Job 9:18

He does not allow ¹  me to recover ²  my breath, for he fills ³  me with bitterness.

Job 3:20; Job 7:19; Ps 39:13; Ps 88:7,15-18; La 3:3,18; La 3:15,19; Heb 12:11

¹ tn The verb נָתַן (natan) essentially means “to give”; but followed by the infinitive (without the ל [lamed] here) it means “to permit; to allow.”

² tn The Hiphil of the verb means “to bring back”; with the object “my breath,” it means “get my breath” or simply “breathe.” The infinitive is here functioning as the object of the verb (see GKC 350 §114.m).

³ sn The meaning of the word is “to satiate; to fill,” as in “drink to the full, be satisfied.” Job is satiated – in the negative sense – with bitterness. There is no room for more.