TRV
Translation
Complete Jewish Bible
"Only grant two things to me, God; then I won't hide myself from your face -
American Standard Version
Only do not two things unto me; Then will I not hide myself from thy face:
World English Bible Messianic
“Only don’t do two things to me; then I will not hide myself from your face:
Geneva Bible (1599)
But doe not these two things vnto me: then will I not hide my selfe from thee.
Young's Literal Translation
Only two things, O God, do with me: Then from Thy face I am not hidden.
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In the KJVVerse 13,174 of 31,102
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Commentary on Job 13 verses 13–22
13 ¶ Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.
14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?
15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.
18 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.
19 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.
20 Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee.
21 Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.
22 Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points
Job here takes fresh hold, fast hold, of his integrity, as one that was resolved not to let it go, nor suffer it to be wrested from him. His firmness in this matter is commendable and his warmth excusable.
I. He entreats his friends and all the company to let him alone, and not interrupt him in what he was about to say (Job 13:13), but diligently to hearken to it, Job 13:17. He would have his own protestation to be decisive, for none but God and himself knew his heart. "Be silent therefore, and let me hear no more of you, but hearken diligently to what I say, and let my own oath for confirmation be an end of the strife."
II. He resolves to adhere to the testimony his own conscience gave of his integrity; and though his friends called it obstinacy that should not shake his constancy: "I will speak in my own defence, and let come on me what will, Job 13:13. Let my friends put what construction they please upon it, and think the worse of me for it; I hope God will not make my necessary defence to be my offence, as you do. He will justify me (Job 13:18) and then nothing can come amiss to me." Note, Those that are upright, and have the assurance of their uprightness, may cheerfully welcome every event. Come what will, bene praeparatum pectus - they are ready for it. He resolves (Job 13:15) that he will maintain his own ways. He would never part with the satisfaction he had in having walked uprightly with God; for, though he could not justify every word he had spoken, yet, in the general, his ways were good, and he would maintain his uprightness; and why should he not, since that was his great support under his present exercises, as it was Hezekiah's, Now, Lord, remember how I have walked before thee? Nay, he would not only not betray his own cause, or give it up, but he would openly avow his sincerity; for (Job 13:19) "If hold my tongue, and do not speak for myself, my silence now will for ever silence me, for I shall certainly give up the ghost," Job 13:19. "If I cannot be cleared, yet let me be eased, by what I say," as Elihu, Job 32:17, Job 32:20.
III. He complains of the extremity of pain and misery he was in (Job 13:14): Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? That is, 1. "Why do I suffer such agonies? I cannot but wonder that God should lay so much upon me when he knows I am not a wicked man." He was ready, not only to rend his clothes, but even to tear his flesh, through the greatness of his affliction, and saw himself at the brink of death, and his life in his hand, yet his friends could not charge him with any enormous crime, nor could he himself discover any; no marvel then that he was in such confusion. 2. "Why do I stifle and smother the protestations of my innocency?" When a man with great difficulty keeps in what he would say, he bites his lips. "Now," says he, "why may not I take liberty to speak, since I do but vex myself, add to my torment, and endanger my life, by refraining?" Note, It would vex the most patient man, when he has lost every thing else, to be denied the comfort (if he deserves it) of a good conscience and a good name.
IV. He comforts himself in God, and still keeps hold of his confidence in him. Observe here,
1.What he depends upon God for - justification and salvation, the two great things we hope for through Christ. (1.) Justification (Job 13:18): I have ordered my cause, and, upon the whole matter, I know that I shall be justified. This he knew because he knew that his Redeemer lived, Job 19:25. Those whose hearts are upright with God, in walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit, may be sure that through Christ there shall be no condemnation to them, but that, whoever lays any thing to their charge, they shall be justified: they may know that they shall. (2.) Salvation (Job 13:16): He also shall be my salvation. He means it not of temporal salvation (he had little expectation of that); but concerning his eternal salvation he was very confident that God would not only be his Saviour to make him happy, but his salvation, in the vision and fruition of whom he should be happy. And the reason why he depended on God for salvation was because a hypocrite shall not come before him. He knew himself not to be a hypocrite, and that none but hypocrites are rejected of God, and therefore concluded he should not be rejected. Sincerity is our evangelical perfection; nothing will ruin us but the want of that.
2.With what constancy he depends upon him: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, Job 13:15. This is a high expression of faith, and what we should all labour to come up to - to trust in God, though he slay us, that is, we must be well pleased with God as a friend even when he seems to come forth against us as an enemy, Job 23:8-10. We must believe that all shall work for good to us even when all seems to make against us, Jer 24:5. We must proceed and persevere in the way of our duty, though it cost us all that is dear to us in this world, even life itself, Heb 11:35. We must depend upon the performance of the promise when all the ways leading to it are shut up, Rom 4:18. We must rejoice in God when we have nothing else to rejoice in, and cleave to him, yea, though we cannot for the present find comfort in him. In a dying hour we must derive from him living comforts; and this is to trust in him though he slay us.
