Job 9:27

KJV

If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort [myself]:

KJV (with Strong's)

If I say {H559}, I will forget {H7911} my complaint {H7879}, I will leave off {H5800} my heaviness {H6440}, and comfort {H1082} myself:

Complete Jewish Bible

"If I say, 'I'll forget my complaining, I'll put off my sad face and be cheerful,'

Berean Standard Bible

If I were to say, ‘I will forget my complaint and change my expression and smile,’

American Standard Version

If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer;

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 9:27 encapsulates Job's profound and desperate struggle against overwhelming despair, revealing his futile attempt to will away his suffering and find self-comfort. Despite his earnest desire to shed his lament and heavy countenance, he finds himself trapped by the perceived reality of God's active opposition and the relentless nature of his affliction. This verse poignantly highlights the limits of human resilience and self-reliance in the face of profound grief and a distorted understanding of divine justice.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is embedded within Job's second response to his friends, specifically to Bildad the Shuhite, spanning [Job 9](/job/9 "Job 9 - Job's Response to Bildad"). Having just acknowledged God's immense and unfathomable power and sovereignty in [Job 9:4-12](/job/9-4 "Job 9:4-12 - God's Unchallengeable Power"), Job then shifts to a despairing recognition of his own inability to contend with such a mighty God. He feels that even if he were innocent, God could easily find fault with him or simply crush him without cause, as expressed in [Job 9:20](/job/9-20 "Job 9:20 - Job's Despair of Justification"). Job 9:27, therefore, represents a momentary, almost wistful, pause in his lament, a hypothetical wish that he could simply choose to be happy, immediately followed by the bitter reality that his deep pain and conviction of divine opposition render such self-comfort impossible. It underscores the overwhelming nature of his perceived injustice and suffering.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The book of Job is a masterpiece of ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature, deeply engaging with the prevailing retribution theology of its time. This dominant belief system posited a direct correlation between righteousness and prosperity, and wickedness and suffering. Job's friends vehemently uphold this doctrine, insisting that Job's immense suffering must be a direct consequence of his sin. Job, however, challenges this simplistic framework, maintaining his innocence and grappling with the problem of suffering inflicted upon the righteous. The cultural context also includes the importance of public appearance and countenance as indicators of one's inner state and social standing. Job's "heaviness" (his downcast face) would have been a visible sign of his profound distress and disgrace, making his desire to "leave off my heaviness" a longing for both internal relief and external restoration of dignity.

