John Gill Commentary Job 9:18

"He will not suffer me to take my breath, But filleth me with bitterness." — Job 9:18 (ASV)

He will not suffer me to take my breath
Which some think refers to Job's disease, which was either an asthma, or a quinsy in his throat, which occasioned great difficulty in breathing: I should rather think the allusion is to the hot burning winds in those countries before mentioned, which sometimes blew so strongly as almost to take away a man's breath; so the above traveller ^F21 reports, that between Suez and Cairo (in Egypt) they had for a day's time and more so hot a wind, that they were forced to turn their backs to it, to take a little breath.

The design of Job is to show, that his afflictions were continued, and were without any intervals; they were repeated so fast, and came so thick upon him, one after another, that he has no breathing time; the import of the phrase is the same with that in (Job 7:19) ;

but filleth me with bitterness ;
to the full, to satiety, to loathing, as a man may be with a bitter potion, with wormwood drink, and water of gall, with bitter afflictions comparable to such, whereby Job's life was embittered to him, see (Jeremiah 9:15) (Lamentations 3:15Lamentations 3:19) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F21: Travels. par. 1. B. 2. c. 34. p. 177.