TRV
Translation
King James Version
They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.
Complete Jewish Bible
Those living in my house consider me a stranger; my slave-girls too - in their view I'm a foreigner.
Berean Standard Bible
My guests and maidservants count me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight.
American Standard Version
They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.
World English Bible Messianic
Those who dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger. I am an alien in their sight.
Geneva Bible (1599)
They that dwel in mine house, and my maydes tooke me for a stranger: for I was a stranger in their sight.
Young's Literal Translation
Sojourners of my house and my maids, For a stranger reckon me: An alien I have been in their eyes.
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In the KJVVerse 13,313 of 31,102
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Commentary on Job 19 verses 8–22
8 ¶ He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.
9 He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.
10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.
11 He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.
12 His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.
13 He hath put my brethren far from me, and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me.
14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.
15 They that dwell in mine house, and my maids, count me for a stranger: I am an alien in their sight.
16 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer; I intreated him with my mouth.
17 My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body.
18 Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me.
19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
Bildad had very disingenuously perverted Job's complaints by making them the description of the miserable condition of a wicked man; and yet he repeats them here, to move their pity, and to work upon their good nature, if they had any left in them.
I. He complains of the tokens of God's displeasure which he was under, and which infused the wormwood and gall into the affliction and misery. How doleful are the accents of his complaints! "He hath kindled his wrath against me, which flames and terrifies me, which burns and pains me," Job 19:11. What is the fire of hell but the wrath of God? Seared consciences will feel it hereafter, but do not fear it now. Enlightened consciences fear it now, but shall not feel it hereafter. Job's present apprehension was that God counted him as one of his enemies; and yet, at the same time, God loved him, and gloried in him, as his faithful friend. It is a gross mistake, but a very common one, to think that whom God afflicts he treats as his enemies; whereas, on the contrary, as many as he loves he rebukes and chastens; it is the discipline of his sons. Which way soever Job looked he thought he saw the tokens of God's displeasure against him. 1. Did he look back upon his former prosperity? He saw God's hand putting an end to that (Job 19:9): "He has stripped me of my glory, my wealth, honour, power, and all the opportunity I had of doing good. My children were my glory, but I have lost them; and whatever was a crown to my head he has taken it from me, and has laid all my honour in the dust." See the vanity of worldly glory: it is what we may be soon stripped of; and, whatever strips us, we must see and own God's hand in it and comply with his design. 2. Did he look down upon his present troubles? He saw God giving them their commission, and their orders to attack him. They are his troops, that act by his direction, which encamp against me, Job 19:12. It did not so much trouble him that his miseries came upon him in troops as that they were God's troops, in whom it seemed as if God fought against him and intended his destruction. God's troops encamped around his tabernacle, as soldiers lay siege to a strong city, cutting off all provisions from being brought into it and battering it continually; thus was Job's tabernacle besieged. Time was when God's hosts encamped round him for safety: Hast thou not made a hedge about him? Now, on the contrary, they surrounded him, to his terror, and destroyed him on every side, Job 19:10. 3. Did he look forward for deliverance? He saw the hand of God cutting off all hopes of that (Job 19:8): "He hath fenced up my way, that I cannot pass. I have now no way left to help myself, either to extricate myself out of my troubles or to ease myself under them. Would I make any motion, take any steps towards deliverance? I find my way hedged up; I cannot do what I would; nay, if I would please myself with the prospect of a deliverance hereafter, I cannot do it; it is not only out of my reach, but out of my sight: God hath set darkness in my paths, and there is none to tell me how long," Psa 74:9. He concludes (Job 19:10), "I am gone, quite lost and undone for this world; my hope hath he removed like a tree cut down, or plucked up by the roots, which will never grow again." Hope in this life is a perishing thing, but the hope of good men, when it is cut off from this world, is but removed like a tree, transplanted from this nursery to the garden of the Lord. We shall have no reason to complain if God thus remove our hopes from the sand to the rock, from things temporal to things eternal.
