Lexical Summary miphga: Encounter, meeting, intercession Original Word: מִפְגָּע Strong's Exhaustive Concordance mark From paga'; an object of attack -- mark. see HEBREW paga' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom paga Definition something hit, a mark NASB Translation target (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מִפְגָּע noun [masculine] thing hit, mark; — לָ֫מָה לָ֑ךְ ׳שַׂמְתַּנִי לְמ Job 7:20 (compare also מָּגַע Hiph`il 1.). Topical Lexicon Scriptural Context Job 7:20 employs מִפְגָּע when the patriarch cries, “Have I become a burden to You? Why have You made me Your target, so that I am a burden to myself?” (Job 7:20). In a single stroke, Job portrays himself as the direct object of concentrated divine attention, as though the Almighty had fixed His aim upon him for calamity. Literary Weight within Job 1. Intensified Suffering: Job’s use of “target” intensifies the sense of precision in the blows he feels. His lament is not of random adversity but of arrows guided unerringly toward him (compare Job 6:4). Historical and Cultural Background Ancient Near Eastern warfare relied on archers whose effectiveness depended on hitting a chosen mark. By invoking such familiar imagery, Job frames his complaint in universally understood military terms. An arrow that strikes a target does so by design, not by chance, underscoring Job’s perception that his trials proceed from deliberate divine initiative rather than mere fate or human hostility. Theological Themes 1. Sovereignty and Suffering: The verse confronts readers with God’s unassailable authority over human circumstances, even distressing ones. Scripture elsewhere supports the truth that hardship may be assigned purposefully (Genesis 50:20; Romans 8:28). Implications for Ministry and Discipleship • Counseling the Afflicted: Job’s language validates sufferers who feel singled out. Pastoral care can affirm that Scripture gives voice to such perceptions without condemning them. Christological Foreshadowing and Fulfillment Isaiah pictures the Servant as “pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). At Calvary, the righteous Sufferer truly became the chosen “target” of divine justice, bearing wrath on behalf of sinners (2 Corinthians 5:21). Job’s cry therefore anticipates the greater Innocent who would be wounded so that others might be healed. Practical Application 1. Examining Self-Pity: While lament is permitted, believers must guard against drifting into self-centered despair. Job’s journey from complaint to restored worship (Job 42:1–6) offers a redemptive trajectory. Further Scripture Connections • Divine Arrows: Deuteronomy 32:23; Psalm 38:2; Lamentations 3:12–13 Forms and Transliterations לְמִפְגָּ֣ע למפגע lə·mip̄·gā‘ lemifGa ləmip̄gā‘Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 7:20 HEB: לָ֤מָה שַׂמְתַּ֣נִי לְמִפְגָּ֣ע לָ֑ךְ וָאֶהְיֶ֖ה NAS: have You set me as Your target, So that I am KJV: why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden INT: have You set your target I am and 1 Occurrence |
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