King James Version

Job 7:20

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?

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Hebrew

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חָטָ֡אתִיchatatiby faultחָטָאverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “by fault”, a completed actionH2398properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemnbear the blame, cleanse, commit (sin), by fault, harm he hath done, loss, miss, (make) offend(-er), offer for sin, purge, purify (self), make reconciliation, (cause, make) sin(-ful, -ness), trespass.מָ֤הmahhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.אֶפְעַ֨לefaldoפָּעַלverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “do”, an unfinished actionH6466to do or make (systematically and habitually), especially to practisecommit, (evil-) do(-er), make(-r), ordain, work(-er).לָךְ֮lakhetoלָךְ֮preposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “to”toנֹצֵ֪רnotserbesiegedנָצַרverb, qal, participle, construct — “besieged”, a verb used as a describing wordH5341to guard, in a good sense (to protect, maintain, obey, etc.) or a bad one (to conceal, etc.)besieged, hidden thing, keep(-er, -ing), monument, observe, preserve(-r), subtil, watcher(-man).הָאָ֫דָ֥םhaadamthe personאָדָםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the person”, the ordinary formH120ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)[idiom] another, [phrase] hypocrite, [phrase] common sort, [idiom] low, man (mean, of low degree), person.לָ֤מָהlamahto howמָהpreposition, particle, interrogative — “to how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.שַׂמְתַּ֣נִיsamtaniputשׂוּםverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “put”, a completed actionH7760to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)[idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase]…לְמִפְגָּ֣עlemifgato markמִפְגָּעpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to mark”, the ordinary formH4645an object of attackmark.לָ֑ךְlakhetoלָ֑ךְpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “to”toוָאֶהְיֶ֖הvaehyehand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “and be”, the next action in the storyH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.עָלַ֣יalayaboveעַלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…לְמַשָּֽׂאlemasato tributeמַשָּׂאpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to tribute”, the ordinary formH4853a burden; specifically, tribute, or (abstractly) porterage; figuratively, an utterance, chiefly adoom, especially singing; mental, desireburden, carry away, prophecy, [idiom] they set, song, tribute.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

If I have sinned, what do I unto Thee, O Thou watcher of men? Why hast Thou set me as a mark for Thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

If I have sinned, what do I unto thee, O thou watcher of men? Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee, So that I am a burden to myself?

Young’s Literal Translation

I have sinned, what do I to Thee, O watcher of man? Why hast Thou set me for a mark to Thee, And I am for a burden to myself — and what?

World English Bible

If I have sinned, what do I do to you, you watcher of men? Why have you set me as a mark for you, so that I am a burden to myself?

Darby Translation

Have I sinned, what do I unto thee, thou Observer of men? Why hast thou set me as an object of assault for thee, so that I am become a burden to myself?

Douay-Rheims

I have sinned: what shall I do to thee, O keeper of men? why hast thou set me opposite to thee, and I am become burdensome to myself?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

If I have sinned, what do I unto Thee, O Thou watcher of men? Why hast Thou set me as a mark for Thee, so that I am a burden to myself?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

If I have sinned, what shall I be able to do, O thou that understandest the mind of men? why hast thou made me as thine accuser, and why am I a burden to thee?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Εἰ ἐγὼ ἥμαρτον, τί δυνήσομαι πρᾶξαι, ὁ ἐπιστάμενος τὸν νοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων; διατί ἔθου με κατεντευκτήν σου, εἰμὶ δὲ ἐπὶ σοὶ φορτίον;