Job 30:20

KJV

I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me [not].

KJV (with Strong's)

I cry {H7768} unto thee, and thou dost not hear {H6030} me: I stand up {H5975}, and thou regardest {H995} me not.

Complete Jewish Bible

"I call out to you [God], but you don't answer me; I stand up to plead, but you just look at me.

Berean Standard Bible

I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

American Standard Version

I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me: I stand up, and thou gazest at me.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 30:20 captures the raw anguish of Job, who, in the depths of his suffering, cries out to God, feeling utterly unheard and disregarded. This verse powerfully articulates his profound sense of abandonment and despair, reflecting a common human experience of perceived divine silence during intense trials, where earnest pleas seem to meet with no response or acknowledgment from the Almighty.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is embedded within Job's extended lament found in [Job chapters 29-31](/job/29 "Job's Final Defense and Lament"). Following the counsel of his three friends, who have largely accused him of hidden sin, Job launches into a passionate defense of his integrity and a desperate plea to God. Chapter 29 recounts his former glory, respect, and prosperity, contrasting it sharply with his present state of degradation and affliction described in [Job 30](/job/30 "Job 30 - Job's Misery and Lament"). His lament in [Job 30:1-19](/job/30-1 "Job 30:1-19 - Job's Humiliation") details the mockery he endures from those beneath him and the physical torment he suffers. [Job 30:20](/job/30-20 "Job 30:20 - Job's Cry to God") marks a direct address to God, expressing his bewilderment and frustration at what he perceives as divine indifference to his plight, despite his earnest and persistent appeals. This direct confrontation with God sets the stage for the dramatic divine intervention later in the book, starting in [Job 38:1](/job/38-1 "Job 38:1 - The Lord Answers Job from the Whirlwind").
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Book of Job is set in the ancient Near East, likely during the patriarchal period, though its exact dating is debated. The cultural backdrop involves a strong emphasis on the "retribution theology" prevalent in much of the ancient world, where suffering was often directly linked to sin, and prosperity to righteousness. Job's friends operate firmly within this framework, attempting to coerce him into confessing a sin he insists he has not committed. Job's lament, therefore, is not merely a personal cry but a challenge to this prevailing theological understanding. His perception of God's silence and apparent abandonment was particularly devastating in a culture that believed God actively intervened in the affairs of the righteous and the wicked. The act of "standing up" before God, as Job describes, could also carry connotations of a legal posture, presenting one's case before a divine judge.
* **Key Themes:** Job 30:20 contributes significantly to several key themes within the Book of Job and broader biblical theology. It powerfully illustrates the theme of **divine hiddenness or silence**, where a righteous individual experiences God's apparent absence or unresponsiveness in the midst of profound suffering. This raises fundamental questions about God's justice and sovereignty, especially when juxtaposed with Job's unwavering insistence on his innocence, as seen in [Job 27:6](/job/27-6 "Job 27:6 - Job Maintains His Integrity"). The verse also exemplifies the **nature of biblical lament**, demonstrating that it is permissible, even encouraged, to express raw, honest emotions—including frustration, despair, and even accusations—directly to God. Such laments, far from being a sign of weak faith, are often an act of deep trust, bringing the full spectrum of human experience before the Creator, as is often seen in the [book of Psalms](/psalms/1 "The Book of Psalms"). Finally, it highlights the stark contrast between **human perception and divine reality**; while Job perceives God as silent and unheeding, the larger narrative reveals God's active, though mysterious, involvement in Job's ordeal, ultimately culminating in God's direct response to Job from the whirlwind in [Job 38](/job/38 "Job 38 - The Lord Answers Job").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Hear (Hebrew, _shama'_):** This word (שָׁמַע) signifies far more than mere auditory perception. In biblical usage, _shama'_ implies listening with attention, understanding, and, crucially, a willingness to respond or act. When Job laments that God does not "hear" him, he is not suggesting God is literally deaf, but rather that God is not acknowledging his pleas, not responding to his cries for justice, vindication, or relief. It denotes a lack of divine engagement or intervention in his desperate situation.
* **Regardest (Hebrew, _sha'ah'_):** The Hebrew word (שָׁעָה) means to look upon, to turn one's attention toward, to gaze at, or to consider. It often implies a favorable or attentive glance. Job's complaint that God does not "regard" him means that God is not even looking in his direction, not paying attention to his suffering, and certainly not considering his case or his desperate need for help. It reinforces the feeling of being utterly overlooked and ignored by the very One he believes could intervene.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me":** This opening clause immediately establishes Job's direct, personal address to God and his profound sense of abandonment. "I cry" (אֶצְעַק, _'ets'aq_) conveys a loud, urgent, and desperate appeal, often associated with distress or injustice. Despite this fervent appeal, Job perceives no divine response, no acknowledgment of his plight. This feeling of being unheard is central to his anguish, suggesting that his prayers and laments are falling on deaf ears, or that God has chosen not to engage with his suffering.
* **"I stand up, and thou regardest me [not]":** This second clause reinforces the first, adding a dimension of persistent appeal and a sense of being utterly ignored. "I stand up" (אֶעְמֹד, _'a'amod_) implies a posture of earnest supplication or even a legal stance, presenting one's case before a judge. It signifies Job's continued effort to get God's attention, to make his suffering visible. Yet, despite this persistent and visible appeal, Job feels God does not "regard" him, meaning God does not even turn His attention to him, does not acknowledge his presence, or consider his desperate situation. The bracketed "not" in the KJV clarifies the negative implication of the Hebrew, emphasizing God's perceived lack of attention.

