Job 7:21

Why not pardon my transgression and forgive my sin?

   For soon, I shall lie in the dust.

      When you seek me, I shall be no more.

Job wraps up his two chapters of response to the two chapters of Eliphaz with this verse. He wraps them up speaking to God. He asks for forgiveness, admitting that he will die soon enough. But then he adds a bit I do not really get: That when someone seeks him, he will be no more. It seems odd to me to say that God will not be able to find you and to think that you will be no more as it goes against the omnipotence of God and the eternal aspect of being.

The combo of “pardon” and “forgive” was consistent from two sources and projects the feel that I wanted to include, but “forgive” and “carry off” were options for “pardon”; and “takeaway”, “pardon”, “pass away”, and “remove” were options for “forgive”.

Similarly, the combo of “transgression” and “sin” carried the message I felt, but “offense”, “crimes” and “sin” were options for “transgression”; and “iniquity” and “transgression” were options for “sin”. Iniquity is also appropriate for sin, but I like the clarity sin has here.

“Sleep” was one option for “lie” in the dust and “earth” was an option for “dust”. Sleep seemed too restful, and “dust” just seemed more appropriate.

There are similar small issues with the last phrase, but not worth discussing.

My limited education of English tells me that poetry is meant to be an emotional experience as much as any attempt at technical accuracy. My belief in the Bible as God’s word, says that technical accuracy is always perfect, and the emotional aspects are merely a mechanism to bring the lesson to one’s spirit. My word choices in this verse were bound up in the how does the combinations make me feel. I believe the intent of the author is captured and I feel the lesson is learnable. The best bit of my brain tells me that Job might be saying that if God will forgive his sins, then Job will be able to lose his own identity and pick up the identity of nothing more than God’s servant. When we are judged and put on the clean robe of Christ, we are no longer seen as Jeff the sinner, but a new made child of God. We can be loved unconditionally when our individuality and sinful nature are removed. God loves us as the individual we are and does so unconditionally, but we are free when we lose ourselves to the Lordship of Christ.