Bible Strands
Job 17:11
My days have passed; my plans are broken off—even the desires of my heart.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job addresses his three friends during a prolonged debate, speaking immediately after challenging them to produce wisdom and before they respond with hollow comfort.
The words — The Hebrew verbs עָבְרוּ (‘A.ve.ru, "they have passed") and נִתְּקוּ (ni.te.Ku, "they have been torn apart") describe the sudden termination of his lifespan and shattered intentions.
The thread — This motif of abruptly ended days and thwarted plans echoes Job 7:6, Isaiah 38:10, and Proverbs 16:9, where human mortality and divine sovereignty intersect.
Why it lands — The text states that human plans and desires end abruptly, leaving the reader to abandon self-reliant control and confront the reality of mortality.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.
Cross-references
- Job 7:6 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.
- Isaiah 38:10 I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”
- Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
- Isaiah 8:10 Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; state a proposal, but it will not happen. For God is with us.”
- Lamentations 3:37 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it?
- 2 Corinthians 1:15 Confident of this, I planned to visit you first, so that you might receive a double blessing.
- James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”
- Job 9:25 My days are swifter than a runner; they flee without seeing good.
- Proverbs 19:21 Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.