Job 10:12 kjv
Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
Job 10:12 nkjv
You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit.
Job 10:12 niv
You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.
Job 10:12 esv
You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.
Job 10:12 nlt
You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love.
My life was preserved by your care.
Job 10 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 2:7 | ...formed the man of dust...breathed into his nostrils the breath of life...man became a living being. | God is the source of all life. |
| Ps 139:13-16 | For you formed my inward parts...intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance... | God's meticulous creation and sovereign knowledge of each person from conception. |
| Neh 9:6 | You are the Lord, you alone...you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. | God is the ultimate Preserver and Sustainer of all life. |
| Isa 42:5 | Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens...who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it. | God is the giver of breath and spirit, animating all humanity. |
| Acts 17:25 | He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. | God is the provider of life and all essentials. |
| Acts 17:28 | For in him we live and move and have our being... | Our very existence and ability to function are sustained by God. |
| Ps 36:7 | How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. | God's chesed (steadfast love) offers profound refuge and security. |
| Lam 3:22-23 | The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning... | God's loyal love is constant and renewing, demonstrating His enduring faithfulness. |
| Joel 2:13 | ...for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love... | Attributes of God highlighting His mercy and enduring chesed. |
| Rom 8:38-39 | ...nothing...will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. | God's love (similar to steadfast love) is ultimate and unbreakable. |
| 1 Chr 29:14 | ...for all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. | All life and provision originate from God's hand. |
| Phil 4:6-7 | Do not be anxious about anything...the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds... | God's active protection and guardianship over His people. |
| 1 Pet 5:7 | ...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. | God's active and personal care for individuals. |
| Ps 121:7-8 | The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. | God's diligent watch and preservation over every aspect of life. |
| Deut 30:19-20 | ...choose life, that you and your offspring may live...loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice... | God presents life as a choice, but ultimately provides the ability to choose. |
| Job 29:2 | Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me! | Job reflects on God's past care, directly paralleling Job 10:12. |
| Prov 20:27 | The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts. | The spirit or life-breath given by God to animate man. |
| Ps 66:9 | ...who keeps our soul among the living and does not allow our feet to slip. | God's protective preservation of one's very existence. |
| Jn 1:4 | In him was life, and the life was the light of men. | Jesus, as God, is the embodiment and source of all life. |
| Rev 4:11 | Worthy are you, our Lord and God...for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. | God as the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of existence. |
Job 10 verses
Job 10 12 Meaning
Job 10:12 expresses Job's poignant remembrance of God's incredible benevolence and intricate care towards him since his very inception. He acknowledges that God, through His divine power and unwavering love, granted him life, sustained him with loyal steadfastness, and meticulously preserved his very being and spirit, leading him through the journey of life up to his present, yet profoundly difficult, circumstances.
Job 10 12 Context
Job 10:12 is uttered by Job in the midst of his desperate plea and complaint to God (Job 9-10). Having affirmed God's overwhelming power and majesty (Job 9:4-10) and the futility of disputing with Him, Job shifts to express his profound bewilderment and pain regarding his suffering. He feels unjustly pursued and afflicted by the very God whom he acknowledges as his Creator and Preserver. This specific verse (10:12) represents a pivot point in Job's lament: a poignant recollection of God's prior intimate and gracious care, creating a sharp contrast with his present perception of God's adversarial actions against him. He moves from acknowledging God's creation (Job 10:8-11, how he was "knitted together") to reminiscing about God's continuous preservation, emphasizing that God not only made him but sustained him with deliberate loving attention. This deep paradox of God as both former caretaker and current tormentor fuels Job's anguish and argument.
Job 10 12 Word analysis
- You have granted me (נָתַתָּ֬ nāthaṯtā): This verb means "to give," "to put," "to place." It emphasizes God's initiative, purposeful action, and the nature of Job's life as a direct gift, not an earned right. It underscores God's active involvement.
- life (חַיִּ֖ים ḥayyîm): This is the plural form of "life," often indicating abundance or totality of life (physical existence, vitality, and well-being). It refers to the animation and continuation of Job's very being from his origins. This gift comes directly from the Divine source.
- and steadfast love (וָחֶ֑סֶד wāḥesed): Chesed (often translated "loving-kindness," "mercy," "unfailing love," "loyalty," "steadfast love") is a foundational concept describing God's covenant loyalty and gracious, committed action. It implies a deeply personal and reliable benevolence, beyond mere physical existence. God's chesed indicates He provides for Job not out of obligation, but out of faithful, loyal commitment. This shows a relational dimension to God's dealings with Job even before the formal Mosaic covenant, implying an inherent goodness in God's character.
- and your care (וּפְקֻדָּתְךָ֥ ûp̄əqudāṯəḵā): This term (pĕquddāh) can mean "visitation," "oversight," "appointment," "care," "account," or "muster." In this context, it speaks of God's continuous, meticulous attention and oversight—His direct intervention and active superintendence over Job's life. It denotes a watchful, protective, and even governing role, suggesting that God did not simply create and then abandon, but remained intricately involved in Job's existence. It's a precise, supervisory attentiveness.
- has preserved (שָֽׁמְרָ֥ה šāmərāh): This verb means "to guard," "to keep," "to watch over," "to protect." It conveys a continuous, active defense and maintenance. God didn't just give life, but diligently guarded it, implying the fragile nature of life and God's powerful role in sustaining it against various threats or the mere decay of time.
- my spirit (רוּחִֽי rûḥî): This refers to Job's "breath," "life principle," "spirit," or even his "person." It is the animating force within him, which comes directly from God (Gen 2:7, Num 27:16). God not only guarded his physical life but also his inner essence, his very capacity to be alive.
Job 10 12 Bonus section
The profound understanding of chesed in Job 10:12, despite its being outside the formal Mosaic covenant, emphasizes that God's steadfast love is inherent to His character, not solely a consequence of a specific covenant agreement. It is part of His divine nature and overflows into His creation and interaction with humanity from the very beginning. Furthermore, the detailed portrayal of God's creative and preserving acts here ("knitted together," "preserved my spirit") lays a crucial foundation for understanding human dependence on God, prefiguring later scriptural insights found in the Psalms and New Testament that our very breath and being are sustained moment by moment by the Creator (e.g., Ps 104:29-30; Acts 17:28). Job's recollection serves not just as a statement of gratitude but also as a powerful, unspoken question to God: "Why would such a loving, meticulous Preserver now act in a way that contradicts all the previous manifestations of His perfect care?" This paradox is central to Job's theological wrestling.
Job 10 12 Commentary
Job 10:12 is a powerful statement of Job's profound understanding of God's intimate, providential care over his life from its earliest moments. It captures a deep theological truth: God is not merely a distant Creator but an actively engaged Sustainer. The sequence "life," "steadfast love," "care," and "preserved my spirit" speaks volumes about God's comprehensive engagement. He granted existence (life), undergirded that existence with unwavering loyalty and kindness (chesed), constantly visited and oversaw Job with deliberate attentiveness (pequddah), and meticulously protected his very essence (ruach). This verse highlights the deep irony of Job's lament: the same God who meticulously and lovingly knitted him together and sustained him with such intricate care now appears to be unraveling him with relentless blows. Job acknowledges God's benevolent past actions, making his current suffering all the more baffling and excruciating. It underscores the contrast between divine tenderness in creation/preservation and divine harshness in suffering, a central tension in the book of Job. It stands as a testament to the extent of God's personal involvement with humanity, revealing His attributes of creativity, loyal love, detailed providence, and constant protection.