Job 7:2. As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as a hireling looketh for the reward of his work.
The lengthening shadow indicates the close of day and the termination of toil, and is therefore desired by the weary laborer. In India time is measured by the length of one’s shadow. If a man is asked for the time of day, he stands erect in the sunshine, observes where his shadow terminates, and then paces the distance, and is able to tell the time with considerable accuracy. A person wishing to leave his work often exclaims, “How long my shadow is in coming!” (Roberts, Oriental Customs, p. 261).