What Does Job 17:1 Mean in the King James?
My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Breath, time, and burial collapse into one experience: death is felt as life itself coming apart.
THE MEANING
When your breath feels damaged, your days can seem spent and the grave close at hand. The verse gives that felt collapse its full weight, joining breath, time, and burial in one image of life at its limit.
THE ROOT
חֻבָּלָה
ḥubbālāh
GROWS FROM
חבל
ḥbl
To bind or bring to ruin; to damage.
The root can name both binding and damage, so “corrupt” carries an image of breath compromised or caught up, not simply absent. The verse places that damaged breath beside days that are extinguished and graves close at hand.
ALSO GROWS
ḥābal: To bind or take a pledge.
חָבַל
This branch brings binding into the word’s range, lending a sense of constriction to the damaged breath.
ḥevel: Cord or rope.
חֶבֶל
The cord belongs to the same consonant family, letting the verse’s damage echo an image of something bound.
רוּחִי
ruḥi
GROWS FROM
רוח
ruaḥ
Breath or moving air; the word also describes wind.
The same Hebrew word can name personal breath and wind, where English often separates them. Here the possessive “my” makes breath feel intimate and vulnerable, while its wider sense keeps it connected to the moving air around you.
ALSO GROWS
ruḥot: Winds.
רוּחוֹת
The plural shows the same word describing moving air outside the body as well as breath within it.
ruaḥ: Breath; wind.
רוּחַ
This form holds together meanings English usually assigns to separate words, deepening what Job names as damaged.
THE PATTERN
A life at its limit is spoken of through breath, dwindling days, and return to the earth.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.THE THREAD
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.Psalm 146:4 uses the same Hebrew word, רוּחַ (ruaḥ), for “breath” that Job uses here. The shared word connects Job’s damaged breath to breath going out and the person returning to earth.
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