The Book of Job Quotes
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How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself? And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. (Job 7:20, KJV)
Context
Why do bad things happen to good people? That's a big question and it's what the Book of Job is all about. You probably know the basic story—Job is a nice guy who loves God. But, one day, Satan tells God that Job only loves God because he's happy and rich and healthy. Take all that away and Job won't be so loyal to the Big Guy.
So, God says, game on. He destroys Job's entire life and everything he loves. Then he lets Satan cover Job in boils from head to toe. Ouch. At this point, Job's family and friends are just advising him to curse God already and die. Why live in such misery? But, Job just can't bring himself to betray the Almighty.
Of course, that doesn't stop Job from questioning the heck out of God. Why is God doing this to him? Job has become God's personal dartboard and he's not too happy about it. The Big Guy just keeps sticking arrows in him, and for what? Job's wracking his brain and he just can't think of any reason for his suffering.
And the answer is: there is no answer. Job throws his hands up in despair with the rest of us. Sometimes good people go through really bad times and it's not their fault. It's totally unfair and everyone knows it. Let's just hug it out, okay?
Where you've heard it
This quote is basically the fancy version of "Why me?" You'll probably hear it trotted out when folks are feeling down and out and that the world is super unfair. Hey, we feel you, bro.
- Jesus wonders some of the same things as Job as he's dying on the cross—"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
- Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan also famously cried, "Why, why, why?" after being attacked by an assailant hired by Tonya Harding's ex-husband.
- Harold Kushner wrote the book on this subject. Literally. It's called Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Life isn't fair, but this quote is just a tad melodramatic. Unless you're covered in head-to-toe boils, you might end up looking a bit pompous breaking this one out.