Job 7:19
New International Version
Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant?

New Living Translation
Why won’t you leave me alone, at least long enough for me to swallow!

English Standard Version
How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit?

Berean Standard Bible
Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?

King James Bible
How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

New King James Version
How long? Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva?

New American Standard Bible
“Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor leave me alone until I swallow my spittle?

NASB 1995
“Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

NASB 1977
“Wilt Thou never turn Thy gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

Legacy Standard Bible
Will You never turn Your gaze away from me, Nor let me alone until I swallow my spit?

Amplified Bible
“Will You never turn Your gaze away from me [it plagues me], Nor let me alone until I swallow my spittle?

Christian Standard Bible
Will you ever look away from me, or leave me alone long enough to swallow?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Will You ever look away from me, or leave me alone long enough to swallow?

American Standard Version
How long wilt thou not look away from me, Nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

Contemporary English Version
Won't you look away just long enough for me to swallow?

English Revised Version
How long wilt thou not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why don't you stop looking at me long enough to let me swallow my spit?

Good News Translation
Won't you look away long enough for me to swallow my spit?

International Standard Version
Why won't you look away from me? Why don't you leave me alone so I can swallow my saliva?

Majority Standard Bible
Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?

NET Bible
Will you never look away from me, will you not let me alone long enough to swallow my spittle?

New Heart English Bible
How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle?

Webster's Bible Translation
How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow my spittle?

World English Bible
How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
How long do You not look from me? You do not desist until I swallow my spittle.

Young's Literal Translation
How long dost Thou not look from me? Thou dost not desist till I swallow my spittle.

Smith's Literal Translation
How long wilt thou not look away from me? wilt thou not desist from me even to my swallowing down my spittle?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
How long wilt thou not spare me, nor suffer me to swallow down my spittle?

Catholic Public Domain Version
How long will you not spare me, nor release me to ingest my saliva?

New American Bible
How long before you look away from me, and let me alone till I swallow my spit?

New Revised Standard Version
Will you not look away from me for a while, let me alone until I swallow my spittle?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow my spittle?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And how long will you not leave me? Will you not leave me until I swallow my spittle?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
How long wilt Thou not look away from me, Nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
How long dost thou not let me alone, nor let me go, until I shall swallow down my spittle?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Continues: Life Seems Futile
18that You attend to him every morning, and test him every moment? 19Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle? 20If I have sinned, what have I done to You, O watcher of mankind? Why have You made me Your target, so that I am a burden to You?…

Cross References
Psalm 39:13
Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may again be cheered before I depart and am no more.”

Psalm 13:1-2
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? / How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?

Psalm 89:46
How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?

Psalm 102:2
Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.

Psalm 143:7
Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.

Isaiah 38:14
I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”

Lamentations 3:44
You have covered Yourself with a cloud that no prayer can pass through.

Habakkuk 1:2
How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save?

Matthew 15:22-23
And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” / But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

Matthew 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Mark 15:34
At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Luke 18:7
Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay in helping them?

John 11:6
So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days,

2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. / But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Revelation 6:10
And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”


Treasury of Scripture

How long will you not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

How long.

Job 9:18
He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

Psalm 6:3
My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?

Psalm 13:1-3
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? …

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Job 7
1. Job excuses his desire of death.
12. He complains of his own restlessness, and reasons with God.














Will You never look away from me
This phrase captures Job's intense feeling of being under constant scrutiny by God. The Hebrew root for "look away" is "שָׁעָה" (sha'ah), which can mean to gaze or to regard. In the context of Job's suffering, this conveys a sense of being perpetually observed and judged. Historically, this reflects the ancient Near Eastern belief in a deity's omnipresence and omniscience. Job's lament here is not just about physical suffering but also about the psychological burden of feeling constantly watched by a divine being, which can be both comforting and overwhelming. In a conservative Christian perspective, this can be seen as a reflection of the human condition before a holy God, where one is always in the presence of the divine, prompting introspection and humility.

or let me alone
The plea to be left alone underscores Job's desire for respite from his suffering. The Hebrew word "רָפָה" (raphah) means to relax or let go. This is a poignant request for relief, a momentary pause from the relentless trials he faces. In the broader scriptural context, this can be seen as a cry for mercy, a theme prevalent throughout the Bible. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this highlights the human need for God's grace and the hope for divine intervention in times of distress.

to swallow my spittle
This phrase is a vivid expression of Job's desire for even the smallest relief. The act of swallowing one's spittle is a basic, involuntary action, suggesting that Job feels deprived of even the most fundamental comforts. The Hebrew word "בָּלַע" (bala) means to swallow or engulf, and it is used here to emphasize the depth of Job's anguish. Historically, this reflects the cultural understanding of suffering as an all-consuming experience. In a conservative Christian interpretation, this can be seen as a metaphor for the overwhelming nature of sin and suffering in the world, and the need for redemption and salvation through Christ.

(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."

Verse 19. - 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" (Psalm 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.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Will You never
כַּ֭מָּה (kam·māh)
Preposition-k | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

look away
תִשְׁעֶ֣ה (ṯiš·‘eh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8159: To gaze at, about, to inspect, consider, compassionate, be nonplussed, bewildered

from me,
מִמֶּ֑נִּי (mim·men·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

or
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

let me alone
תַ֝רְפֵּ֗נִי (ṯar·pê·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7503: Sink, relax

to
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

swallow
בִּלְעִ֥י (bil·‘î)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1104: To swallow down, swallow up, engulf

my spittle?
רֻקִּֽי׃ (ruq·qî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7536: Spittle


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OT Poetry: Job 7:19 How long will you not look away (Jb)
Job 7:18
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