#### Literary Devices
Job 30:20 powerfully employs several literary devices to convey Job's profound despair. The most prominent is **Lament**, a common genre in biblical literature where an individual expresses deep sorrow, complaint, or protest to God. Job's direct address, "I cry unto thee," is an example of **Apostrophe**, where the speaker addresses an absent or abstract entity (in this case, God, who is perceived as distant or unresponsive). The verse also exhibits **Parallelism**, a hallmark of Hebrew poetry, where the two clauses ("I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me" and "I stand up, and thou regardest me [not]") convey similar ideas through different but complementary phrasing. Both clauses express Job's earnest appeal and God's perceived lack of response, reinforcing the central theme of divine silence. Furthermore, there is an element of **Hyperbole** in Job's perception; while he feels utterly unheard and disregarded, the larger narrative of Job reveals that God is indeed attentive, though His purposes remain mysterious to Job at this stage. This hyperbole underscores the intensity of Job's emotional state.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 30:20 resonates deeply with the human experience of suffering and the mystery of God's ways. It highlights the biblical truth that it is not only permissible but often necessary to bring our raw, unvarnished emotions, including feelings of abandonment and despair, directly to God. This verse challenges simplistic views of divine intervention, reminding us that God's presence and activity are not always discernible or comprehensible from our limited human perspective, especially in the midst of pain. It underscores the tension between our earnest prayers for relief and the reality of God's often mysterious silence, pushing us towards a faith that trusts God's character even when His actions are inscrutable.

* [Psalm 22:1](/psalms/22-1 "Psalm 22:1 - My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?")
* [Habakkuk 1:2](/habakkuk/1-2 "Habakkuk 1:2 - Habakkuk's Complaint to God")
* [Isaiah 55:8-9](/isaiah/55-8 "Isaiah 55:8-9 - God's Thoughts are Higher Than Ours")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job's cry in Job 30:20 offers profound validation and guidance for believers navigating periods of intense suffering or perceived divine silence. It teaches us that authentic faith does not require us to suppress our pain or pretend that God is always immediately responsive in ways we understand. Instead, it invites us to bring our most honest and raw emotions—our confusion, our frustration, our sense of abandonment—directly before God. Job's continued "crying out" and "standing up" despite feeling unheard is a powerful testament to perseverance in prayer, even when answers are delayed or seem absent. This verse encourages us to trust in God's character and sovereignty, even when His actions or inactions are incomprehensible, reminding us that His ultimate purposes may transcend our immediate understanding or desires. It calls us to cultivate a faith that can endure the mystery of divine silence, knowing that God is intimately involved even when He seems distant.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **Have you ever felt like Job, crying out to God but feeling unheard or disregarded? How did you respond to that feeling?**
* **What does Job 30:20 teach us about the nature of prayer and lament in the midst of suffering?**
* **How can we maintain trust in God's presence and care when He seems silent or unresponsive to our pleas?**
* **In what ways might God be at work even when we perceive Him as distant or unhearing?**