* **Key Themes:** Job 9:27 contributes significantly to several key themes woven throughout the book. Firstly, it powerfully illustrates **the futility of human effort and self-reliance in the face of overwhelming suffering**. Job's attempt to simply "forget" his pain and "comfort myself" highlights the limitations of human will when confronted with profound grief and perceived injustice, suggesting that true peace often requires more than a mere decision. Secondly, the verse vividly portrays the **depth of Job's emotional and spiritual anguish**, emphasizing the pervasive nature of his "complaint" (a deep lament) and "heaviness" (his sorrowful countenance). This underscores the reality of overwhelming despair that cannot simply be willed away. Finally, underlying Job's inability to find comfort is his persistent conviction of **perceived divine opposition**. He believes God is actively working against him, making his suffering inescapable and rendering any attempt at self-consolation pointless. This theme is central to Job's struggle as he grapples with the problem of evil and divine justice, a struggle that resonates deeply with the human experience of suffering.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Complaint (Hebrew, _sîaḥ'_):** This word (שִׂיחַ) carries a rich semantic range, encompassing meditation, musing, bitter lament, or even a deep, internal conversation. In this context, it refers to Job's profound and ongoing sorrow, his internal anguish, and the persistent voicing of his grievances against his circumstances and, implicitly, against God. It is not a fleeting thought but a deeply ingrained state of distress.
* **Heaviness (Hebrew, _pānîm'_):** Literally meaning "face" or "countenance" (פָּנִים), this word signifies the outward manifestation of one's inner state. To "leave off my heaviness" means to change his expression from one of sorrow, grief, and despair to one of cheerfulness or normalcy. It speaks to the visible burden of his suffering that is etched upon his face, reflecting his internal turmoil.
* **Comfort [myself] (Hebrew, _bālag'_):** This verb (בָּלָג) means to cheer up, brighten up, or look cheerful. It implies a desire for self-consolation, to find internal relief and put on a brave face. Job longs to achieve this state of inner peace and outward composure, but the subsequent verses (Job 9:28-31) immediately reveal his inability to do so, highlighting the profound disconnect between his desire and his reality.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"If I say":** This opening phrase introduces a hypothetical or conditional statement, revealing Job's wistful, almost desperate, wishful thinking. It sets up a scenario that he desires but knows, in his heart, is unattainable given his circumstances. It's a longing for a reality that is beyond his grasp.
* **"I will forget my complaint":** This clause expresses Job's deep yearning to put aside, or simply erase from his mind, the constant inner anguish and bitter lament that consume him. It's a desire for mental and emotional respite from the relentless burden of his suffering and his grievances against God and fate.
* **"I will leave off my heaviness":** This refers to Job's wish to physically alter his outward appearance, to remove the visible signs of his profound sorrow and distress from his face. It's a desire to shed the physical manifestation of his grief, to appear cheerful and unburdened, even if only superficially.
* **"and comfort [myself]":** This final clause articulates the ultimate goal of Job's hypothetical actions: to achieve a state of self-consolation and inner peace. He longs to find solace from within, to cheer himself up and alleviate his own suffering through an act of will. However, the tragic irony is that he finds this impossible, underscoring the limits of human self-reliance in the face of overwhelming pain.

#### Literary Devices
Job 9:27 effectively employs several literary devices to convey Job's profound despair. The most prominent is **Hypothetical Statement**, introduced by "If I say," which immediately establishes a sense of unreality and futility. Job is articulating a desire that he knows, even as he speaks it, is unattainable given his circumstances. This is followed by a form of **Parallelism**, specifically **Synonymous Parallelism**, where the clauses "I will forget my complaint," "I will leave off my heaviness," and "and comfort [myself]" all express a similar idea of seeking relief from suffering, reinforcing the intensity of his longing. The verse also relies on **Pathos**, evoking deep sympathy for Job's plight as he grapples with the overwhelming nature of his grief. There's a subtle **Irony** at play: Job desires to comfort himself, yet the very context of his speech, and the subsequent verses, reveal his utter inability to do so, highlighting the tragic disconnect between his will and his reality.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 9:27 stands as a stark reminder of the limits of human capacity to self-medicate or self-comfort in the face of profound and seemingly unjust suffering. It challenges the notion that sheer willpower can overcome deep spiritual and emotional distress, especially when one perceives God as an adversary rather than a comforter. Theologically, this verse underscores humanity's inherent need for a source of comfort beyond itself. While self-care and resilience are important, there are moments of such overwhelming brokenness that only an external, divine intervention or compassionate community can provide true solace. Job's inability to "comfort myself" points to the biblical truth that ultimate comfort flows from God, who is uniquely able to enter into and alleviate our deepest pains.

* [Psalm 42:5](/psalms/42-5 "Why are you cast down, O my soul?")
* [2 Corinthians 1:3-4](/2_corinthians/1-3 "God of all Comfort")
* [Isaiah 53:3](/isaiah/53-3 "Man of Sorrows")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 9:27 offers profound insights for anyone navigating deep suffering or seeking to minister to those who are. It serves as a powerful validation of the experience of overwhelming despair, reminding us that there are times when human effort alone cannot overcome profound grief or perceived injustice. To tell someone in the throes of such pain to "just cheer up" or "get over it" is not only unhelpful but often insensitive, as Job's struggle demonstrates the deep-seated nature of such anguish. This verse underscores the necessity of empathy and patience when encountering suffering, recognizing that true comfort acknowledges the depth of the struggle rather than dismissing it. It also highlights the limits of self-reliance, urging us to recognize when our own strength is insufficient and to seek external sources of comfort—whether from compassionate community, professional help, or ultimately, from God, who is the "God of all comfort" ([2 Corinthians 1:3](/2_corinthians/1-3 "God of All Comfort")). Finally, Job’s raw, unfiltered honesty with God, even in his despair and accusations, provides a model for approaching God with our true feelings, rather than pretending to be fine. Our brokenness, when laid bare before God, can become the very ground upon which His comfort is received.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **When have you experienced a time when you desperately wanted to "forget your complaint" or "leave off your heaviness" but found yourself unable to do so?**
* **How does Job's struggle in this verse challenge the idea that we can always "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" in the face of deep suffering?**
* **In what ways can we, as individuals or as a community, offer genuine comfort to those who are experiencing despair that cannot be simply willed away?**
* **What does this verse teach us about the importance of lament and honesty in our prayers and relationship with God?**

