Job 19 Study Notes: Job's Confidence in a Living Redeemer
Job rebukes his friends for tormenting him and says God has wronged him, besieging him like an army. Shunned by relatives, servants, friends, and even his wife, he begs for pity, then voices his certainty that his Redeemer is alive and that he will see God with his own eyes, and he warns the friends of judgment.
General
According to 19:13-19, how have the people closest to Job treated him?
Answer: They shun him, and even his household finds him repulsive
Job says God has put his brothers far from him, and his acquaintances, relatives and friends have deserted and forgotten him (19:13-14). His guests and servant girls treat him as a foreigner, and his own servant ignores him even when Job begs (19:15-16). His wife finds his breath offensive, and his own family finds him loathsome (19:17). Even young boys mock him, and his closest friends now detest him (19:18-19). Psalm writers describe the same isolation in suffering: friends removed and repelled (Psalm 88:8), loved ones and relatives keeping their distance (Psalm 38:11).
- Job 19:13-14 (BSB)“He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me. My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.”Job says God has removed his brothers and that relatives and friends have forsaken him.
- Job 19:17-19 (BSB)“My breath is repulsive to my wife, and I am loathsome to my own family. Even little boys scorn me; when I appear, they deride me. All my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me.”Job says he is repulsive to his wife and family and scorned even by children and close friends.
- Psalm 88:8 (BSB)“You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.”A psalmist says God has removed his friends and made him repulsive to them.
- Psalm 38:11 (BSB)“My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.”A psalmist's friends and relatives keep their distance from his suffering.
Theological
How does Job describe his relationships with family, friends and household in 19:13-19?
Answer: They shun him, and even his household finds him repulsive
Job catalogues comprehensive social abandonment, which he attributes to God: brothers removed, kin and friends gone (19:13-14), guests, maidservants and even his servant treating him as a stranger (19:15-16), his wife and family repelled (19:17), boys deriding him and intimate friends turned against him (19:18-19). The lament psalms voice the same isolation, ascribing it to God (Psalm 88:8) or to friends and kin who stand aloof from the sufferer (Psalm 38:11).
- Job 19:13-14 (BSB)“He has removed my brothers from me; my acquaintances have abandoned me. My kinsmen have failed me, and my friends have forgotten me.”Job says God has removed his brothers and that relatives and friends have forsaken him.
- Job 19:17-19 (BSB)“My breath is repulsive to my wife, and I am loathsome to my own family. Even little boys scorn me; when I appear, they deride me. All my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me.”Job says he is repulsive to his wife and family and scorned even by children and close friends.
- Psalm 88:8 (BSB)“You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.”A psalmist says God has removed his friends and made him repulsive to them.
- Psalm 38:11 (BSB)“My beloved and friends shun my disease, and my kinsmen stand at a distance.”A psalmist's friends and relatives keep their distance from his suffering.
General
In 19:2-3, how does Job describe what his friends' words are doing to him?
Answer: They torment and crush him, insulting him again and again
Job asks how long his friends will torment him and grind him down with words (19:2). He says they have reproached him ten times and shamelessly wronged him (19:3), and even if he had strayed, his error would be his own concern (19:4). The friends came to comfort him (2:11), but Job has already called them miserable comforters (16:2) and worthless physicians who smear him with lies (13:4).
- Job 19:2-3 (BSB)““How long will you torment me and crush me with your words? Ten times now you have reproached me; you shamelessly mistreat me.”Job asks how long the friends will torment him and says they have reproached him ten times.
- Job 2:11 (BSB)“Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him.”The friends had come to comfort Job.
- Job 16:2 (BSB)““I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all.”Job had called them miserable comforters.
- Job 13:4 (BSB)“You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians.”Job had called them worthless physicians who smear with lies.
Theological
How does Job characterize the friends' speeches in 19:2-3?
Answer: They torment and crush him, insulting him again and again
Job opens by asking how long the friends will torment and crush him with words (19:2), charging them with repeated reproach and shameless mistreatment (19:3), and insisting that any error of his remains his own affair (19:4). Their stated mission was comfort (2:11), yet Job has already labeled them miserable comforters (16:2) and worthless physicians (13:4).
