Job 7:6 · Bible study
Job 7:6 Commentary: Days Swifter Than a Weaver's Shuttle
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What kind of hope does Job lack? Study Job 7:6, the weaver's shuttle metaphor and the nature of his hopelessness.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Job laments the swift end of his life and his loss of expectation for earthly good.
- Key words: “Shuttle” (ארג), weaver’s instrument; “Consumed” (כלה), finished, spent; “Hope” (תקוה), expectation.
- Main debate: Whether “without hope” refers only to earthly restoration or to total hopelessness (including afterlife).
- Theological theme: The honesty of lament and the nature of hope in suffering.
- Best use: Sermons on the brevity of life, the freedom to grieve, and the distinction between temporal and eternal hope.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.
WEB World English Bible 2000
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
KJV King James Version 1769
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
My days swifter than a weaving machine, And they are consumed without hope.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
My days have passed more swiftly than the web is cut by the weaver, and are consumed without any hope.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y mis días fueron más ligeros que la lanzadera del tejedor, y fenecieron sin esperanza.
Meus dias são mais rápidos que a lançadeira do tecelão, e perecem sem esperança.
Mes jours sont plus rapides que la navette du tisserand,
Meine Tage sind leichter dahingeflogen denn die Weberspule und sind vergangen, daß kein Aufhalten dagewesen ist.
Mijn dagen zijn lichter geweest dan een weversspoel, en zijn vergaan zonder verwachting.
I miei giorni sen vanno più veloci della spola, si consumano senza speranza.
Dni moje prędsze są, niż czółnek tkacki, i strawione są bez nadziei.
Дни мои бегут скорее челнока и кончаются без надежды.
我的日子 比梭 更快，都消耗 在無 指望之中。
My days go quicker than the cloth-worker's thread, and come to an end without hope.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 7:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Job’s metaphor of the weaver’s shuttle captures the swift passing of his life. Barnes notes the comparison emphasizes not rapidity in itself but the fact that his days will soon be gone. John Gill and the Cambridge Bible concur that “without hope” refers to hope of recovery or restoration to outward happiness in this world, not hope of life beyond the grave. Barnes explicitly states the verse does not mean Job had no hope of happiness in the world to come. Keil and Delitzsch similarly connect the hopelessness to the termination of his pain. The shared reading: Job laments the brevity of his days and his loss of expectation for earthly good.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Earthly hopelessness only: Supported by Barnes, Gill, and Cambridge; they note the context of physical suffering and the distinction between temporal and eternal hope.
- Total hopelessness: Some readings take 'without hope' absolutely, emphasizing Job’s despair in the moment without qualification.
What is clear: Job’s days are swiftly ending and his current suffering leaves him without expectation of earthly relief.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of hope in Job 7:6 | The hope Job lacks is primarily about earthly recovery or relief from suffering. | Some interpreters read 'without hope' as total despair (including no hope after death), while others (Barnes, Gill, Cambridge) hold it refers only to this-life expectation. |
| The weaver's shuttle as an image | The shuttle is a vivid metaphor for speed and finality. | Clarke discusses whether a shuttle was used in ancient Near Eastern weaving; some argue the text may refer to the weaver himself rather than the tool. |
| Job's view of the afterlife | Verse 6 does not explicitly deny hope beyond death. | Some see Job as having no clear concept of resurrection here; others point to Job 19:25 as evidence of a future hope. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The weaver’s shuttle (Hebrew ארג, ’ereg) was a familiar image in the ancient Near East, though its exact form may have varied. Adam Clarke describes how the comparison of life to a web woven by days was widespread, appearing in classical myths of the Fates, Clotho spinning, Lachesis measuring, Atropos cutting the thread. The same figure occurs in Isaiah 38:12, where Hezekiah says, “My life is cut off, as by the weaver.” Job’s suffering includes worms, clods of dust, sleepless nights, and a disease often identified as elephantiasis (Keil & Delitzsch).
Job’s complaint is a direct response to Eliphaz, who had urged him to hope for restoration. Job counters that there is no such hope. The verb forms are perfect tense (“they have been swift,” “they have come to an end”), showing that Job sees this as already underway. The contrast between long, sleepless nights (v.4) and days that fly like a shuttle sharpens the paradox of suffering: minutes drag, yet a lifetime vanishes. His hope (תקוה, tikvah) here refers to earthly expectation of good, not necessarily eternal hope. The ancient audience would have understood the shuttle as a common household object, its rapid movement a vivid picture of life’s finality.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Job 7:6. The Masoretic Text is stable. Some ancient versions (Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion) render 'shuttle' as 'runner' (δρομεως), highlighting the speed imagery. The Septuagint paraphrases with 'swifter than speech.' These differences affect the translation but not the core meaning.
