Job 13 24

Job 13:24 kjv

Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?

Job 13:24 nkjv

Why do You hide Your face, And regard me as Your enemy?

Job 13:24 niv

Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?

Job 13:24 esv

Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy?

Job 13:24 nlt

Why do you turn away from me?
Why do you treat me as your enemy?

Job 13 verses

Job 13 24 Meaning

Job 13:24 expresses Job's profound distress and bewilderment. He questions why God is absent or seemingly unconcerned ("hidest thou thy face") during his suffering. Furthermore, he laments God is treating him as an adversary or hostile opponent ("holdest me for thine enemy"), rather than a loyal servant. This verse encapsulates Job's struggle to reconcile his blamelessness with the severe affliction he experiences from God's hand, feeling unjustly attacked and abandoned.

Job 13 24 Context

Job 13 is part of Job’s third response to his friends. At this point, Job has rejected his friends' conventional wisdom, asserting his integrity and his desire to bring his case directly before God. He feels their counsel is worthless and that they are speaking deceitfully for God. Job expresses his intense frustration with his circumstances, acknowledging God's overwhelming power but deeply troubled by what he perceives as God's unjust treatment. He desires an open dialogue with the Almighty, trusting that he would be justified, yet also fearing God's inscrutability and might. Verse 24, along with the preceding verses, portrays Job’s despairing perception that God has become his oppressor rather than his protector, hiding His presence and treating him as an enemy without cause. This reflects Job’s deep struggle with the problem of suffering, particularly when one believes oneself to be righteous. Historically, Job's lament goes against the common Near Eastern understanding that only the wicked suffered; Job’s continued suffering despite his righteousness challenged these societal norms and prevalent retribution theology.

Job 13 24 Word analysis

• Why (לָמָּה - lammah): This interrogative particle often introduces a complaint or an accusation. It signifies Job's profound confusion and earnest desire for an explanation. It is not just a question but a cry of anguish, challenging the perceived divine action.
• hidest (תַּסְתִּיר - tastîr): From the Hebrew verb סָתַר (sātar), in the Hiphil imperfect form. The Hiphil stem indicates a causative action or permission – God causes His face to be hidden, or chooses to hide it. This implies a deliberate, active withdrawal, intensifying Job’s sense of divine intentionality in his suffering.
• thou thy face (פָּנֶיךָ - pāneyḵā): "Face" (פָּנִים - panim) in biblical idiom often represents God's presence, favor, approval, or direct communication. To "hide one's face" is a powerful expression of divine disapproval, abandonment, disfavor, or a refusal to answer prayers. For Job, it means God has withdrawn His blessing and comforting presence.
• and holdest (תַּחְשְׁבֵנִי - taḥshəḇēnî): From the Hebrew verb חָשַׁב (ḥāšaḇ), meaning to think, reckon, consider, devise. In this context, it signifies that God thinks of Job or considers him to be an enemy. It is a divine reckoning that Job finds inexplicable and terrifying.
• me (implied in the suffix of taḥshəḇēnî): The object of God’s thought, accentuating Job’s personal distress over God’s perceived judgment of him.
• for thine enemy (לְאוֹיֵב לָךְ - lᵉ’ôyêḇ lāḵ): "Enemy" (אוֹיֵב - ʾôyēḇ) derives from a root meaning "to be hostile" or "to treat as hostile." To be an enemy of God implies divine opposition and judgment, a complete lack of favor. Job, who believes himself to be righteous and upright, cannot fathom why the benevolent God would count him, His devoted servant, among His adversaries. This is the deepest cut in Job’s lament, a reversal of his entire life's commitment to God.

• "Why hidest thou thy face": This phrase encapsulates Job's overwhelming sense of divine abandonment. He is not just suffering; he feels God has intentionally withdrawn His benevolent presence, leaving Job to endure his agony alone, without solace or understanding. It's a common lament throughout Scripture for those feeling neglected by God.
• "and holdest me for thine enemy?": This second clause intensifies the first, transforming perceived absence into active opposition. Job feels not merely ignored, but actively targeted and treated as a foe, undeserving of God's favor. This accusation reflects Job's desperation, as he views himself as the recipient of divine warfare rather than divine justice or discipline. The shift from withdrawal to hostility demonstrates the depth of Job's perceived unjust treatment.

Job 13 24 Bonus section

The language used by Job, especially his accusation that God holds him as an enemy, foreshadows deeper biblical themes. It anticipates how deeply God, in Christ, would experience separation and identification with the suffering of humanity. Jesus, in His cry on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46), experienced a unique and profound sense of divine abandonment. While not an accusation of God treating Him as an "enemy" in the same sense as Job's plea, it parallels the feeling of being cut off from the Father's favorable presence in the act of bearing the world's sin. This moment illustrates that even God Incarnate plumbed the depths of Job-like perceived divine separation, offering solidarity with human suffering. Job's honest lament therefore has prophetic resonance, pointing to the profound depths of the Father's hiding His face from the Son, who became sin for us.

Job 13 24 Commentary

Job 13:24 serves as a poignant expression of profound human anguish and confusion in the face of suffering that defies easy theological explanation. Job, unwavering in his own innocence, cannot reconcile his blameless life with the severe and prolonged affliction God has permitted. His lament captures two core perceptions of his situation: divine hiddenness and divine hostility.

"Why hidest thou thy face?" speaks to Job’s experience of God’s perceived absence or lack of benevolent engagement. Throughout Scripture, God's "face" symbolizes His favorable presence, attention, and active blessing. To hide His face implies a withdrawal of favor, a refusal to hear, or even divine disapproval, often as a consequence of sin (Isa 59:2). Yet Job insists he has committed no such sin, making God’s perceived withdrawal inexplicable and agonizing. This experience of divine hiddenness is a recurrent theme in the Psalms, reflecting genuine human struggles with God's timing and purposes amidst trial.

The second part of the verse, "and holdest me for thine enemy?", takes Job's complaint a step further. It implies that God is not merely indifferent but actively opposing Job, treating him as an adversary to be conquered or punished. This is a startling and audacious claim from a man known for his righteousness. To be counted an enemy of God is to be outside His favor, destined for judgment. Job’s utterance reflects his deep confusion and sense of betrayal, as he views God’s actions not as corrective discipline but as unwarranted aggression against a loyal servant.

In essence, Job is experiencing what he perceives as a breakdown in his relationship with God, where divine love and justice are replaced by a bewildering silence and aggressive opposition. It highlights the biblical tension between God's inscrutable ways and human suffering. While Job's perception is rooted in his agony, it does not necessarily reflect God's ultimate intention, as the book's resolution eventually reveals God's greater purpose. The verse powerfully articulates the human struggle to trust in God's goodness when His ways seem utterly contrary to expectation.