- Job 19:2-3 (BSB)““How long will you torment me and crush me with your words? Ten times now you have reproached me; you shamelessly mistreat me.”Job asks how long the friends will torment him and says they have reproached him ten times.
- Job 2:11 (BSB)“Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him.”The friends had come to comfort Job.
- Job 16:2 (BSB)““I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all.”Job had called them miserable comforters.
- Job 13:4 (BSB)“You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians.”Job had called them worthless physicians who smear with lies.
General
How does Job end his reply in 19:28-29?
Answer: He warns the friends that they too should fear God's judgment
Job imagines the friends saying they will keep hounding him because the fault lies in him (19:28). He answers that they are the ones who ought to dread the sword, since wrath leads to punishment, so that they will learn that judgment is real (19:29). In the end, the LORD's anger does burn against the three friends (42:7), and they must go to Job and sacrifice for themselves, after which he will intercede for them (42:8). Scripture teaches that God will judge every act, even hidden ones (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
- Job 19:28-29 (BSB)“If you say, ‘Let us persecute him, since the root of the matter lies with him,’ then you should fear the sword yourselves, because wrath brings punishment by the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment.””Job warns the friends that they should fear the sword and know there is a judgment.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD's wrath is kindled against the three friends.
- Job 42:8 (BSB)“So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has.””The friends must offer sacrifices and have Job pray for them.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14 (BSB)“For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.”God will bring every deed into judgment.
Theological
With what does Job conclude his speech in 19:28-29?
Answer: He warns the friends that they too should fear God's judgment
Job anticipates the friends' resolve to keep pursuing him on the premise that the fault lies in him (19:28), and turns the threat on them: they are the ones who ought to dread the sword, for wrath brings its punishment, that they may learn judgment is real (19:29). The epilogue vindicates the warning, as the LORD's wrath burns against the friends (42:7) and they need Job's intercession and a burnt offering (42:8). God's judgment of every deed is affirmed in Ecclesiastes 12:14.
- Job 19:28-29 (BSB)“If you say, ‘Let us persecute him, since the root of the matter lies with him,’ then you should fear the sword yourselves, because wrath brings punishment by the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment.””Job warns the friends that they should fear the sword and know there is a judgment.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD's wrath is kindled against the three friends.
- Job 42:8 (BSB)“So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has.””The friends must offer sacrifices and have Job pray for them.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14 (BSB)“For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.”God will bring every deed into judgment.
General
In 19:6-7, whom does Job say has wronged him, and why does he say justice is missing?
Answer: God, who has netted him and does not answer his cries
Job tells his friends to grasp that God Himself has wronged him and thrown a net around him (19:6). He cries out about violence but gets no answer, and calls for help but finds no justice (19:7). Bildad had pictured the wicked man walking into a net by his own feet (18:8); Job says the net is God's. Job's complaint is honest, and the LORD later says Job spoke accurately about Him compared with the friends (42:7). Yet the LORD also asks Job whether he would discredit God's justice and condemn God to justify himself (40:8). Both verdicts stand in the book.
- Job 19:6-7 (BSB)“then understand that it is God who has wronged me and drawn His net around me. Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.”Job says God has wronged him and netted him, and that his cries find no justice.
- Job 18:8 (BSB)“For his own feet lead him into a net, and he wanders into its mesh.”Bildad had said the wicked man walks into a net by his own feet.
- Job 40:8 (BSB)“Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?”The LORD asks whether Job would condemn God to justify himself.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD says Job spoke accurately about Him, unlike the friends.
Theological
In 19:6-7, whom does Job charge with wronging him, and on what grounds does he claim justice is absent?
Answer: God, who has netted him and does not answer his cries
Job's charge is blunt: God has wronged him and encircled him with His net (19:6), and his cries of violence meet silence and no justice (19:7). He inverts Bildad's image of the wicked walking into a net by his own feet (18:8). The book holds two verdicts on such speech together: the LORD later asks whether Job would annul His justice and condemn Him to justify himself (40:8), yet He also declares that Job, unlike the friends, spoke accurately about Him (42:7).
- Job 19:6-7 (BSB)“then understand that it is God who has wronged me and drawn His net around me. Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.”Job says God has wronged him and netted him, and that his cries find no justice.
