Job19

Job 19 opens with Job's bitter lament against his friends, accusing them of vexing him with their words and reproaches. He attributes his profound suffering and isolation directly to God's hand, feeling abandoned by all. Despite his despair, Job proclaims a powerful declaration of faith, expressing his certain knowledge that his Redeemer lives and that he will see God in his flesh after his body's decay. He concludes by warning his friends of impending judgment for their persecution.
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Job Rebukes His Cruel Friends

1
Then Job answered and said,
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How long will ye vex my soul, and break me in pieces with words? ​
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These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me. ​
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And be it indeed that I have erred, mine error remaineth with myself. ​
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If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:
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Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net. ​

God Is My Adversary

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Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment. ​
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He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.
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He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. ​
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He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree. ​
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He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies. ​
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His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.

Total Isolation and Physical Decay

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He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me. ​
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My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.
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They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight. ​
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I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.
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My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body. ​
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Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.
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All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
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My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth. ​
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Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me. ​
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Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh? ​

The Hope in My Redeemer

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Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! ​
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That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
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For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: ​
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And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: ​
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Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. ​

A Warning of Judgment

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But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me? ​
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Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment. ​

Study Notes for Job 19

Verse 2

Job accuses his friends of malicious verbal attacks that are tearing him apart psychologically, highlighting the prolonged nature of their 'comforting' speeches.

Verse 3

“Ten times” is likely a figurative expression meaning “many times” or “repeatedly and completely,” emphasizing the intensity and frequency of their false accusations.

Verse 4

Job asserts that even if he were guilty of some secret sin (as they claim), the responsibility and the consequences would be his alone, not theirs to judge or exploit.

Verse 6

This is a crucial statement: Job denies that his suffering is due to hidden sin, insisting instead that God himself has actively attacked and trapped him, like a hunter setting a net.

Verse 7

Job feels completely abandoned by divine justice; he cries for relief and judgment (vindication), but experiences only silence and oppression from the heavenly court.

Verse 9

“Glory” and “crown” refer to Job’s former status, honor, wealth, and respectability, which God has systematically taken away, leaving him stripped of all dignity.

Verse 10

Job compares the removal of his hope to a tree being uprooted, signifying total, violent, and permanent destruction of his future prospects and well-being.

Verse 11

This verse captures the depth of Job’s despair, as he believes God not only allows his suffering but actively views him and treats him as a hostile military opponent.

Verse 13

Job transitions from describing God's direct attack to detailing the resulting social ostracization, showing how affliction has alienated even his closest relatives and companions.

Verse 15

The alienation extends even to his household staff and servants, emphasizing the completeness of his reversal of fortune and loss of authority.

Verse 17

This poignant detail reflects the severity of his disease (likely foul-smelling or disfiguring) and the complete breakdown of intimacy, as even his wife finds him repulsive.

Verse 20

This powerful image describes extreme emaciation and physical decay. The phrase 'the skin of my teeth' is a proverb indicating that he has barely survived, clinging to life by the smallest margin.

Verse 21

Moving from accusation to plea, Job begs his friends for basic human compassion, reiterating that his suffering is divinely inflicted ('the hand of God hath touched me').

Verse 22

Job warns his friends that their relentless accusations and cruelty mimic the actions of God (as Job perceives them), and they should cease their persecution.

Verse 23

This expresses Job's urgent desire for his statement of innocence and faith to be preserved permanently, carved into rock, anticipating the profound declaration that follows.

Verse 25

This is the theological climax of the chapter. The 'Redeemer' (Hebrew: *go’el*) is a kinsman avenger/vindicator. Job expresses absolute certainty that a divine advocate will rise to clear his name.

Verse 26

This verse speaks powerfully of hope beyond death. It anticipates a personal encounter with God after the decay of his current body, resulting in his ultimate vindication.

Verse 27

Job stresses the personal nature of this vision: he will be the one vindicated, and his own eyes will witness this divine intervention, fulfilling his deepest longing for justice.

Verse 28

Job returns to addressing his friends, implying that their continued persecution demonstrates a failure to grasp the 'root of the matter'—that Job's ultimate faith is sound.

Verse 29

Job warns that if they continue to judge him falsely, they risk bringing divine judgment upon themselves, emphasizing that true justice (*mishpat*) exists and will eventually prevail.

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