King James Bible
"Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?"
Job questions why he was received onto someone's knees at birth—a customary act of acceptance and recognition in ancient times. The word 'prevent' here means 'receive beforehand,' and Job laments that these knees welcomed him into a life he now finds unbearable. Continuing his lament, Job asks why he was nourished as an infant rather than left to perish. This imagery of maternal care emphasizes how the very acts of love that sustained his life now seem cruel in light of his present suffering.