Job 6:11

My Notes

What Does Job 6:11 Mean?

"What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?" Job's HONEST DESPAIR: he asks two questions that strip away pretense. FIRST — 'What is my strength, that I should hope?' — my strength is GONE, so what basis do I have for hope? Hope requires some reservoir of capacity, and Job's reservoir is EMPTY. SECOND — 'What is mine end, that I should prolong my life?' — what ending am I heading toward that would make continuing WORTHWHILE? The purpose is unclear, so the perseverance is impossible.

The phrase "what is my strength, that I should hope?" (mah kochi ki ayachel — what is my strength that I would wait/hope?) connects HOPE to STRENGTH: Job understands that hope isn't just a feeling. It requires CAPACITY — strength to wait, energy to endure, reserves to persist. And Job's strength is DEPLETED. The hope requires fuel he doesn't have. The waiting demands strength he can't generate.

The phrase "what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?" (umah qitzi ki a'arikh naphshi — what is my end that I would lengthen/extend my soul?) connects PURPOSE to PERSEVERANCE: Job asks WHAT he's persevering TOWARD. The prolonging of life makes sense only if the END is worth reaching. If the destination is unclear — or worse, if the destination is more suffering — why extend the journey? The question isn't suicidal. It's PURPOSIVE: give me a reason to keep going.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What honest question about hope or purpose are you holding back?
• 2.What does Job connecting HOPE to STRENGTH teach about the physical reality of spiritual endurance?
• 3.How does 'what is my end?' (give me a reason to keep going) describe the need for purpose in perseverance?
• 4.What does Scripture including these questions WITHOUT rebuke teach about God's response to honest despair?

Devotional

Two devastating questions: 'What STRENGTH do I have, that I should hope?' and 'What END am I heading toward, that I should keep going?' Job strips away every platitude and asks the real questions: hope requires CAPACITY I don't have, and perseverance requires PURPOSE I can't see.

The HOPE-STRENGTH connection is painfully honest: hope isn't just positive thinking. It requires ENERGY — the strength to wait, the reserves to endure, the capacity to persist when nothing improves. And Job's strength is GONE. The sighing before meals, the roaring like water, the body covered in sores — the physical depletion has emptied the emotional reservoir. You can't hope from an empty tank.

The PURPOSE-PERSEVERANCE connection is equally honest: WHY keep going? The question demands an ANSWER — a reason, an ending, a destination that justifies the journey. Job isn't nihilistic. He's asking for MEANING. Give me a reason to extend my life and I'll extend it. But don't tell me to persevere toward nothing. The continuation of life requires the conviction that the life has a DIRECTION.

These questions are ALLOWED in Scripture: the Bible includes them without rebuke. God doesn't punish Job for asking. The friends will criticize, but God won't. The questions are honest, painful, and VALID. The suffering person is allowed to ask: where is my strength? Where is my purpose? The questions don't indicate failure. They indicate DEPTH.

What honest question about hope or purpose are you holding back — and would God rather you asked it?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture