Job is overcome by suffering, sensing the nearness of death, yet yearning for hope.
My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. (v.1) In this opening line, Job reveals the depths of his personal anguish and his sense that life is slipping rapidly away. The phrase my spirit is broken conveys emotional and spiritual despair, an inner weariness that weighs him down completely. Through these words, we can sense Job’s state of hopelessness, believing that his fate is sealed—that the grave is ready to receive him. This bleak tone speaks to the level of suffering Job is enduring, echoing his struggle to reconcile his righteousness with the calamities he faces.
Job, traditionally understood to have lived in the land of Uz near the desert regions east of the Jordan River, is believed by many scholars to have lived around the same era as the patriarch Abraham (roughly 2000-1800 BC). Here he expresses the heavy toll that relentless adversity has taken on his soul. Although he is not a king or prophet, Job’s story has had a profound influence on how believers across the centuries understand faith under duress. His words reveal the common human longing for relief in the face of overwhelming sorrow.
Even as Job laments that my days are extinguished, this dire outlook foreshadows a broader scriptural principle of recognizing personal frailty (Psalm 103:15-16) but still seeking hope beyond the current moment (1 Peter 5:10). In the greater context of the Bible, we eventually discover that true restoration and eternal life come through trusting the Lord’s power to redeem and restore, culminating in the New Testament’s fulfillment through Jesus (John 11:25-26). Job’s admission of brokenness can thus be seen as an honest prayer from the depths of despair that sets the stage for a transformative encounter with God later in his story.
Set to dark mode
Job 17:1 meaning
My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, The grave is ready for me. (v.1) In this opening line, Job reveals the depths of his personal anguish and his sense that life is slipping rapidly away. The phrase my spirit is broken conveys emotional and spiritual despair, an inner weariness that weighs him down completely. Through these words, we can sense Job’s state of hopelessness, believing that his fate is sealed—that the grave is ready to receive him. This bleak tone speaks to the level of suffering Job is enduring, echoing his struggle to reconcile his righteousness with the calamities he faces.
Job, traditionally understood to have lived in the land of Uz near the desert regions east of the Jordan River, is believed by many scholars to have lived around the same era as the patriarch Abraham (roughly 2000-1800 BC). Here he expresses the heavy toll that relentless adversity has taken on his soul. Although he is not a king or prophet, Job’s story has had a profound influence on how believers across the centuries understand faith under duress. His words reveal the common human longing for relief in the face of overwhelming sorrow.
Even as Job laments that my days are extinguished, this dire outlook foreshadows a broader scriptural principle of recognizing personal frailty (Psalm 103:15-16) but still seeking hope beyond the current moment (1 Peter 5:10). In the greater context of the Bible, we eventually discover that true restoration and eternal life come through trusting the Lord’s power to redeem and restore, culminating in the New Testament’s fulfillment through Jesus (John 11:25-26). Job’s admission of brokenness can thus be seen as an honest prayer from the depths of despair that sets the stage for a transformative encounter with God later in his story.