Job Chapter 19 — My Redeemer Lives
Job expresses his deep sense of abandonment by God and society but concludes with a firm declaration of hope in a living Redeemer.
1Then Job answered,
2“How long will you torment me,
3You have reproached me ten times.
4If it is true that I have erred,
5If indeed you will magnify yourselves against me,
6know now that God has subverted me,
7“Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard.
8He has walled up my way so that I can’t pass,
9He has stripped me of my glory,
10He has broken me down on every side, and I am gone.
11He has also kindled his wrath against me.
12His troops come on together,
13“He has put my brothers far from me.
14My relatives have gone away.
15Those who dwell in my house and my maids consider me a stranger.
16I call to my servant, and he gives me no answer.
17My breath is offensive to my wife.
18Even young children despise me.
19All my familiar friends abhor me.
20My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh.
21“Have pity on me. Have pity on me, you my friends,
22Why do you persecute me as God,
23“Oh that my words were now written!
24That with an iron pen and lead
25But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives.
26After my skin is destroyed,
27whom I, even I, will see on my side.
28If you say, ‘How we will persecute him!’
29be afraid of the sword,
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Job 19:21
“Have pity on me. Have pity on me, you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me.”
This verse captures Job's desperate plea for compassion from his companions in the midst of his pain.
Job 19:25
“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives.”
This is one of the most famous declarations of hope and faith in the Old Testament.
Job 19:26
“After my skin is destroyed, then I will see God in my flesh,”
Job expresses a conviction that his relationship with God will endure beyond physical destruction.
Chapter Summary
In Job 19, Job responds to the ongoing arguments of his friends, describing the intense emotional and social pain of his situation. He claims that God has subverted him and stripped him of his dignity. Job provides a list of those who have abandoned him, including his relatives, servants, and even his wife, noting that he has become a stranger in his own home. His physical condition has deteriorated to the point where his bones cling to his skin. Despite this profound isolation and suffering, the chapter contains one of the most famous declarations of faith in the Bible. Job expresses a confident hope that his Redeemer lives and that he will eventually see God in his own flesh, even after his body has been destroyed. The chapter concludes with a warning to his friends, advising them to fear the sword of judgment because of the way they have treated him during his affliction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Job lists many people, including his wife, servants, and close friends, who have turned away from him or treat him like a stranger during his illness and loss.
Job expresses a conviction that even though he is suffering and near death, a legal advocate or protector exists who will eventually vindicate him and allow him to see God.
Job describes himself as being in a state of extreme physical decay, stating that his bones stick to his skin and flesh and that he is essentially wasting away.
Study Note
The term 'Redeemer' (Hebrew: Goel) used in verse 25 originally referred to a family protector or legal advocate who would defend the rights of a relative.
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