Job 10 17

Job 10:17 kjv

Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me.

Job 10:17 nkjv

You renew Your witnesses against me, And increase Your indignation toward me; Changes and war are ever with me.

Job 10:17 niv

You bring new witnesses against me and increase your anger toward me; your forces come against me wave upon wave.

Job 10:17 esv

You renew your witnesses against me and increase your vexation toward me; you bring fresh troops against me.

Job 10:17 nlt

Again and again you witness against me.
You pour out your growing anger on me
and bring fresh armies against me.

Job 10 verses

Job 10 17 Meaning

Job 10:17 encapsulates Job’s profound despair and his perception of God as his relentless persecutor. He believes God continuously brings new evidence or accusers against him, intensifying divine anger, and marshaling successive waves of affliction to attack him, like an army advancing in formation. This verse reveals Job’s conviction that his suffering is not a random misfortune but a deliberate, organized assault from God Himself.

Job 10 17 Context

Job 10:17 is spoken by Job in his first address directly to God, found in chapter 10. This follows his friends' first round of counsel, specifically Zophar’s harsh pronouncements in chapter 11 that accused Job of hidden sin and impiety. Job has just challenged their traditional wisdom about suffering being directly proportional to sin. In Job 10, Job transitions from arguing with his friends to pouring out his lament and protest before God, expressing his utter distress and confusion. He feels utterly helpless against an omnipotent God who he perceives has become his adversary. Job desperately seeks an explanation for his undeserved suffering, feeling God's heavy hand upon him not as discipline, but as unjust, escalating persecution. He uses legal and military imagery to convey the methodical and relentless nature of what he experiences as God's attack.

Job 10 17 Word analysis

• You renew (תְחַדֵּשׁ - teḥaddēš): From the root חָדַשׁ (ḥadash), meaning "to be new," "to make new," "to repair." In this context, it suggests not merely repeating, but bringing forth in fresh, vigorous ways or with renewed energy. It implies a continuous, unceasing action, as if God refreshes His hostile intent or the means of His antagonism.
• your witnesses (עֵדֶיךָ - ‘ēdeykā): From עֵד (‘ed), meaning "witness," "testimony." In ancient Near Eastern legal settings, witnesses were crucial for accusation or validation. Job here sees God bringing forth evidence or individuals that serve as accusers or manifestations of God's judgment, justifying the renewed attacks. These could be the increasing misfortunes themselves acting as 'witnesses' of God's case against him, or possibly his friends whose persistent accusations seem to confirm God's judgment.
• against me (נֶגְדִּי - negdî): Signifies "opposite me," "in my presence," or "against me." It clearly states the adversarial stance perceived by Job.
• and increase (וְתַרְבֶּה - vəṯarbeh): From the root רָבָה (rabah), meaning "to become great," "to multiply," "to increase." This word emphasizes the escalation and growing intensity of God's actions. It’s not just continuing, but growing in number or severity.
• your indignation (כַעֲשֶׂךָ - ka‘ăśekā): From כַּעַס (ka‘as), meaning "vexation," "anger," "provocation," "grief." This is a strong word denoting intense emotional agitation or wrath. Job experiences God’s anger as directed, personal, and overwhelming.
• toward me (אֵלַי - ’ēlāy): A preposition indicating direction, "to me" or "against me," reiterating the personal nature of God’s perceived attack.
• disasters are arrayed in ranks (חֲלִיצוֹת וְצָבָא - ḥălīṣōt wəṣābā’ - different manuscripts/translations for this problematic phrase, using a common understanding or ESV's "fresh hosts against me"). The phrase ḥălīṣōt (חֲלִיצוֹת) is a difficult Hebrew term. Some scholars connect it to חָלַץ (ḥalaṣ) meaning "to draw out," leading to ideas like "changes" (KJV) or "renewed assaults." Other interpretations, considering context and ancient manuscripts, point to "fresh troops" or "renewed attacks." This implies sequential, organized movements like an army. Disasters: While "disasters" (NIV) or "changes" (KJV) are possibilities from the rare word, the deeper analysis often links to the sense of active, violent action. are arrayed in ranks: The imagery is overtly military. "Ranks" or "hosts" (צָבָא - ṣābā’*) is a very common biblical word for "army," "host," "warfare," or "troops." This reinforces the idea of an organized, methodical assault rather than random misfortunes. It’s not chaos but deliberate, strategic oppression.

• You renew your witnesses against me and increase your indignation toward me: Job portrays God as an active prosecutor or judge who not only continues to present charges but escalates His display of wrath and the "evidence" or effects of it against Job. This speaks to a deeply personal and antagonistic relationship from Job’s perspective, not mere passivity or distance from God.
• Disasters are arrayed in ranks against me: This vivid military metaphor compounds the image of God as an adversary. It suggests that Job's suffering is not just heavy but comes in a systematic, strategic, and organized manner, like an army deploying its forces. The use of "ranks" highlights the orderliness and inevitability of the attacks, signifying an overwhelming and inescapable divine onslaught.

Job 10 17 Bonus section

The severity of Job's accusation in this verse—imputing malevolent and systematic cruelty to God—is part of what makes the book of Job so potent. His honest lament, even in its near-blasphemous character from a traditional perspective, serves a theological purpose. It challenges comfortable piety and forces the reader to grapple with the mystery of suffering and divine sovereignty. Job's willingness to "charge God with wrong" (Job 1:22, not by the narrative voice, but by himself here, a charge his wife suggests and Satan wants to elicit) prepares for God’s direct intervention in later chapters, where Job's limited perspective is corrected, not by an explanation for his suffering, but by a revelation of God’s majestic power and incomprehensible wisdom. This verse represents the theological breaking point for Job before the divine encounter.

Job 10 17 Commentary

Job 10:17 is a raw outburst of a soul in extreme anguish, convinced that God Himself is the architect of his torment. It unveils Job's perception of God as a relentless and almost sadistic adversary who systematically renews His case, increases His anger, and marshals afflictions like an organized military campaign. This verse highlights the profound theological dilemma Job faces: how can a just and benevolent God treat an innocent servant with such unrelenting hostility? It encapsulates Job's deep sense of personal grievance and the feeling of being unfairly targeted and overwhelmed by divine power. The legal and military metaphors underscore the systematic, deliberate nature of the suffering Job experiences, stripping away any illusion of accidental misfortune and framing his agony as a calculated divine assault.