Job 16:4

I also could speak as ye [do]: if your soul were in my soul's stead, I could heap up words against you, and shake mine head at you.

I also could speak {H1696} as ye do: if {H3863} your soul {H5315} were {H3426} in my soul's {H5315} stead, I could heap up {H2266} words {H4405} against you, and shake {H5128} mine head {H7218} at {H1119} you.

"If I were in your place, I too could speak as you do -I could string phrases together against you and shake my head at you.

I could also speak like you if you were in my place; I could heap up words against you and shake my head at you.

I also could speak as ye do; If your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could join words together against you, And shake my head at you.

Commentary

Job 16:4 finds Job at a point of profound frustration and despair, directly addressing his three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—who have repeatedly offered what he perceives as unhelpful and judgmental counsel. This verse encapsulates his exasperation with their lack of empathy and their readiness to condemn him without understanding his plight.

Context

The Book of Job explores the profound question of suffering, particularly why righteous people endure immense pain. Job, a man described as blameless and upright, loses his wealth, children, and health (Job 1:1, Job 2:7). His three friends arrive, initially sitting in silence with him for seven days (Job 2:13), a gesture of true comfort. However, their subsequent speeches turn accusatory, based on the conventional wisdom that suffering is always a direct consequence of sin. Job 16 marks a pivotal point where Job, having endured their sermons, turns the tables, expressing how easily he could adopt their condescending posture if their roles were reversed.

Key Themes

  • The Cry for Empathy: Job's primary plea is for his friends to imagine themselves in his shoes. He highlights the stark difference between offering advice from a position of comfort and experiencing deep, inexplicable suffering. This resonates with the biblical call to "weep with those who weep" rather than lecturing them.
  • The Pain of False Comfort: The verse exposes the hollowness of words spoken without genuine understanding or compassion. Job calls their speech "miserable comforters" (Job 16:2), emphasizing how their attempts to explain his suffering only added to his pain.
  • The Danger of Presumptive Judgment: Job points out the human tendency to judge others' misfortunes, often with a self-righteous attitude. He implies that if his friends were in his dire circumstances, they would not be so quick to "heap up words" or "shake [their] head" in disapproval.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "heap up words" (Hebrew: אֲמָרִים לַחְבּוֹר, amarim lachbor) suggests an abundance of speech, often implying superfluous, empty, or even aggressive rhetoric. It conveys the idea of an overwhelming flood of accusations or unhelpful pronouncements. "Shake mine head" is a common biblical gesture signifying scorn, disapproval, or mocking, as seen in other laments or prophecies of judgment. It underscores the dismissive and contemptuous attitude Job felt from his supposed comforters.

Practical Application

This verse serves as a powerful reminder about how we interact with those who are suffering.

  • Cultivate Empathy: Before offering advice or judgment, strive to understand the other person's perspective and pain. Sometimes, the most helpful response is simply to listen and be present, rather than speaking.
  • Guard Against Presumption: Be cautious of assuming you know the reasons for someone's trials. Not all suffering is a direct result of personal sin, a key lesson from the Book of Job.
  • Speak Words of Grace: Our words have immense power. Instead of "heaping up words" that condemn or dismiss, we are called to speak words that build up, encourage, and offer true comfort, reflecting the grace found in Christ Jesus.
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Cross-References

  • Psalms 109:25

    I became also a reproach unto them: [when] they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

  • Psalms 22:7

    All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying],

  • Lamentations 2:15

    All that pass by clap [their] hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, [saying, Is] this the city that [men] call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth?

  • Jeremiah 18:16

    To make their land desolate, [and] a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.

  • 2 Kings 19:21

    This [is] the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, [and] laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.

  • Job 6:14

    ¶ To him that is afflicted pity [should be shewed] from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

  • Proverbs 10:19

    ¶ In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips [is] wise.