II. He complains of the unkindness of his relations and of all his old acquaintance. In this also he owns the hand of God (Job 19:13): He has put my brethren far from me, that is, "He has laid those afflictions upon me which frighten them from me, and make them stand aloof from my sores." As it was their sin God was not the author of it; it is Satan that alienates men's minds from their brethren in affliction. But, as it was Job's trouble, God ordered it for the completing of his trial. As we must eye the hand of God in all the injuries we receive from our enemies ("the Lord has bidden Shimei curse David"), so also in all the slights and unkindnesses we receive from our friends, which will help us to bear them the more patiently. Every creature is that to us (kind or unkind, comfortable or uncomfortable) which God makes it to be. Yet this does not excuse Job's relations and friends from the guilt of horrid ingratitude and injustice to him, which he had reason to complain of; few could have borne it so well as he did. He takes notice of the unkindness, 1. Of his kindred and acquaintance, his neighbours, and such as he had formerly been familiar with, who were bound by all the laws of friendship and civility to concern themselves for him, to visit him, to enquire after him, and to be ready to do him all the good offices that lay in their power; yet these were estranged from him, Job 19:13. They took no more care about him than if he had been a stranger whom they never knew. His kinsfolk, who claimed relation to him when he was in prosperity, now failed him; they came short of their former professions of friendship to him and his present expectations of kindness from them. Even his familiar friends, whom he was mindful of, had now forgotten him, had forgotten both his former friendliness to them and his present miseries: they had heard of his troubles, and designed him a visit; but truly they forgot it, so little affected were they with it. Nay, his inward friends, the men of his secret, whom he was most intimate with and laid in his bosom, not only forgot him, but abhorred him, kept as far off from him as they could, because he was poor and could not entertain them as he used to do, and because he was sore and a loathsome spectacle. Those whom he loved, and who therefore were worse than publicans if they did not love him now that he was in distress, not only turned from him, but were turned against him, and did all they could to make him odious, so to justify themselves in being so strange to him, Job 19:19. So uncertain is the friendship of men; but, if God be our friend, he will not fail us in a time of need. But let none that pretend either to humanity or Christianity ever use their friends as Job's friends used him: adversity is the proof of friendship. 2. Of his domestics and family relations. Sometimes indeed we find that, beyond our expectation, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother; but the master of a family ordinarily expects to be attended on and taken care of by those of his family, even when, through weakness of body or mind, he has become despicable to others. But poor Job was misused by his own family, and some of his worst foes were those of his own house. He mentions not his children; they were all dead, and we may suppose that the unkindness of his surviving relations made him lament the death of his children so much the more: "If they had been alive," would he think, "I should have had comfort in them." As for those that were now about him, (1.) His own servants slighted him. His maids did not attend him in his illness, but counted him for a stranger and an alien, Job 19:15. His other servants never heeded him; if he called to them they would not come at his call, but pretended that they did not hear him. If he asked them a question, they would not vouchsafe to give him an answer, Job 19:16. Job had been a good master to them, and did not despise their cause when they pleaded with him (Job 31:13), and yet they were rude to him now, and despised his cause when he pleaded with them. We must not think it strange if we receive evil at the hand of those from whom we have deserved well. Though he was now sickly, yet he was not cross with his servants, and imperious, as is too common, but he entreated his servants with his mouth, when he had authority to command; and yet they would not be civil to him, neither kind nor just. Note, Those that are sick and in sorrow are apt to take things ill, and be jealous of a slight, and to lay to heart the least unkindness done to them: when Job was in affliction even his servants' neglect of him troubled him. (2.) But, one would think, when all forsook him, the wife of his bosom should have been tender of him: no, because he would not curse God and die, as she persuaded him, his breath was strange to her too; she did not care for coming near him, nor took any notice of what he said, Job 19:17. Though he spoke to her, not with the authority, but with the tenderness of a husband, did not command, but entreated her by that conjugal love which their children were the pledges of, yet she regarded him not. Some read it, "Though I lamented, or bemoaned myself, for the children," that is, "for the death of the children of my own body," an affliction in which she was equally concerned with him. Now, it appeared, the devil spared her to him, not only to be his tempter, but to be his tormentor. By what she said to him at first, Curse God and die, it appeared that she had little religion in her; and what can one expect that is kind and good from those that have not the fear of God before their eyes and are not governed by conscience? (3.) Even the little children who were born in his house, the children of his own servants, who were his servants by birth, despised him, and spoke against him (Job 19:18); though he arose in civility to speak friendly to them, or with authority to check them, they let him know that they neither feared him nor loved him.
III. He complains of the decay of his body; all the beauty and strength of that were gone. When those about him slighted him, if he had been in health, and at ease, he might have enjoyed himself. But he could take as little pleasure in himself as others took in him (Job 19:20): My bone cleaves now to my skin, as formerly it did to my flesh; it was this that filled him with wrinkles (Job 16:8); he was a perfect skeleton, nothing but skin and bones. Nay, his skin too was almost gone, little remained unbroken but the skin of his teeth, his gums and perhaps his lips; all the rest was fetched off by his sore boils. See what little reason we have to indulge the body, which, after all our care, may be thus consumed by the diseases which it has in itself the seeds of.
