Job 1:10

"Haven’t you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land."

Key Reflection

In Job 1:10, God challenges Satan by asserting that He has protected Job through multiple layers of security and prosperity—like a fortified hedge around a property. This imagery suggests that Job's life was blessed and his wealth increased, indicating the high level of divine favor he enjoyed among the original audience. They would have understood this as highlighting Job’s privileged status and God’s evident care for him, setting the stage for what follows—the trials that are about to befall Job.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Hast thou not made an hedge about him? -Dr. Good remarks, that to give the original word here its full force, it should be derived from the science of engineering, and be rendered, “Hast thou not raised a “palisado” about him?” The Hebrew word used here (שׂוּךśûk) properly means “to hedge”; to hedge in or about; and hence, to protect, as one is defended whose house or farm is hedged in either with a fence of thorns, or with an enclosure of stakes or palisades.

Related Verses

More from Job 1

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