V. He wishes to argue the case even with God himself, if he might but have leave to settle the preliminaries of the treaty, Job 13:20-22. He had desired (Job 13:3) to reason with God, and is still of the same mind. He will not hide himself, that is, he will not decline the trial, nor dread the issue of it, but under two provisos: - 1. That his body might not be tortured with this exquisite pain: "Withdraw thy hand far from me; for, while I am in this extremity, I am fit for nothing. l can make a shift to talk with my friends, but I know not how to address myself to thee." When we are to converse with God we have need to be composed, and as free as possible from every thing that may make us uneasy. 2. That his mind might not be terrified with the tremendous majesty of God: "Let not thy dread make me afraid; either let the manifestations of thy presence be familiar or let me be enabled to bear them without disorder and disturbance." Moses himself trembled before God, so did Isaiah and Habakkuk. O God! thou art terrible even in thy holy places. "Lord," says Job, "let me not be put into such a consternation of spirit, together with this bodily affliction; for then I must certainly drop the cause, and shall make nothing of it." See what a folly it is for men to put off their repentance and conversion to a sick-bed and a death-bed. How can even a good man, much less a bad man, reason with God, so as to be justified before him, when he is upon the rack of pain and under the terror of the arrests of death? At such a time it is very bad to have the great work to do, but very comfortable to have it done, as it was to Job, who, if he might but have a little breathing-time, was ready either, (1.) To hear God speaking to him by his word, and return an answer: Call thou, and I will answer; or, (2.) To speak to him by prayer, and expect an answer: Let me speak, and answer thou me, v. 22. Compare this with Job 9:34, Job 9:35, where he speaks to the same purport. In short, the badness of his case was at present such a damp upon him as he could not get over; otherwise he was well assured of the goodness of his cause, and doubted not but to have the comfort of it at last, when the present cloud was over. With such holy boldness may the upright come to the throne of grace, not doubting but to find mercy there.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–22. Public domain.
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Didymus the BlindAD 398
COMMENTARY ON JOB 13:20-21
The lack of clarity in the text could be explained in the following way. Job says, “If you want to treat me as the friends say, as if you wanted to show my wickedness, I will hide from your face.” But if I am right, then “withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let your dread terrify me!” Every sinner hides from God’s face, since he does unworthy things. Thus Adam was hiding from God’s face. The opposite of this is to be hidden by God according to the word, “In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots.” This brings salvation since God protects the righteous so that he is not stumbling due to human confusion. The “hiddenness of God’s face” in contrast to the revealed might be the mystical thoughts. To gain insight from the works of Providence and God’s creation does not happen in hiddenness but in the open. It is written, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” To be hidden by God, as mentioned, is bringing salvation. But to hide oneself as Adam did is ruinous. Since this is not true for Job, because he had no sin, he says, “Withdraw your hand from me” so that the friends may experience that I am not suffering because of sin. For the friends did not believe anything else but that Job suffered for his sins.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
54. What are we to understand here by the ‘face of God,’ saving His visitation? In which, whilst He beholds, He also punishes our sins, from which no just man even is hidden, if the two things, which he entreats, be not removed.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
MORALS ON THE BOOK OF JOB 11.54-55
What are we to understand here by the “face of God,” except his visitation? While God beholds, he also punishes our sins from which no just person is even hidden if the two things that he entreats are not removed. About this, Job adds, “Withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let dread of you terrify me.” Concerning the two, what else does Job ask for in a voice of prophecy, but the season of grace and redemption? For the law held the people abhorrent to the stroke of vengeance, that whoever committed sin under its yoke should be immediately punished with death. Nor did the Jewish people serve God from a principle of love but of fear. But righteousness can never be perfected by fear, seeing that according to the voice of John, “perfect love casts out fear.” And Paul comforts the children of adoption by saying, “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Therefore in the voice of humankind, longing for the hardness of the law’s stroke to pass away and eagerly desiring to advance from fear to love, Job names in prayer the “two things God should put far from him,” saying, “Withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let dread of you terrify me”; that is, remove from me the hardness of the stroke, take away the weight of dread, and while the grace of love illuminates me, pour upon me the spirit of assurance. If I am not removed far from the rod and from dread, I know that I shall not be withdrawn from the strictness of your searching since he cannot be justified before you, who serves you on a principle of love but of fear. Hence he seeks the very presence of his Creator, as if it were a familiar and bodily way, that he may thereby both hear what he is ignorant of and be heard in the things that he knows.