IV. Upon all these accounts he recommends himself to the compassion of his friends, and justly blames their harshness with him. From this representation of his deplorable case, it was easy to infer, 1. That they ought to pity him, Job 19:21. This he begs in the most moving melting language that could be, enough (one would think) to break a heart of stone: "Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O you my friends! if you will do nothing else for me, be sorry for me, and show some concern for me; have pity upon me, for the hand of God hath touched me. My case is sad indeed, for I have fallen into the hands of the living God, my spirit is touched with the sense of his wrath, a calamity of all other the most piteous." Note, It becomes friends to pity one another when they are in trouble, and not to shut up the bowels of compassion. 2. That, however, they ought not to persecute him; if they would not ease his affliction by their pity, yet they must not be so barbarous as to add to it by their censures and reproaches (Job 19:22): "Why do you persecute me as God? Surely his rebukes are enough for one man to bear; you need not add your wormwood and gall to the cup of affliction he puts into my hand, it is bitter enough without that: God has a sovereign power over me, and may do what he pleases with me; but do you think that you may do so too?" No, we must aim to be like the Most Holy and the Most Merciful, but not like the Most High and Most Mighty. God gives not account of any of his matters, but we must give account of ours. If they did delight in his calamity, let them be satisfied with his flesh, which was wasted and gone, but let them not, as if that were too little, wound his spirit, and ruin his good name. Great tenderness is due to those that are in affliction, especially to those that are troubled in mind.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 8–22. Public domain.
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Hesychius of JerusalemAD 450
HOMILIES ON JOB 22.19.13A-B
The grace of the Gospel testifies that these words have been said about the Lord in truth. John, in fact, says, “His brothers did not believe in him,” when they said to him, “Leave from here, and go into Judea, so that your disciples may also see the works that you do. For there is no man that does anything in secret, and he himself seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” They said that because they did not know his ability and “recognized strangers rather than” him. This certainly referred to the Jews, that is, they looked after their own interests, and when he had to be admired, they despised him.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
48. The inmates of God’s house were the Priests, whose race [origo] once set apart in the service of God, was henceforth by office continued in that state. But the ‘maids’ are not improperly taken for the souls of the Levites, servants to the hidden parts of the tabernacle as it were by a more familiar service to the interior of the bedchamber. Therefore let him say of the Priests, serving with sedulous care, let him say of the Levites attending on the interior of the house of God. They that dwell in my house, and my maids, have counted me for a stranger; in that the Incarnate Lord, Whom they had for long foretold in the words of the Law, they refused to acknowledge and to reverence. And he yet more plainly shows that He was not known by their wicked will, when he adds;
And I was as it were an alien in their sight.
49. For our Redeemer whereas He was not recognised by the Synagogue, was rendered ‘as it were an alien’ in His own house, Which the Prophet plainly witnesses, saying, Wherefore shalt thou be as a settler in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry? [Jer. 14, 8] For whereas He was not heard as the Lord, He was taken not as the owner but for ‘a settler of the land;’ and He only ‘turned aside to tarry as a wayfaring man,’ in that He carried off but few out of Judaea, and going on to the calling of the Gentiles finished the journey He had begun; and so ‘He was an alien’ in their sight, in that while they thought only of the things they could see, they were unable to perceive in the Lord the things they could not see; for whilst they contemn the flesh that was to be seen, they never reached to the unseen Majesty; therefore let it be rightly said; And I was as it were an alien in their sight.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
MORALS ON THE BOOK OF JOB 14.47-49
We shall show this more effectively if we introduce the testimony of John, who says, “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” For his “brothers were put far from him,” and his “acquaintances were estranged” from him, concerning whom the Hebrews that held the law were taught to prophesy and never realized they should acknowledge when present. Thus it is rightly said, “My relatives and my close friends have failed me.” The Jews, “relatives” in the flesh, an “acquaintance” by the teaching of the law, forgot him whom they had foretold. They sang of him in the words of the law as destined to become incarnate. When he was made incarnate, they denied him with words of unbelief. The text continues, “The guests in my house have forgotten me; my serving girls count me as a stranger.” The inhabitants of God’s house were the priests, whose race was once set apart in the service of God and continued henceforth by office in that state. But the “serving girls” are not improperly taken as the souls of the Levites, servants to the hidden parts of the tabernacle, as it were, by a more familiar service to the interior of the bedchamber. Therefore, let Job say of the priests, serving with diligent care, let him say of the Levites attending in the interior of the house of God, “The guests in my house have forgotten me; my serving girls count me as a stranger.” For they refused to acknowledge and reverence the incarnate Lord, whom they had for long foretold in the words of the law. And yet, Job more plainly shows that he was not understood by their wicked will when he adds, “I have become an alien in their eyes.” This prefigures our Redeemer who, because he was not recognized by the synagogue, was rendered, “as it were, an alien” in his own house. The prophet plainly witnesses to this, saying, “Wherefore shall you be as a settler in the land and as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry?” When Christ was not heard as the Lord, he was not accepted as the owner but as “a settler of the land.” He only “turned aside to tarry as a wayfaring man,” in that he bore away only a few people out of Judea, and proceeding to the calling of the Gentiles finished the journey that he had begun.