Reception History
This verse has often been cited in reflections on the brevity of life. John Calvin referenced it in his sermons on Job to emphasize human frailty. The image of the weaver’s shuttle appears in hymns and funeral meditations across traditions. Adam Clarke connected it to Virgil’s Eclogues and the classical Fates, showing its resonance beyond Israel. The verse stands as a Scriptural anchor for the legitimate expression of grief and the cry for deliverance.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The speed of life. Job compares his days to a weaver’s shuttle, a picture of rapid, unstoppable passing.
- The finality of life. His days are “spent,” consumed, finished. No going back.
- The despair of life. “Without hope”, not eternal hopelessness, but the loss of expectation for earthly restoration.
Five-point outline
- Job’s complaint is grounded in physical suffering (worms, sleeplessness, disease).
- The metaphor of the shuttle emphasizes brevity and speed.
- The Hebrew perfect tense shows Job sees death as imminent and certain.
- The hope he lacks is earthly: recovery, relief, return to former blessings.
- The pastoral lesson: honest lament before God is permitted and does not deny faith.
Illustration hooks
- The feeling of time slipping away during a long illness or in older age.
- A weaver’s shuttle moves so fast the eye cannot follow; our days can feel equally fleeting.
- A loom where each day is a thread: Job sees a pattern that makes no sense to him, but the weaver (God) is still at work.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Is it a sin to say I have no hope?”
- “Did Job lose his faith, or just his patience?”
- “How can I speak to God honestly when I feel hopeless?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse captures a raw moment in Job’s lament. He feels his life is running out and that nothing good remains. But note: his hope is specifically about this life. The questions below move from observation to interpretation to application.
Discussion questions
- What image does Job use to describe the speed of his days? Why might he choose a weaver’s shuttle?
- Read Job 7:6, 10. What words indicate finality or an ending?
- Why does Job say he is “without hope”? In what sense?
- Compare Job 7:6 to Job 13:15. How do these two statements about hope fit together?
- How does the context of physical suffering (worms, sleeplessness) affect the way we read this verse?
- Is there a difference between losing hope for earthly restoration and losing faith in God? Why does that matter?
- How can Christians honestly express feelings of hopelessness while still trusting God?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 6:11 | What is my strength, that I should wait? What is my end, that I should be patient? |
| Job 9:25 | “Now my days are swifter than a runner. They flee away. They see no good. |
| Job 13:15 | Behold, he will kill me. I have no hope. Nevertheless, I will maintain my ways before him. |
| Job 16:22 | For when a few years have come, I will go the way of no return. |
| Job 17:11 | My days are past. My plans are broken off, as are the thoughts of my heart. |
| Job 17:15 | where then is my hope? As for my hope, who will see it? |
| Psalms 90:5 | You sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass. |
| Psalms 90:6 | In the morning it sprouts and springs up. By evening, it is withered and dry. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the Hebrew word for weaver refers to the worker not his shuttle. He holds that such a tool was definitely in use at Job’s time so the comparison can make sense. His view holds that life’s thread is spun out quickly and about to be cut.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that Job compares his days to a weaver's shuttle not mainly to emphasize speed but to show how few and brief they are, cut short before he can enjoy a long life. He also clarifies that Job's remark about being spent without hope refers only to earthly recovery, not to any despair about happiness in the world to come.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the phrase his days refers to a person’s entire life span not just each passing day. It also says without hope means there is no chance of recovery from the illness.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the image of a weaver's shuttle, which darts back and forth with speed, to show how quickly life passes. The additional phrase "without hope" indicates that Job saw no prospect of improvement or restoration, only a swift, unrewarding end.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes the days pass faster than a weaver’s shuttle or a race runner. He says these days end without hope for returning to former happiness.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that each day adds to life like a weaver’s thread, and people will eventually wear out as they live. Job believes his days will end suddenly without any chance of recovery.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that the word for night means fleeing away rather than extending. This view highlights how the long period of sleeplessness is made clear by describing the night as departing.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Job's real sin is not his complaints but his persistent attribution of mercilessness and injustice to God. The friends' insistence that suffering proves sin only drives Job deeper into this error. Unlike the psalmists who finally break through to trust, Job remains locked in accusing God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that man’s life on earth is short and full of trouble. He says this shows both human weakness and God’s mercy since people remain on earth rather than in hell.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that time moves like a shuttle flying quickly from one side of its path to the other. He also says that people have hope in experiencing some good days on earth.