Job — Chapter 23
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1Then Job answered:
2“Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat.
4I would plead my case before Him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would learn how He would answer, and consider what He would say.
6Would He contend with me in His great power? No, He would certainly take note of me.
7Then an upright man could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.
8If I go east, He is not there, and if I go west, I cannot find Him.
9When He is at work in the north, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the south, I cannot see Him.
10Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11My feet have followed in His tracks; I have kept His way without turning aside.
12I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.
13But He is unchangeable, and who can oppose Him? He does what He desires.
14For He carries out His decree against me, and He has many such plans.
15Therefore I am terrified in His presence; when I consider this, I fear Him.
16God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.
17Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.
1Then Job answered and said,
2Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
3Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
4I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me.
6Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.
7There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
8Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
9On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
10But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
12Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
13But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
14For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
15Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.
16For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me:
17Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.
1Then Job answered and said,
2Even to-day is my complaint rebellious: My stroke is heavier than my groaning.
3Oh that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat!
4I would set my cause in order before him, And fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would know the words which he would answer me, And understand what he would say unto me.
6Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? Nay; but he would give heed unto me.
7There the upright might reason with him; So should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
8Behold, I go forward, but he is not [there]; And backward, but I cannot perceive him;
9On the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him; He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.
10But he knoweth the way that I take; When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
11My foot hath held fast to his steps; His way have I kept, and turned not aside.
12I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
13But he is in one [mind], and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.
14For he performeth that which is appointed for me: And many such things are with him.
15Therefore am I terrified at his presence; When I consider, I am afraid of him.
16For God hath made my heart faint, And the Almighty hath terrified me;
17Because I was not cut off before the darkness, Neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.
1Then Job answered:
2“Even today my complaint is still bitter; his hand is heavy despite my groaning.
3O that I knew where I might find him, that I could come to his place of residence!
4I would lay out my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would know with what words he would answer me and understand what he would say to me.
6Would he contend with me with great power? No, he would only pay attention to me.
7There an upright person could present his case before him, and I would be delivered forever from my judge.
8“If I go to the east, he is not there, and to the west, yet I do not perceive him.
9In the north when he is at work, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I see no trace of him.
10But he knows the pathway that I take; if he tested me, I would come forth like gold.
11My feet have followed his steps closely; I have kept to his way and have not turned aside.
12I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion.
13But he is unchangeable, and who can change him? Whatever he has desired, he does.
14For he fulfills his decree against me, and many such things are his plans.
15That is why I am terrified in his presence; when I consider, I am afraid because of him.
16Indeed, God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.
17Yet I have not been silent because of the darkness, because of the thick darkness that covered my face.
1Then Job answered,
2“Even today my complaint is rebellious. His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.
3Oh that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat!
4I would set my cause in order before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
5I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would tell me.
6Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? No, but he would listen to me.
7There the upright might reason with him, so I should be delivered forever from my judge.
8“If I go east, he is not there; if west, I can’t find him;
9He works to the north, but I can’t see him. He turns south, but I can’t catch a glimpse of him.
10But he knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I shall come out like gold.
11My foot has held fast to his steps. I have kept his way, and not turned away.
12I haven’t gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
13But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? What his soul desires, even that he does.
14For he performs that which is appointed for me. Many such things are with him.
15Therefore I am terrified at his presence. When I consider, I am afraid of him.
16For God has made my heart faint. The Almighty has terrified me.
17Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.
Summary
Job responds to Eliphaz by longing to find God's dwelling place so he could lay his case before him directly, confident he would be heard and vindicated rather than overpowered (vv. 2-7). Yet God seems to elude him in every direction — east, west, north, and south (vv. 8-9). Job insists God already knows the path he has taken and that testing him would prove him genuine, since he has followed God's ways and treasured his commands more than his own daily bread (vv. 10-12). But God is unchangeable and does whatever he wills, carrying out his purposes for Job's life, which leaves Job terrified and unsettled in his presence (vv. 13-17).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that verse 10 is remarkable because Job expresses confidence in God's refining purpose WHILE being unable to find God. This is not fair-weather faith but furnace faith. Guzik notes the contrast between Job's longing for God (v.3) and his terror of God (v.15) — both are genuine, and both coexist in the soul of a suffering believer.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the speech from the whirlwind, and why it answers Job the way it does.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Job -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Longing for God Is Itself Faith (v.3) — Job cannot locate God anywhere, yet he never stops searching for Him, revealing that the ache to find God is itself a form of living faith. When God feels distant, does your longing to find Him prove your faith is alive rather than gone?
- Known Even When You Can't Find Him (v.10) — Job declares that even though he cannot see God, God knows the path he's walking and will bring him through the trial refined like gold. Can you trust that God is tracking your path even in the seasons when you can't sense His presence at all?
- Treasuring God's Word Above Comfort (v.12) — Job says he has prized God's commands more than his own necessary food, holding onto God's word even while everything else in his life has fallen apart. When your circumstances don't match what you expected from following God, do you still hold on to what He has said?
- Sovereignty That Comforts and Terrifies (vv.13-15) — Job affirms that God does whatever He pleases and is unchangeable, and that same truth both steadies him and makes him tremble. Does God's unshakable sovereignty feel more like peace or more like fear to you right now, and can it be both?