Job 9:18
New International Version
He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.

New Living Translation
He will not let me catch my breath, but fills me instead with bitter sorrows.

English Standard Version
he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.

Berean Standard Bible
He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.

King James Bible
He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

New King James Version
He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills me with bitterness.

New American Standard Bible
“He will not allow me to get my breath, But He saturates me with bitterness.

NASB 1995
“He will not allow me to get my breath, But saturates me with bitterness.

NASB 1977
“He will not allow me to get my breath, But saturates me with bitterness.

Legacy Standard Bible
He will not allow me to get my breath, But saturates me with bitterness.

Amplified Bible
“He will not allow me to catch my breath, But fills and saturates me with bitterness.

Christian Standard Bible
He doesn’t let me catch my breath but fills me with bitter experiences.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He doesn’t let me catch my breath but soaks me with bitter experiences.

American Standard Version
He will not suffer me to take my breath, But filleth me with bitterness.

Contemporary English Version
Before I could get my breath, my miseries would multiply.

English Revised Version
He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He would not let me catch my breath. He fills me with bitterness.

Good News Translation
He won't let me catch my breath; he has filled my life with bitterness.

International Standard Version
He won't let me catch my breath; instead, he fills me with bitterness.

Majority Standard Bible
He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.

NET Bible
He does not allow me to recover my breath, for he fills me with bitterness.

New Heart English Bible
He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness.

Webster's Bible Translation
He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.

World English Bible
He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He does not permit me to refresh my spirit, "" But fills me with bitter things.

Young's Literal Translation
He permitteth me not to refresh my spirit, But filleth me with bitter things.

Smith's Literal Translation
He will not give me to draw in my spirit, for he will fill me with bitterness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He alloweth not my spirit to rest, and he filleth me with bitterness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He does not permit my spirit to rest, and he fills me with bitterness.

New American Bible
He would not allow me to draw breath, but might fill me with bitter griefs.

New Revised Standard Version
he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He will not suffer me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he has not left me that my spirit may rest, because bitterness filled me, and wormwood made me drunk
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
That would not suffer me to take my breath, But fill me with bitterness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For he suffers me not to take breath, but he has filled me with bitterness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: How Can I Argue with God?
17For He would crush me with a tempest and multiply my wounds without cause. 18He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness. 19If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?…

Cross References
Psalm 88:15-18
From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair. / Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. / All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side. ...

Lamentations 3:17-18
My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. / So I say, “My strength has perished, along with my hope from the LORD.”

Isaiah 38:13-14
I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me. / 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.”

Psalm 77:2-4
In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted. / I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah / You have kept my eyes from closing; I am too troubled to speak.

Psalm 102:3-5
For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers. / My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread. / Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones.

Psalm 31:9-10
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well. / For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.

Psalm 69:1-3
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck. / I have sunk into the miry depths, where there is no footing; I have drifted into deep waters, where the flood engulfs me. / I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

Matthew 26:37-38
He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. / Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Mark 14:33-34
He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed. / Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”

Luke 22:44
And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Romans 8:35-37
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? / As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” / No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials / so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 7:5
For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.


Treasury of Scripture

He will not suffer me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness.

will not

Job 7:19
How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?

Psalm 39:13
O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

Psalm 88:7,15-18
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah…

filleth me

Job 3:20
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;

Lamentations 3:15,19
He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood…

Hebrews 12:11
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Jump to Previous
Allow Bitter Bitterness Breath Catch Fill Filleth Fills Full Grief Misery Overwhelm Refresh Regain Spirit Suffer Suffereth
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Allow Bitter Bitterness Breath Catch Fill Filleth Fills Full Grief Misery Overwhelm Refresh Regain Spirit Suffer Suffereth
Job 9
1. Job acknowledges God's justice
22. Man's innocence is not to be condemned by afflictions














He does not let me catch my breath
In this phrase, Job expresses the relentless nature of his suffering. The imagery of not being able to catch one's breath suggests an overwhelming and continuous affliction. In the context of Job's life, this reflects the rapid succession of calamities that befell him, as described in the earlier chapters of the book. Theologically, this can be seen as a test of faith, where God allows Satan to test Job's righteousness. The inability to catch one's breath can also symbolize the spiritual and emotional exhaustion that comes with prolonged suffering. This phrase connects to other biblical passages that speak of God's sovereignty over human circumstances, such as Psalm 66:10-12, where trials are seen as a refining process.

but overwhelms me with bitterness
Here, Job speaks to the emotional and spiritual impact of his trials. The term "bitterness" conveys a deep sense of grief and resentment. In the cultural context of the Ancient Near East, suffering was often seen as a result of divine displeasure, which adds to Job's confusion and bitterness, as he perceives himself as righteous. This phrase can be linked to the lamentations found in the Psalms, such as Psalm 73, where the psalmist struggles with the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous. Theologically, this bitterness can be seen as a precursor to the New Testament understanding of Christ's suffering, where Jesus, in His humanity, experienced deep anguish and sorrow, as seen in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:38). This connection highlights the idea of righteous suffering and the ultimate hope of redemption.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing intense suffering and questioning the reasons behind it.

2. God
The sovereign Creator, whose ways and purposes are often beyond human understanding. Job is addressing God in this passage, expressing his feelings of being overwhelmed by his circumstances.

3. Job's Suffering
The context of this verse is Job's lament over his suffering, which includes the loss of his children, wealth, and health. Job feels that his suffering is relentless and overwhelming.
Teaching Points
Understanding Suffering
Suffering can feel relentless and overwhelming, as Job describes. It's important to acknowledge these feelings honestly before God.

God's Sovereignty
Even when we feel overwhelmed, we must remember that God is sovereign and His purposes, though mysterious, are ultimately for our good and His glory.

Faith in Trials
Like Job, we may not understand why we suffer, but we are called to maintain our faith and trust in God's character and promises.

Empathy and Support
As believers, we should offer empathy and support to those who feel overwhelmed by life's challenges, reflecting Christ's love and compassion.

Hope in God's Deliverance
While Job felt overwhelmed, the broader biblical account assures us of God's deliverance and the hope we have in Christ, who overcame the ultimate suffering on our behalf.(18) Take my breath.--The action being that of breathing again after complete exhaustion--recovering breath and the power to breathe, &c. "If I say I am perfect, it also shall prove me perverse by the very act of saying so; because for man to maintain his righteousness before God is at once to proclaim his iniquity. The finite cannot come into competition with the Infinite, nor measure itself therewith."

Verse 18. - He will not suffer me to take my breath. "He gives me no breathing-space," that is, "no time of relaxation or refreshment. My existence is one continual. misery." (comp. Job 7:3-6, 13-19). But filleth me with bitterness; literally, with bitter things or bitterness (Hebrew, מַמְּר ורִים).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He does not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

let
יִ֭תְּנֵנִי (yit·tə·nê·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

me catch
הָשֵׁ֣ב (hā·šêḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

my breath,
רוּחִ֑י (rū·ḥî)
Noun - common singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

but
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

overwhelms me
יַ֝שְׂבִּעַ֗נִי (yaś·bi·‘a·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7646: To be sated, satisfied or surfeited

with bitterness.
מַמְּרֹרִֽים׃ (mam·mə·rō·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4472: A bitterness, calamity


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OT Poetry: Job 9:18 He will not allow me to catch (Jb)
Job 9:17
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