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 19:15 poignantly articulates the devastating psychological and emotional dimensions of Job's suffering, revealing the profound agony of complete social and familial isolation. Having endured the catastrophic loss of his wealth, children, and health, Job now laments that even those intimately connected to his household—his male and female servants—treat him with utter contempt, regarding him as an unknown outsider and an estranged alien. This verse underscores the comprehensive nature of his affliction, highlighting not only the physical and material devastation but also the soul-crushing pain of being utterly forsaken and dehumanized by those who should be closest to him.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 19:15 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey the crushing weight of Job's suffering. Irony is central and devastating, as those who literally "dwell in his house" and are entirely dependent on him treat him as if he belongs there least of all. This inversion of expected loyalty and familial duty amplifies the sense of betrayal to an unbearable degree. The use of two distinct but closely related terms, "stranger" (zûwr) and "alien" (nokrîy), creates a powerful form of synonymous parallelism that builds intensity, moving from a general sense of not belonging to a more specific and painful state of being actively estranged and foreign. The verse also powerfully utilizes pathos, evoking deep pity and empathy for Job's plight by exposing the cruel, dehumanizing, and utterly isolating nature of his abandonment. This internal betrayal serves as a potent metaphor for Job's complete loss of social standing, identity, and dignity, where his very being is rendered unrecognizable and contemptible even by those closest to him.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 19:15 profoundly illustrates the multifaceted nature of suffering, extending far beyond physical pain and material loss to encompass the devastating psychological, emotional, and social dimensions. It highlights how relentless affliction can systematically strip an individual of their dignity, status, and even their fundamental sense of belonging within their own community and family. The betrayal from one's own household underscores the theme of comprehensive abandonment, forcing Job to confront the ultimate loneliness of his ordeal, where even the most intimate relationships are fractured. Theologically, this verse raises uncomfortable questions about human cruelty, the limits of human loyalty, and the righteous individual's experience of being unjustly isolated and scorned. It points to a suffering that transcends mere circumstance, delving into the very core of one's identity and relationships, revealing the profound spiritual desolation that can accompany profound hardship.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job's lament in verse 15 resonates deeply with the universal human experience of profound betrayal and agonizing isolation. It serves as a stark reminder that suffering is rarely monolithic; it often includes the unseen, agonizing pain of being misunderstood, rejected, and even scorned by those from whom we most desperately expect comfort, loyalty, and recognition. This verse challenges us to cultivate radical empathy, compelling us to look beyond the superficial manifestations of distress and recognize the unseen layers of emotional, psychological, and social pain that individuals endure during times of crisis. It also stands as a poignant reminder of the inherent fragility of human relationships and the devastating, dehumanizing impact of contempt, especially when it originates from within one's closest and most trusted circle. In our own lives, and particularly in our interactions with others, we are called to be vigilant against the subtle, often unconscious, ways we might "count" others as strangers or aliens through our indifference, our hasty judgments, our lack of compassion, or our failure to truly see and value them, especially when they are at their most vulnerable.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is the betrayal by Job's household so significant, given his other losses?
Answer: The betrayal by Job's household is particularly significant because it represents the complete and utter breakdown of his social and familial support system, extending the reach of his suffering into his most intimate and supposedly secure domain. While the loss of wealth and children was undeniably devastating, and the scorn of his friends deeply painful, the contempt from his own servants—those who lived under his roof, were dependent on his provision, and were expected to show him deference—was a profound and public humiliation. In ancient cultures, a master's authority, dignity, and social standing were intrinsically linked to the respect shown by his household. Their treatment of him as a "stranger" or "alien" stripped him of his last vestiges of status, belonging, and personal identity, making his isolation absolute and his suffering truly comprehensive. This internal betrayal underscores the psychological and emotional depth of his affliction, demonstrating that suffering is not only physical or material but also deeply relational, existential, and capable of stripping away one's very sense of self. It highlights that even in the most familiar places, one can become utterly estranged.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's agonizing experience of being counted as a stranger and an alien by those within his own house finds a profound and redemptive Christ-centered fulfillment in the life and passion of Jesus. Just as Job was betrayed and scorned by his intimate circle, so too was Christ rejected by His own people, the very nation He came to redeem, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:3, where He is described as "despised and rejected by men." He came "unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11), embodying the ultimate outsider. Even among His closest disciples, Jesus experienced profound abandonment and betrayal: Judas, one of the twelve, sold Him for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16), and Peter, His ardent follower, vehemently denied Him three times (Luke 22:54-62). The Son of Man declared He had "nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20), truly embodying the ultimate alien and stranger in a world that refused to acknowledge its Creator and King. Jesus' suffering, therefore, encompassed not only immense physical torment but also the agonizing pain of being utterly forsaken, misunderstood, and treated as an outcast by humanity, mirroring Job's lament but ultimately transcending it as a redemptive act that secured our belonging in God's eternal household and reconciled us, who were once strangers, to God (Ephesians 2:19).