My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

JOB 7:6KJV
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Job 7:6 (KJV)

What does Job 7:6 mean?

Job 7:6 describes how Job feels that his life is passing by extremely quickly, like the rapid movement of a weaver’s shuttle, and that his days are empty of hope. Job is expressing a deep sense of despair and the feeling that his suffering has made time seem both fast and pointless.

Job is speaking directly to God in the midst of his suffering, using the image of a weaver’s shuttle—a tool that moves swiftly back and forth—to show how quickly his days are slipping away. The verse highlights Job’s emotional state: he feels hopeless, worn out by his troubles, and unable to see any reason for hope as his life rushes by.

The Hebrew behind Job 7:6

  • "swifter" (קַלּוּ, qal·lu): This word means "light" or "swift," emphasizing just how quickly Job feels his days are moving. The sense is not just of speed, but of something slipping away almost before it can be grasped.
  • "shuttle" (אֶרֶג, ’eregh): This refers to the tool in weaving that darts rapidly back and forth. The image would have been familiar in ancient times, making Job’s point vivid—his days are not just fast, but repetitive and fleeting.
  • "spent" (כָּלָה, kalah): This word often means "finished" or "used up." Job is saying his days are not just passing, but being used up with nothing left over, adding to the sense of exhaustion and emptiness.
  • "without hope" (בְּאֵין תִּקְוָה, b’eyn tiqvah): The phrase means "without hope" or "with no expectation." Job is not just tired; he sees no possibility of things improving, which deepens the sense of despair in the verse.

Why Job 7:6 matters

  • Job 7:6 clears up any idea that Job’s suffering is just physical; it shows the emotional and mental toll, as he feels both the speed and the emptiness of his days.
  • The verse connects Job’s personal pain to a universal human experience—feeling that time is slipping away, especially in hardship, and struggling to find hope.
  • This verse sets up the tone for the rest of Job’s speech, where he continues to wrestle with the meaning of his suffering and the apparent absence of hope.

Where else these words appear

“shuttle” Hebrew H708 · used in 2 verses

  • Judges 16:14 And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

“hope” Hebrew H8615 · used in 33 verses

  • Joshua 2:18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
  • Job 14:19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
  • Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

“without” Hebrew H657 · used in 43 verses

  • Numbers 13:28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
  • Psalms 67:7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
  • Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

“swifter” Hebrew H7043 · used in 79 verses

  • Genesis 8:8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
  • 2 Samuel 16:7 And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial:
  • Psalms 109:28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.