Job 19:23

"Why do you persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?"

Key Reflection

In Job 19:23, Job expresses his frustration and plea to those who oppose him, suggesting that their actions feel like divine persecution. The phrase "are not satisfied with my flesh" (Hebrew: וְלֹא־רָצוֹנִי בֶּחָבָל; v'lo ratzoni bechaval) likely refers to their relentless pursuit of his suffering, indicating that Job feels they are pushing him to the brink of despair and physical exhaustion. This verse highlights the intensity of Job's trials and his earnest desire for his accusers to understand the depth of his pain and suffering.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Oh that my words were now written! -Margin, as in Hebrew, “Who will give;” a common mode of expressing desire among the Hebrews. This expression of desire introduces one of the most important passages in the book of Job. It is the language of a man who felt that injustice was done by his friends, and that he was not likely to have justice done him by that generation. He was charged with hypocrisy; his motives were called in question; his solemn appeals, and his arguments to assert his innocence, were disregarded; and in this state of mind he expresses the earnest wish that his expressions might be permanently recorded, and go down to far distant times.

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