- Job 18:8 (BSB)“For his own feet lead him into a net, and he wanders into its mesh.”Bildad had said the wicked man walks into a net by his own feet.
- Job 40:8 (BSB)“Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?”The LORD asks whether Job would condemn God to justify himself.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”The LORD says Job spoke accurately about Him, unlike the friends.
General
Which picture does Job use in 19:8-12 for the way God is treating him?
Answer: An army that builds a siege ramp and camps around his tent
Job says God has walled off his road and covered his paths with darkness (19:8), stripped away his honor and taken the crown from his head (19:9), broken him down all around and pulled up his hope as one uproots a tree (19:10). God's anger burns, and He treats Job as an enemy (19:11). His troops advance, build a siege ramp (an earth mound piled up to attack a city's walls), and camp around Job's tent (19:12). Job had earlier asked why God counted him as an enemy (13:24), and Lamentations describes God walling in a sufferer and blocking his ways in a similar way (Lamentations 3:7-9).
- Job 19:8-12 (BSB)“He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness. He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. He tears me down on every side until I am gone; He uproots my hope like a tree. His anger burns against me, and He counts me among His enemies. His troops advance together; they construct a ramp against me and encamp around my tent.”Job pictures God blocking his way, stripping his honor, and besieging him with troops.
- Job 13:24 (BSB)“Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy?”Job had asked why God considers him an enemy.
- Lamentations 3:7-9 (BSB)“He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer. He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.”Lamentations describes God walling a sufferer in and barring his ways.
Theological
In 19:8-12, what extended image does Job use for God's dealings with him?
Answer: An army that builds a siege ramp and camps around his tent
Job describes God as a besieging general: blocking his way and darkening his paths (19:8), stripping his honor and crown (19:9), demolishing him and uprooting his hope (19:10), reckoning him an enemy (19:11), and sending troops to raise a siege ramp around his tent (19:12). The same sense of being treated as God's enemy appears in 13:24, and Lamentations 3:7-9 uses closely parallel images of being walled in and blocked by God.
- Job 19:8-12 (BSB)“He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness. He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. He tears me down on every side until I am gone; He uproots my hope like a tree. His anger burns against me, and He counts me among His enemies. His troops advance together; they construct a ramp against me and encamp around my tent.”Job pictures God blocking his way, stripping his honor, and besieging him with troops.
- Job 13:24 (BSB)“Why do You hide Your face and consider me as Your enemy?”Job had asked why God considers him an enemy.
- Lamentations 3:7-9 (BSB)“He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer. He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.”Lamentations describes God walling a sufferer in and barring his ways.
General
In 19:25-27, what does Job declare that he knows?
Answer: His Redeemer lives, and he himself will see God
Job says he knows that his Redeemer lives and that at the last He will stand on the earth (19:25). Elsewhere in Scripture a redeemer is a close relative who steps in to buy back what a family member has lost (Leviticus 25:25), and the LORD calls Himself Israel's Redeemer (Isaiah 41:14). Job adds that even once his skin is destroyed, in his flesh he will see God, see Him for himself with his own eyes and not as an outsider, and his heart longs for it (19:26-27). These words come right after Job describes being abandoned by everyone close to him (19:13-19). Near the end of the book Job says that now his eyes have seen the LORD (42:5). Readers differ on whether Job expects to see God after death in a bodily resurrection or to be vindicated within this life. Many Christians have seen in these verses a hope fulfilled in Christ.
- Job 19:25-27 (BSB)“But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within me!”Job declares that his Redeemer lives and that he will see God with his own eyes.
- Leviticus 25:25 (BSB)“If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.”The nearest relative may redeem what an impoverished brother has lost.
- Isaiah 41:14 (BSB)“Do not fear, O Jacob, you worm, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”The LORD calls Himself Israel's Redeemer.
- Job 42:5 (BSB)“My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.”At the end Job says his eyes have now seen the LORD.
Theological
What is the content of Job's confession in 19:25-27?
