Job 7:19

Job 7:19 How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

Ver. 19. How long wilt thou not depart from me] Here he seems desirous to be rid of God’s company, of his afflicting presence, Psa 139:10; so true is that of the apostle, Heb 12:11, "No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous," till patience come to have her perfect work, and men be brought to cry out, as one did under a great fit of the stone, The use, Lord, the use; not so much ease of my pain, as a good use of my suffering. This Job came to at length, no doubt; meanwhile, we have in him, as Mercer observeth, mirum ubique specimen, a wonderful instance of that conflict between flesh and spirit that is in the saints.

Yet let me alone, till I may swallow down my spittle?] That is, nor afford me the least intermission, no, not a spitting while. He will not suffer me to take my breath, Job 9:18. Jerome thinks that Job was troubled with a quinsey, or sore throat, which hindered the swallowing of his spittle; neither had he power to spit out the corrupt matter that ran down his throat. Oh what a sweet mercy is health! and how ill able are the best without special support from heaven to bear sickness! The Stoics, who said, that he who lived honestly might live cheerfully though under many bodily weaknesses, senserunt ipsi in morbis se magnificentius locutos esse quam verius, saith Wolfius; that is, when it came to their own turn to be sick, they well perceived that they had spoken rather bravely than truly.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Job 7:19. How long wilt thou not depart from me — How long will it be ere thou withdraw thy afflicting hand from me? The Hebrew is literally, How long wilt thou not take thine eyes off me? “This,” says Dodd, “is a metaphor from combatants, who never take their eyes from off their antagonists. The figure is preserved in the next sentence, which represents a combatant seized by his adversary in such a manner as to prevent his swallowing his spittle or fetching his breath.” Till I swallow my spittle? —

For a little while: or, that I may have a breathing time: an Arabic proverb at present in use. See Schultens.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7:19 Won’t you leave me alone (literally How long will you not look away from me): Job sought the opposite of the watchful care that faithful people usually seek (Num 6:25; Pss 27:9; 69:17; 80:3, 7, 19; Lam 1:9). • to swallow: This is equivalent to “a chance to catch my breath.”

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

How long (like a jealous keeper) wilt thou never take thine eyes off (so the Hebrew for "depart from") me? Nor let me alone for a brief respite (literally, "so long as I take to swallow my spittle"), an Arabic proverb, like our, "till I draw my breath."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 19. Till I swallow down my spittle?] This is a proverbial expression, and exists among the Arabs to the present day; the very language being nearly the same. It signifies the same as, Let me draw my breath; give me a moment's space; let me have even the twinkling of an eye. I am urged by my sufferings to continue my complaint; but my strength is exhausted, my mouth dry with speaking. Suspend my sufferings even for so short a space as is necessary to swallow my spittle, that my parched tongue may be moistened, so that I may renew my complaint.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(19) Till I swallow down my spittle.—This is doubtless a proverbial expression, like “the twinkling of an eye,” or “while I fetch a breath.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. depart from me] lit. look away from me; an impatient demand that God would turn away His plaguing glance; cf. “watcher of men,” Job_7:20.

swallow down my spittle] A proverbial phrase like “twinkling of an eye,” signifying a moment, as we might say “till I let over”; cf. “draw my breath,” ch. Job_9:18. To let one swallow his spittle is to give him a moment’s respite or time. The phrase is not unusual among the Arabs. In De Sacy’s Notes to Hariri, p. 164, a person tells the following: “I said to one of my Sheichs (teachers), Let me swallow my spittle; to which he replied, I will let you swallow the two Confluents (the Tigris and Euphrates).”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

How long wilt thou not depart from me,.... From wrestling and contending with him, and afflicting of him; the Lord was too hard a combatant for job, and therefore he chose to be rid of him, and was impatient of it; or "look off from me" (u); so Mr. Broughton renders it, "how long wilt thou not look from me?" this is to be understood not of a look of love, which Job would never have desired to have averted from him; but a frowning and angry look, such as the Lord put on in this dispensation of his providence towards him; the allusion may be to that sharp and constant look, which antagonists in wrestling have upon each other while conflicting together, and so the metaphor before used is still carried on:

nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? some think Job has reference to his disease which affected his throat, that being so dried up, or having a quinsy in it, that he could not swallow his spittle, or it was with great difficulty he did it; or rather it is a proverbial expression, signifying that his afflictions were incessant, that he had no respite nor intermission, had not space enough given him to swallow down his spittle, or take his breath, as in Job 9:18; so Schultens observes, that with the Arabians this was a proverbial form of speech, when they required time for anything, "give me time to swallow my spittle"; or when they had not proper time, or any intermission, used to say, "you will not give me time to swallow my spittle"; and one being asked a multitude of questions, replied, "suffer me to swallow my spittle", that is, give me time to make an answer: or the sense is, that his antagonist in wrestling with him held him so fast, and kept him so close to it, and so twisted him about, and gave him fall upon fall, so that he had no time to swallow his spittle; or he so collared him, and gripped him, and almost throttled him, that he could not swallow it down; all which intends how closely and incessantly Job was followed with one affliction upon another, and how severe and distressing they were to him.

