19:2 How long Job responds to Bildad’s rebuke (18:2) by accusing his friends of tormenting him.

19:3 ten times In the ot, the number 10 represents fullness or completion (Gen 31:7; Num 14:22). Here, Job is saying that his friends have fully humiliated him, not that they have humiliated him 10 times.

19:4 my error remains with me Job resents his friends’ interference. He argues that even if he had erred, it would not be their business.

19:6 God has wronged me Job wants to make it clear that God has wronged him. He uses the same Hebrew term that Bildad does in his first speech when Bildad claims God does not pervert justice (see Job 8:3 and note). Job believes that God has treated him unjustly.

Following Jesus When You Want to Give Up Devotional

has surrounded me with his net In response to Bildad’s claims in 18:8–10, Job argues that he has not been led into a trap by wickedness; rather, in his view, God has unjustly trapped him.

19:7 I cry out After complaining about his friends’ treatment of him, Job focuses on how God has dealt with him. Here, he specifically complains about God silence. Job’s cries for justice have gone unanswered; God has not heeded any of his calls for help.

19:8 He has walled up my way In 1:10, the satan figure argued that Job’s faith was partly due to God’s wall of protection (compare note on 1:6). Here, Job says that God has put a wall around him to prevent his escape (compare 3:23 and note).

19:10 he has uprooted my hope like a tree Job earlier discussed that a tree has the hope of regrowth (14:7–9; see note on 14:7). An uprooted tree, however, does not have this hope. This echoes Bildad’s words about the roots of the wicked being dried up (see 18:16 and note).

19:12 have encamped around my tent Siege ramps would normally be put up around fortified cities, not individual tents (2 Sam 20:15; Dan 11:15). Job emphasizes that God has taken excessive measures against him. He again echoes Bildad’s speech about the fate of the wicked (see note on Job 18:15).

19:13 have only turned aside from me As a result of God’s attack, Job feels completely estranged and alienated. Isolation was an integral part of Job’s suffering. Isolation and estrangement from friends or family is a common complaint in ot lament (Pss 31:11–13; 69:8; 88:18).

19:16 he does not answer Even Job’s servants rejected him. Those who should have honored him ignored him or treated him like a foreigner instead (Job 19:15).

19:18 Little boys also despise me Usually, young people would respect those older than them (32:4–6).

19:21 Pity me Job urgently pleads with his friends for mercy. God has greatly afflicted him and left him estranged and isolated. He desperately wanted comfort and understanding from his friends (16:2–5).

19:22 do you pursue me like God Just as God has attacked him (compare 6:5; 7:12–21; 9:13–35; 13:19–27; 16:7–17), Job feels that his friends have been relentless in their abuse.

19:23 they could be inscribed in a scroll Expecting continued condemnation from his friends, Job wishes for the preservation of his words. A written account would preserve Job’s claim of innocence beyond his death. He hopes his claim will eventually be proven true so he can be vindicated. Job may be reacting to Bildad’s point that the memory of the wicked perishes (18:17).

19:25 redeemer Job expresses hope in his redeemer—the Hebrew word used here is go'el. Job has been pleading for an advocate before God, believing that he is unjustly suffering (16:11–21; 19:6), and now expresses hope in a redeemer who is alive and who will surely come to his rescue (compare 16:19, 21; 1 John 2:1). Elsewhere in the ot, God redeems His people from slavery (Exod 6:6) or exile (Isa 41:14). As a redeemer, He defends people’s causes (Psa 119:154; Prov 23:11; Jer 50:34) and delivers them from death (Psa 103:4).

Go’el Word Study

he will stand up The Hebrew term used here, qum, is sometimes used as a legal term for someone standing as a witness for another (Deut 19:15–16; Psa 27:12).

19:26 from my flesh Job appears to be expressing hope in renewal and perhaps even in resurrection (compare Job 14:13–14).

19:29 wrath brings punishment by the sword Confident in his eventual vindication, Job warns his friends that they will be accountable for their accusations and lack of compassion. Eventually, God shows His anger towards them and has Job pray on their behalf (42:7–9).

there is judgment Job expresses hope that eventually judgment will come. While his friends see this at the end of the book (42:7–9), Job’s expression here could also point to future judgment for all of humanity. Compare note on 14:12.