Job 7:17
New International Version
“What is mankind that you make so much of them, that you give them so much attention,

New Living Translation
“What are people, that you should make so much of us, that you should think of us so often?

English Standard Version
What is man, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart on him,

Berean Standard Bible
What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart upon him,

King James Bible
What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?

New King James Version
“What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him,

New American Standard Bible
“What is man that You exalt him, And that You are concerned about him,

NASB 1995
“What is man that You magnify him, And that You are concerned about him,

NASB 1977
“What is man that Thou dost magnify him, And that Thou art concerned about him,

Legacy Standard Bible
What is man that You magnify him, And that You set Your heart on him,

Amplified Bible
“What is man that You [should] magnify him [and think him important]? And that You are concerned about him?

Christian Standard Bible
What is a mere human, that you think so highly of him and pay so much attention to him?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What is man, that You think so highly of him and pay so much attention to him?

American Standard Version
What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, And that thou shouldest set thy mind upon him,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
What is man that you would destroy him and you would set your heart upon him?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For what is man, that thou hast magnified him? or that thou givest heed to him?

Contemporary English Version
What makes you so concerned about us humans?

Douay-Rheims Bible
What is a man that thou shouldst magnify him? or why dost thou set thy heart upon him?

English Revised Version
What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"What is a mortal that you should make so much of him, that you should be concerned about him?

Good News Translation
Why are people so important to you? Why pay attention to what they do?

International Standard Version
"What is a human being, that you make so much of him; that you set your affections on him,

JPS Tanakh 1917
What is man, that Thou shouldest magnify him, And that Thou shouldest set Thy heart upon him,

Literal Standard Version
What [is] man that You magnify him? And that You set Your heart to him?

Majority Standard Bible
What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart upon him,

New American Bible
What are human beings, that you make much of them, or pay them any heed?

NET Bible
"What is mankind that you make so much of them, and that you pay attention to them?

New Revised Standard Version
What are human beings, that you make so much of them, that you set your mind on them,

New Heart English Bible
What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,

Webster's Bible Translation
What is man, that thou shouldst magnify him? and that thou shouldst set thy heart upon him?

World English Bible
What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,

Young's Literal Translation
What is man that Thou dost magnify him? And that Thou settest unto him Thy heart?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Continues: Life Seems Futile
16I loathe my life! I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath. 17What is man that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart upon him, 18that You attend to him every morning, and test him every moment?…

Cross References
Hebrews 2:6
But somewhere it is testified in these words: "What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?

Job 22:2
"Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?

Job 25:6
how much less man, who is but a maggot, and the son of man, who is but a worm!"

Psalm 8:4
what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?

Psalm 144:3
O LORD, what is man, that You regard him, the son of man that You think of him?


Treasury of Scripture

What is man, that you should magnify him? and that you should set your heart on him?

What is man.

Psalm 8:4
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Psalm 144:3
LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!

Hebrews 2:6
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?

magnify.

Job 7:12
Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?

1 Samuel 24:14
After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

set thine.

Job 34:14,15
If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; …

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Job 7
1. Job excuses his desire of death.
12. He complains of his own restlessness, and reasons with God.














(17, 18) What is man . . .?--Here is another point of contact with Psalm 8:5; but the spirit of the Psalmist was one of devout adoration, whereas that of Job is one of agony and desperation.

Verse 17. - What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? or, make so much of him - regard him as of such great importance (comp. Psalm 8:4). It seems, at first sight, an exalted idea of God to regard him as too lofty, too great, to be really concerned about so mean a creature, so poor a being, as man. Hence, among the Greeks, the Epicureans maintained that God paid no attention at all to this world, or to anything that happened in it, but dwelt secure and tranquil in the empyrean, with nothing to disturb, displease, or vex him. And the holy men of old sometimes fell into this same phase of thought, and expressed surprise and wonder that God, who dwelt on high, should "humble himself to consider the things in heaven and earth." "Lord," says David, or whoever was the author of the hundred and forty-fourth psalm, "what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him? Man k like to vanity; his days are as a shadow that passeth away" (Psalm 144:3, 4). But all, except Epicureans, agree that God does, in fact, so concern himself, and a little reflection is enough to show us that the opposite view, instead of exalting, really degrades God. To bring conscious, sentient beings into the world - beings capable of the intensest happiness or misery, and then to leave them wholly to themselves, to have no further care or thought of them, would be the part, not of a grand, glorious, and adorable Being, but of one destitute of any claim to our admiration. And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? This strong expression is not used of God elsewhere. But it well expresses the extreme tenderness and consideration that God has for man, and the deep love from which that tenderness and consideration spring.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What
מָֽה־ (māh-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is man
אֱ֭נוֹשׁ (’ĕ·nō·wōš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 582: Man, mankind

that
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

You should exalt him,
תְגַדְּלֶ֑נּוּ (ṯə·ḡad·də·len·nū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1431: To grow up, become great

that
וְכִי־ (wə·ḵî-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

You should set
תָשִׁ֖ית (ṯā·šîṯ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7896: To put, set

Your heart
לִבֶּֽךָ׃ (lib·be·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

upon him,
אֵלָ֣יו (’ê·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to


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OT Poetry: Job 7:17 What is man that you should magnify (Jb)
Job 7:16
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