Job 19:19

"Even young children despise me. If I arise, they speak against me."

Key Reflection

In Job 19:19, we see a poignant portrayal of Job's profound suffering and isolation. The verse highlights how even the most vulnerable members of society—children who should be showing compassion—have turned against him. This speaks to the depths of his despair and the complete rejection he experiences. In first-century Jewish culture, such a statement would underscore not only the physical pain but also the emotional and social ostracism Job endures, emphasizing the severity of his trials beyond mere material loss or illness.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

All my inward friends -Margin, “the men of my secret.” The meaning is those, who were admitted to the intimacy of friendship or who were permitted to be acquainted with his secret thoughts, purposes, and plans. The word uses here (סודsôd) denotes properly “a couch, cushions, pillow,” on which one reclines; then a “divan,” a circle of persons sitting together for consultation or conversation; and hence, it refers to those who are sitting together in intimate counsel, (seeJob 15:8, note;Job 29:4, note) and then familiar conversation, intimacy. Here the phrase “men of my intimacy” (סודיsôdı̂y) denotes those who were admitted to intimate friendship.

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