### FAQ
**Is it acceptable for a believer to feel that God is not hearing their prayers?**

Answer: Yes, absolutely. Job 30:20, along with numerous psalms of lament (e.g., [Psalm 13:1](/psalms/13-1 "Psalm 13:1 - How Long, O Lord?")), demonstrates that it is a common and biblically validated human experience to feel that God is silent or unresponsive during times of intense suffering or distress. The Bible does not shy away from depicting the raw, honest emotions of its characters, including their frustrations and questions directed at God. These expressions are not seen as a lack of faith, but rather as an honest outpouring from a relationship of trust, where one feels safe enough to bring their deepest anxieties before the Creator.

**Does God truly not hear or regard His people when they cry out?**

Answer: From a theological perspective, no. While Job's *perception* in [Job 30:20](/job/30-20 "Job 30:20 - Job's Cry to God") is that God does not hear or regard him, the broader narrative of the Book of Job, and indeed the entirety of Scripture, affirms that God is always attentive to the cries of His people. The problem is not God's inability to hear, but our limited human understanding of His timing, methods, and purposes. The Book of Job ultimately reveals that God was intimately involved in Job's story, even when Job felt abandoned, eventually answering Job out of the whirlwind in [Job 38:1](/job/38-1 "Job 38:1 - The Lord Answers Job from the Whirlwind"). God's silence is often not an absence, but an invitation to deeper trust, or a part of a larger, sovereign plan beyond our comprehension (as seen in [Isaiah 55:8-9](/isaiah/55-8 "Isaiah 55:8-9 - God's Thoughts are Higher Than Ours")).

**How does Job's experience in this verse relate to the overall message of the Book of Job?**

Answer: Job's cry in [Job 30:20](/job/30-20 "Job 30:20 - Job's Cry to God") is a pivotal moment that encapsulates his profound struggle with the problem of suffering and divine justice. It represents the peak of his anguish and his direct challenge to God's perceived indifference. This verse sets the stage for God's eventual appearance and response, which ultimately does not explain *why* Job suffered but rather reasserts God's incomprehensible sovereignty and wisdom. Job's journey, which begins with this desperate lament, ultimately leads him to a deeper, more profound understanding of God, moving from hearing about God with the ear to seeing Him with his own eyes ([Job 42:5](/job/42-5 "Job 42:5 - Job Sees God")). Thus, the verse highlights the human side of the theological debate and the transformative power of honest lament in the face of mystery.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's anguished cry in [Job 30:20](/job/30-20 "Job 30:20 - Job's Cry to God"), "I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me," finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. While Job felt abandoned by God in his suffering, Jesus, the perfect and innocent Son of God, truly experienced divine abandonment on the cross, crying out, "[My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?](/matthew/27-46 "Matthew 27:46 - Jesus' Cry of Dereliction")" (from [Matthew 27:46](/matthew/27-46 "Matthew 27:46 - Jesus' Cry of Dereliction") and [Mark 15:34](/mark/15-34 "Mark 15:34 - Jesus' Cry of Dereliction")). This was not merely a feeling but a theological reality as Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us ([2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Became Sin for Us")), bearing the full wrath of God against humanity's sin. In that moment, the Father truly turned His face away from the Son, allowing Him to suffer the ultimate consequence of sin—separation from God. Yet, even in that cry of dereliction, Jesus, like Job, continued to address God, demonstrating a trust that transcended the pain of abandonment. His cry was "heard" not in immediate deliverance from death, but in the Father's ultimate vindication through the resurrection ([Acts 2:24](/acts/2-24 "Acts 2:24 - God Raised Jesus From the Dead")). Thus, for the believer, Job's lament is transformed: we cry out to a God who understands our feelings of abandonment because He Himself experienced it in Christ, and who promises that in Him, our cries are always heard and answered, even if the answer is not always what we expect, but always for our ultimate good and His glory ([Romans 8:28](/romans/8-28 "Romans 8:28 - God Works All Things for Good")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Job 19:7

Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but [there is] no judgment.

Job 27:9

Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

Lamentations 3:8

Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer.

Psalms 80:4

O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?

Psalms 80:5

Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.

Psalms 22:2

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

Matthew 15:23

But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.