Job 6:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

There is no recollection or sign of my past abundance. This predicament is more severe than calamity. Oh, if only my anguish could be weighed alongside theirs! (Job 6:2) He strives to express this truth. For I perceive that my sustenance has become repugnant. I long for death, yet it eludes me. I bear this suffering, as a human being, not as an inanimate object, though I am a fleeting mortal. I recognize no greater assistance. Some of my companions overlook me, while others walk all over me. Not a single remnant of my former prosperity is left.

Job's profound anguish led him to curse the day of his birth. Rather than offering him solace, Eliphaz criticizes him for his lack of patience and insinuates that he harbors hidden sins. In reply, Job asserts that if someone were to measure his afflictions, it would become evident that his grievances are still feeble; he remains excessively patient, as nothing could surpass the weight of his suffering. Simultaneously, Job longs for a swift end to his torment, wishing for death to release him from his plight. He mourns the betrayal by his friends, who, instead of providing comfort, view his misfortunes as a sign of wrongdoing simply because he has faced divine punishment. In light of their empty reassurances, Job demands that his companions provide at least some evidence of his guilt or that he misrepresents his distress.