### FAQ
**Why couldn't Job simply "cheer up" or "comfort himself"?**

Answer: Job's inability to simply "cheer up" or "comfort himself" stems from the profound depth of his physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering, coupled with his perception of divine opposition. His pain was not a fleeting sadness but an all-encompassing anguish, rooted in the loss of everything he held dear and the baffling silence or perceived aggression of God. When suffering is this pervasive and feels divinely inflicted, human willpower alone is insufficient to overcome it. The verse highlights that some forms of distress are so overwhelming that they defy simple self-exhortation, requiring a deeper, external source of comfort or a fundamental shift in one's understanding of their circumstances and God's nature. Job's experience validates the reality that profound despair is not merely a choice or a lack of effort, but a state of being that requires more than self-help.

**Does this verse suggest that self-comfort or self-care is always futile or wrong?**

Answer: Not at all. This verse doesn't negate the value of self-comfort or self-care in general, but rather highlights its limitations in the face of profound, existential suffering, particularly when one feels abandoned or opposed by God. In everyday life, healthy self-care practices, mindfulness, and positive self-talk can be beneficial. However, Job's situation is extreme; he is grappling with the problem of evil and perceived divine injustice. In such overwhelming circumstances, human capacity for self-consolation is indeed limited. The verse implicitly points to the need for a comfort that transcends human ability, whether from compassionate community or, ultimately, from God. It serves as a caution against simplistic solutions for complex, deep-seated pain and emphasizes that some burdens are too heavy to bear alone.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job's desperate, yet futile, attempt to "comfort [myself]" in [Job 9:27](/job/9-27 "Job's Futile Attempt at Self-Comfort") profoundly foreshadows humanity's universal inability to find ultimate solace or salvation through its own efforts. Just as Job could not will away his deep anguish, so too can humanity not overcome the pervasive "heaviness" of sin and its consequences through self-righteousness or self-improvement. The New Testament reveals that true comfort and liberation from the complaint of sin and the heaviness of guilt come not from within ourselves, but from outside, through the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate Comforter, the one who truly understands our suffering because He became the "man of sorrows" ([Isaiah 53:3](/isaiah/53-3 "Man of Sorrows")), experiencing the depths of human pain and divine abandonment on the cross ([Matthew 27:46](/matthew/27-46 "Jesus' Cry of Dereliction")). Where Job found no advocate to plead his case before God ([Job 9:33](/job/9-33 "Job's Desire for an Umpire")), Christ stands as our perfect High Priest and Mediator, who sympathizes with our weaknesses ([Hebrews 4:15](/hebrews/4-15 "Our High Priest Understands Our Weakness")). He invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him for true rest and comfort ([Matthew 11:28](/matthew/11-28 "Come to Me, All Who Are Weary")). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised, is called the "Comforter" or "Advocate" ([John 14:26](/john/14-26 "The Holy Spirit, the Comforter")), indwelling believers to provide divine solace and strength in their deepest distress, fulfilling the longing for comfort that Job could not achieve on his own.

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 7:13

When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;

Jeremiah 8:18

[When] I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart [is] faint in me.

Job 7:11

Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Psalms 77:2

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

Psalms 77:3

I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.