Answer: His Redeemer lives, and he himself will see God
Job confesses certain knowledge that his Redeemer lives and will at the last take His stand on the earth (19:25). The redeemer is the near kinsman who restores what a relative has lost (Leviticus 25:25), a role the LORD claims for Himself toward Israel (Isaiah 41:14). Job further expects, even after his skin is destroyed, to see God in his flesh with his own eyes and not as an outsider, and his heart yearns for it (19:26-27). The confession rises from the depth of his abandonment (19:13-19). Near the close of the book Job says his eyes have now seen the LORD (42:5). Interpreters differ on whether Job envisions bodily resurrection or vindication before death. Many Christians have seen in these verses a hope fulfilled in Christ.
- Job 19:25-27 (BSB)“But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. I will see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, and not as a stranger. How my heart yearns within me!”Job declares that his Redeemer lives and that he will see God with his own eyes.
- Leviticus 25:25 (BSB)“If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.”The nearest relative may redeem what an impoverished brother has lost.
- Isaiah 41:14 (BSB)“Do not fear, O Jacob, you worm, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”The LORD calls Himself Israel's Redeemer.
- Job 42:5 (BSB)“My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.”At the end Job says his eyes have now seen the LORD.
General
True or False: In 19:21-22, Job begs his friends to pity him because God's hand has struck him, and asks why they pursue him the way God does.
Answer: True
This is true. Wasted to skin and bone (19:20), Job twice begs his friends to have pity, giving the reason that God's hand has struck him (19:21). He asks why they hound him as God does and are never satisfied with tearing at him (19:22). Instead of sharing his burden, they have added to it. Job had said a despairing man deserves kindness from his friend (6:14), and the apostle Paul tells believers to bear each other's loads (Galatians 6:2).
- Job 19:21-22 (BSB)“Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you persecute me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?”Job begs his friends for pity and asks why they pursue him as God does.
- Job 6:14 (BSB)“A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”Job had said a despairing man should receive kindness from his friend.
- Galatians 6:2 (BSB)“Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”Paul tells believers to carry one another's burdens.
Theological
True or False: In 19:21-22, Job pleads with the friends for pity on the ground that God's hand has struck him, and asks why they pursue him as God does.
Answer: True
This is true. Reduced to skin and bone (19:20), Job makes a double plea, which for pity and rests it on the fact that God's hand has struck him (19:21), and he protests that the friends pursue him as God does, insatiable for his flesh (19:22). They have joined the affliction instead of relieving it, contrary to the kindness Job says a despairing man is owed (6:14) and to the apostolic command to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2).
- Job 19:21-22 (BSB)“Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you persecute me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?”Job begs his friends for pity and asks why they pursue him as God does.
- Job 6:14 (BSB)“A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.”Job had said a despairing man should receive kindness from his friend.
- Galatians 6:2 (BSB)“Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”Paul tells believers to carry one another's burdens.
General
What wish does Job express in 19:23-24?
Answer: That his words would be written down or carved lastingly in rock
Job wishes his words could be written down in a book, inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock to last forever (19:23-24). He wants a lasting record of his case. He has already said he has prepared his case and knows he will be vindicated (13:18), and he longs to find God's seat so he can lay out his arguments before Him (23:3-4).
- Job 19:23-24 (BSB)“I wish that my words were recorded and inscribed in a book, by an iron stylus on lead, or chiseled in stone forever.”Job wishes his words were recorded and engraved in stone forever.
- Job 13:18 (BSB)“See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.”Job says he has prepared his case and knows he will be vindicated.
- Job 23:3-4 (BSB)“If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat. I would plead my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.”Job longs to plead his case before God's seat.
Theological
What desire does Job voice in 19:23-24 concerning his words?
Answer: That his words would be written down or carved lastingly in rock
Job longs for a permanent record of his words, set down in a book, cut with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock (19:23-24). The wish fits his confidence that his case will be vindicated (13:18) and his desire to argue it before God's own seat (23:3-4).
- Job 19:23-24 (BSB)“I wish that my words were recorded and inscribed in a book, by an iron stylus on lead, or chiseled in stone forever.”Job wishes his words were recorded and engraved in stone forever.
- Job 13:18 (BSB)“See now, I have prepared my case; I know that I will be vindicated.”Job says he has prepared his case and knows he will be vindicated.
- Job 23:3-4 (BSB)“If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat. I would plead my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.”Job longs to plead his case before God's seat.