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Job 13:20 encapsulates a profound moment in Job's dialogue with God, where the suffering patriarch, having endured immense personal tragedy and the relentless theological accusations of his friends, boldly presents two crucial conditions for a direct, unhindered encounter with the Almighty. This verse reveals Job's unwavering integrity, his desperate yearning for clarity and vindication in the face of inexplicable suffering, and his readiness to engage with God without fear or evasion, provided he is not overwhelmed by divine power or accused unjustly. It marks a pivotal shift from debating his human companions to directly petitioning the Divine Judge.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs Apostrophe, as Job directly addresses God, who is absent from the immediate human dialogue but ever-present in Job's consciousness. This direct address underscores the intensely personal and confrontational nature of Job's plea, bypassing his friends to speak directly to the source of his suffering. The use of a Conditional Clause ("Only do not two things... then will I not hide myself") establishes a clear cause-and-effect relationship, highlighting Job's attempt to set terms for an encounter with the divine. This structure emphasizes Job's agency and his desperate, yet rational, approach to his suffering. Furthermore, the phrase "hide myself" serves as a powerful Metaphor for evasion, fear, or spiritual retreat, contrasting sharply with Job's desired state of bold, open, and unhindered engagement with the Almighty. The implied Antithesis is between hiding (due to fear or guilt) and standing openly (due to innocence and courage).
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 13:20 profoundly illustrates the human yearning for direct, unmediated access to God, especially in times of profound suffering and confusion. It challenges the simplistic theological framework that equates suffering with sin, demonstrating Job's unwavering conviction in his own righteousness and his insistence on a personal hearing with the Divine. This verse highlights the audacious faith that dares to present conditions to God, not out of rebellion, but out of a desperate need for justice and understanding. It underscores the biblical theme of God's accessibility, even to those who wrestle deeply with His providence, and the profound value of honest, unvarnished prayer that lays bare the soul before its Creator. Job's plea is a testament to the fact that authentic faith can grapple with divine mystery without collapsing into despair or resentment.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 13:20 offers a powerful and liberating model for believers navigating seasons of inexplicable pain, confusion, or perceived injustice. It dismantles the misconception that our prayers must always be perfectly composed, polite, or devoid of honest struggle. Job, in his raw anguish, dares to present conditions to God, not out of defiance, but out of a deep-seated desire for a fair hearing and a clear understanding. This verse invites us to bring our whole selves—our doubts, our frustrations, our questions, and our desperate longing for clarity—before the Almighty. It reminds us that God is big enough to handle our most challenging inquiries and our most profound laments. Our willingness to "not hide ourselves" from God, to lay bare our hearts without pretense, is an act of profound trust and an invitation for deeper intimacy, even when His answers are not immediately apparent or His ways remain mysterious. It teaches us that authentic faith embraces both reverence and raw honesty in the divine encounter.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Job feel the need to set "conditions" for God? Is this not disrespectful?
Answer: Job's setting of "conditions" in Job 13:20 is not an act of disrespect or defiance, but rather a desperate plea for a fair and unhindered hearing. Given God's infinite power and majesty, Job fears being overwhelmed or silenced before he can present his case. The "two things" he refers to (articulated in Job 13:21) are essentially requests for God to remove His hand of affliction and not to terrify him with His dread. Job desires a level playing field, where he can speak freely and defend his integrity without being crushed by divine might. This boldness stems from his deep conviction of his own innocence and his profound trust in God's ultimate justice, believing that if given a fair chance, God will vindicate him. It highlights a remarkable intimacy and honesty in Job's relationship with God, where he feels able to voice his deepest fears and desires without pretense, seeking not to control God, but to engage Him justly.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's yearning in Job 13:20 for a direct, unhindered encounter with God, free from fear and the need to hide, finds its ultimate and perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ. While Job desperately sought conditions for a fair hearing, fearing divine wrath and overwhelming power, Christ is the One who, through His perfect life and atoning death, removes all such barriers. Through His atoning sacrifice, Jesus became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, thereby reconciling humanity to God and making true fellowship possible. He is our Great High Priest, who sympathizes with our weaknesses and through whom we can now approach the throne of grace with confidence, not hiding ourselves, but fully revealed and accepted. In Christ, the terrifying encounter Job anticipated is transformed into an invitation to intimate fellowship. The "two things" Job requested are rendered unnecessary, as Christ has already borne the divine wrath and removed the terror of God's presence for those who believe, allowing us to draw near without fear, knowing we are fully seen, fully heard, and fully loved in Him, our Advocate with the Father.