Job 11:16

Because thou shalt forget [thy] misery, [and] remember [it] as waters [that] pass away:

Because thou shalt forget {H7911} thy misery {H5999}, and remember {H2142} it as waters {H4325} that pass away {H5674}:

"For you will forget your misery; you'll remember it like a flood that passed through long ago;

For you will forget your misery, recalling it only as waters gone by.

For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away,

Commentary

Context of Job 11:16

This verse is part of Zophar the Naamathite's first speech to Job. Zophar, one of Job's three friends, presents a rigid view of divine justice, arguing that God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous. In his understanding, Job's immense suffering must be a direct consequence of his sin, and the only path to restoration is repentance and turning back to God. Verse 16, therefore, is a conditional promise: if Job would repent, his past misery would be completely forgotten and replaced with peace and prosperity.

Key Themes and Messages

  • The Promise of Forgetting Misery: Zophar envisions a future where Job's intense suffering becomes a distant, faded memory, much like water that flows away and is gone. This speaks to the human desire for relief from pain and the hope that past troubles do not define one's future.
  • Conditional Restoration: From Zophar's perspective, this forgetting of misery is directly tied to Job's repentance and aligning himself with God's perceived demands. While his theology was flawed (as God later rebukes the friends in Job 42:7), the concept of divine mercy leading to healing and forgetting of past hurts is a significant biblical theme.
  • The Fleeting Nature of Trouble: The imagery of "waters that pass away" powerfully illustrates that even the most overwhelming difficulties can be transient. It suggests that suffering, while real and impactful in the moment, does not have to be a permanent state. This resonates with the promise of ultimate peace and no more tears in God's new creation.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "remember it as waters that pass away" uses vivid imagery. The Hebrew word for "pass away" ('avar) implies something that has gone over, crossed, or flowed by. It emphasizes finality and non-return. This reinforces the idea that the misery would not just be forgotten, but completely gone, like a river that has flowed past and cannot be called back. The Hebrew for "misery" ('amal) often refers to toil, trouble, or painful labor, highlighting the deep, burdensome nature of Job's affliction.

Practical Application

While Zophar's counsel to Job was imperfect, this verse still offers a profound truth about hope and healing. For those enduring hardship, it provides comfort that even the deepest sorrows can fade into memory. It encourages a forward-looking perspective, trusting that God's grace can bring about a time when past pain no longer dominates. This doesn't negate the reality of suffering but offers the promise of a future where its sting is forgotten, much like God's promise to not remember the former things when He does a new work. It reminds us that our present troubles are not eternal and that true restoration often involves a profound healing of the soul.

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Cross-References

  • Isaiah 65:16 (8 votes)

    That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.

  • Ecclesiastes 5:20 (4 votes)

    For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.

  • John 16:21 (4 votes)

    A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

  • Isaiah 54:4 (3 votes)

    Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

  • Isaiah 54:9 (3 votes)

    For this [is as] the waters of Noah unto me: for [as] I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

  • Job 6:15 (2 votes)

    My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, [and] as the stream of brooks they pass away;

  • Job 22:11 (2 votes)

    Or darkness, [that] thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.