May that day be darkness; may God above not care for it, nor light shine on it. Job 3:4 NASB Darkness – “Little doubt surrounds the meaning of this denominative verb coming from the noun ḥōšek (darkness). It occurs eighteen times, seventeen times in poetical books. Exodus 10:15 is the only occurrence of ḥāšak in…
Now when Job’s three friends heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, they came, each one from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him. Job 2:11 NASB Sympathize/ Comfort – “It’s just too much to…
Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am wretched. Heal me, for my limbs are stricken. Psalm 6:2 Robert Alter My limbs – On the 30th of April of this year, I wrote a piece about the excruciating pain I was experiencing in my left knee. I asked for your prayers (thank you). I wrote…
Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am wretched. Heal me, for my limbs are stricken. Psalm 6:3 Robert Alter My limbs – Now you will read a reflection that I wrote more than a month ago. My left knee still hurts, every day, all the time. But it isn’t excruciating. No wheelchair. Nevertheless, it’s…
“Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God” (Job 1:22). I received numerous emails following my description of the constant pain I have in my knee. They were very encouraging, offering prayers and empathy. But one in particular really touched me. It was about another person’s pain, a young man who…
11:45 PM 5 April 2023 Pain. 24/7. Never stops. Never. Injections, opioid drugs, therapy. Nothing makes it stop. Thirty days now without relief. Every night it gets worse. No sleep. My knee aches in waves. Then sharp like someone has a drill bit turning under the knee cap. Always in the same spot. Continuously. What…
For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I admit my guilt; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. Psalm 38:17-18 NASB Sorrow – What is “continually before” the psalmist? If we thought he is experiencing “deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or misfortune,” we would convert this ancient Hebrew into modern…
For I am ready to fall, and my sorrow is continually before me. For I admit my guilt; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. Psalm 38:17-18 NASB Ready to fall – These two verses are so full of deeper meanings that it’s impossible to feel the full impact in a one-page analysis. Let’s explore these Hebrew words,…
For what does a man have from all his toil and from his heart’s care that he toils under the sun? For all his days are pain, and worry is his business. Ecclesiastes 2:23 Robert Alter Heart’s care – Let’s cover the technical issues first. One of the reasons scholars believe Ecclesiastes was written after…
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.” Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would greatly bless me and extend my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it would…
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