Job 17 15

Job 17:15 kjv

And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?

Job 17:15 nkjv

Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it?

Job 17:15 niv

where then is my hope? who can see any hope for me?

Job 17:15 esv

where then is my hope? Who will see my hope?

Job 17:15 nlt

Where then is my hope?
Can anyone find it?

Job 17 verses

Job 17 15 Meaning

Job 17:15 captures Job's profound despair and the perceived vanishing of all his earthly hopes. He questions the very existence and visibility of any future prospects, believing his path leads inevitably to the grave. His rhetorical questions emphasize that there is no one who can behold or attest to any remaining hope for him in this life, given his overwhelming suffering and impending death.

Job 17 15 Context

Job 17:15 is found within the third cycle of Job's speeches (Chapters 15-21), specifically during his response to Bildad (Chapter 18). By this point in the book, Job is completely disillusioned with his friends' traditional theological explanations, which posit that his suffering is direct evidence of sin. He has vehemently maintained his innocence while also expressing profound physical and emotional distress.

Chapter 17 shows Job in a state of utter hopelessness regarding his earthly life. He sees his days dwindling, his body ravaged by disease, and his social standing destroyed. He feels God has deserted him and his friends mock him, refusing to offer genuine comfort or belief in his integrity. He believes death is imminent and unavoidable (Job 17:1). In this grim outlook, he despairs that even in the grave (Job 17:13-14), there is no escape from his present plight or a future hope. This verse thus captures the peak of his present despondency, marking a low point before a powerful pivot to a hope beyond himself and his present circumstances in later chapters (like Job 19:25-27). It also subtly challenges the traditional wisdom that future prosperity is a guaranteed outcome of righteousness.

Job 17 15 Word analysis

• Where then: (Hebrew: אֵפוֹא, ʾephoʾ) - This adverbial interrogative carries a sense of resignation or utter perplexity. It's not merely asking where, but "where in the face of all this?" or "what then remains?". It indicates a deep crisis of expectation, implying a desperate search for something that is entirely absent or imperceptible.
• is my hope?: (Hebrew: תִקְוָתִי, tiqvathiy) - Tiqvah means "hope," "expectation," or "a cord/line." It denotes a deep longing and anticipation for the future. The suffix "-i" indicates "my hope." This is not a mere wish, but a sustained waiting or confident expectation. The interrogative form here suggests that this cord of hope, which once bound him to life, has been utterly severed or lost. It questions the very existence of such an anchor in his current state.
• As for my hope,: (Hebrew: וְתִקְוָתִי, ve'tiqvathiy) - The repetition of "my hope" serves as a powerful rhetorical device. The initial vav ("and," "as for") emphasizes a contrast or continuation, bringing the focus intensely back to his hope. The repeated phrase underscores Job's fixation on this vanished concept, intensifying his anguish and reinforcing the feeling that there is nothing else for him to consider or rely upon.
• who can see it?: (Hebrew: מִי יְשׁוּרֶנָּה, miy yeshurenna) - Miy is "who," an interrogative pronoun. Yeshurenna comes from the verb שׁוּר (shur), meaning "to behold," "to gaze upon," "to perceive," or "to inspect." The rhetorical question "who can see it?" strongly implies "no one." It conveys that his hope is not just gone, but that its absence is so complete and undeniable that no one, not even he, can discern any vestige of it. It suggests there is no evidence or manifestation of hope left to be witnessed, by him or by others, particularly regarding his vindication or recovery in this earthly life.

Job 17 15 Bonus section

The profound sense of rhetorical finality in Job 17:15 underscores the inadequacy of human-centric or worldly hope when confronted with ultimate suffering. Job's desperate search for hope is ultimately answered, not in visible restoration in his current suffering, but in a divine and eschatological vindication, pointing towards themes that are fully realized in the New Testament concept of resurrection and redemption through Christ. His question implies that if hope isn't found here (on earth, by human perception), it must be found elsewhere or by other means. This forms a subtle, indirect polemic against any philosophy that roots human flourishing and hope solely in immediate circumstances or material blessings. It directs the seeker of hope towards a transcendent reality.

Job 17 15 Commentary

Job 17:15 encapsulates a crucial turning point in Job's lamentations. It expresses his deepest sense of personal despair, not just regarding his physical pain, but the utter annihilation of his future expectations in this world. The double mention of "my hope" underlines his fixation on this lost inner anchor. Job sees himself utterly isolated, on the brink of the grave, and fundamentally misjudged. For Job, his earthly hope for vindication, for the restoration of his health and fortune, or even for a just end, has evaporated. The rhetorical question "who can see it?" highlights his belief that there is no perceivable evidence left for any hope for his future. This stands in direct contrast to the popular Deuteronomistic theology espoused by his friends, who believed righteousness guaranteed prosperity. Job's present reality shatters that notion for him.

However, paradoxically, this extreme despair paves the way for a higher, theological hope. Having lost all tangible, earthly expectations, Job is stripped down to a point where he must seek a hope that transcends death and visible circumstances. This verse, though bleak, functions as a dark tunnel that Job must pass through to reach the glimmer of an unconventional, future hope in his Redeemer (as seen two chapters later in Job 19:25-27). It forces the question: when all is lost, where can true hope be found? For Job, the answer begins to emerge, not in earthly restoration, but in a spiritual encounter with a living God beyond the grave.