(u) "respicis a me?" Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt, Michaelis; "avertis oculum a me?" Schultens.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

How long wilt thou not depart? - How long is this to continue? The same word occurs in Job 14:6. The word rendered “depart” שׁעה shâ‛âh means to look, to look around, and then to look away from anyone or anything. The idea here is, that God had fixed his eyes upon Job, and he asks with anxiety, how long this was to continue, and when he would turn his eyes away; compare the notes at Job 7:8. Schultens supposes that the metaphor here is taken from combatants, who never take their eyes from their antagonists.

Till I swallow down my spittle - For the shortest time. But there has been considerable variety in the explanation of this phrase. Herder renders it, “Until I draw my breath.” Noyes, “Until I have time to breathe;” but he acknowledges that he has substituted this for the proverb which occurs in the original. The Hebrew is literally rendered in the common version, and the proverb is retained in Arabia to the present day. The meaning is, Give me a little respite; allow me a little time; as we would say, Suffer me to breathe. “This,” says Burder, “is a proverb among the Arabians to the present day, by which they understand, Give me leave to rest after my fatigue. This is the favor which Job complains is not granted to him. There are two instances which illustrate this passage (quoted by Schultens) in Harris’s Narratives entitled the Assembly. One is of a person, who, when eagerly pressed to give an account of his travels, answered with impatience, ‘Let me swallow down my spittle, for my journey hath fatigued me.’ The other instance is of a quick return made to a person who used the proverb. ‘Suffer me, ‘ said the person importuned, ‘to swallow down my spittle;’ to which the friend replied, ‘You may, if you please, swallow down even the Tigris and the Euphrates; ‘ that is, You may take what time you please.”

The expression is proverbial, and corresponds to ours when we say, “in the twinkling of an eye,” or, “until I can catch my breath;” that is, in the briefest interval. Job addresses this language to God. There is much impatience in it, and much that a pious man should not employ; but we are to remember that Job was beset with special trials, and that he had not the views of the divine existence and perfections, the promises and the high hopes, which as Christians we have under the fuller light of revelation; and before harshly condemning him we should put ourselves in his situation, and ask ourselves how we would be likely to think and feel and speak if we were in the same circumstances.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

How long will it be ere thou withdraw thy afflicting hand from me?

Till I swallow down my spittle, i.e. for a little time; or that I may have a breathing time: a proverbial expression, like that Spanish proverb, I have not time or liberty to spit out my spittle. Or this expression may have respect to Job’s distempered and calamitous condition, wherewith he was so overwhelmed, that he either had not strength, or could not take heed, to spit out his spittle, as he should have done, but swallowed it down, as sick and melancholy persons often do.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. Swallow down my spittle — A proverbial expression for the briefest interval. Just as we would say, “Let me draw my breath;” or, “In the twinkling of an eye.” Camus explains it, “Give me only time enough to swallow my spittle.” A witty retort, cited by Schultens from the Arabic, (Telebius,) will help to illustrate: “Suffer me,” said one, “to swallow down my spittle.” To this his friend replied, “You may, if you please, swallow down even Tigris and Euphrates.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

How long wilt thou not depart from me? rather, Wilt thou not look away from me? (see the Revised Version). Job does not go so far as to ask that God should "depart from" him. He knows, doubtless, that that would be the extreme of calamity. But he would have God sometimes turn away his eyes from him, and not always regard him so intently. There is something of the same tone of complaint in the psalmist"s utterance., "Thou art about my path, and about my bed, and spiest out all my ways". (Psa_139:3, Prayer-book Version) Nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? Even, i.e. , for the shortest space of time passible. A proverbial expression.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

How long - How long will it be ere thou withdraw thy afflicting hand? Swallow - That I may have a breathing time: a proverbial expression.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

How long will it be ... swallow down my own saliva?

Here Job conveys a single idea using two different rhetorical questions to emphasize his wish that God would stop watching him. AT: "Look away from me! Leave me alone long enough for me to swallow my own saliva!" (See: Parallelism and Rhetorical Question)

saliva

liquid produced in people's mouths that keeps the mouth moist and helps to swallow food

Even if I have sinned ... burden for you?

Job poses these questions to argue against God treating him unfairly. AT: "Even if I have sinned, that would do nothing to you, as you watch over people. Tell me why you have made me your target, so that I am a burden for you." (See: Rhetorical Question)

translationWords

sin

watch

burden

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

How long For what length of time will You not desist from me, like (Exod. 5:9), “and let them not turn (ישעו) to false words.” Similarly (below 14:6), “Turn away (שעה) from him and desist.”

until I swallow my spit long enough to swallow my spit.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.