איוב, פרק ו׳, פסוק ז׳

Job experiences a profound sense of misery and suffering, capturing the severe physical and mental toll of his sudden downfall. His life has undergone such an extreme reversal that the very things he once found utterly repulsive have now become an inescapable part of his daily reality.

He expresses a deep, visceral disgust, refusing to even come near certain things that used to turn his stomach. Commentators offer different perspectives on exactly what he is rejecting. One approach suggests he is speaking about his own severe wounds and boils. In his past life of refinement, he would have been sickened at the mere thought of coming into contact with such sores, but now they cover his own body [מצודת דוד, אבן עזרא]. He is so battered and ill that he cannot even bear to touch himself [תקות אנוש]. Another perspective argues that his disgust is directed at the bland, tasteless food his friends are forcing him to eat against his will [רמב״ן]. Alternatively, this profound refusal might not be about physical touch or food at all, but rather an internal struggle; despite his agony, his soul stubbornly refuses to grow weak and succumb to death [אבן עזרא].

This intense feeling of revulsion carries over into how Job describes his current state, leading to several different understandings of his suffering. The primary approach among commentators is to view his misery as a physical disease deeply embedded in his flesh, highlighting the sheer agony of his bodily wounds [מצודת ציון, רלב״ג, תקות אנוש]. Conversely, others take his words more literally as a reference to his meals. In his current state of misery, the very act of eating has become as repulsive and agonizing as a disease [רמב״ן, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He has lost his appetite so completely that whenever he wants to express how much he hates something, he simply compares it to his own food [מלבי״ם].

The depth of his disgust extends even to the objects around him. The repulsive things he once avoided are now the very cloths upon which his meals are served, or the fabrics used to strain his food [רש״י, רמב״ן]. Similarly, his everyday eating vessels and pitchers have become a source of revulsion [מלבי״ם]. Perhaps the most piercing insight suggests that his horror is rooted in what he is forced to witness. Job laments how numb he has become to his own torment. Tragically, he has grown as accustomed to watching maggots swarm in his own flesh as a normal person is to looking at a plate of food [רש״י].