up that Job’s suffering is not just physical pain but something deeply offensive and repulsive to his whole being, showing the depth of his distress.
• The verse highlights the contrast between Job’s former life and his present misery, making his lament more vivid to the reader.
• This verse connects to Job’s larger argument that his suffering is not something he would ever have chosen, pushing back against his friends’ assumptions that he somehow brought it on himself.