Job 17:2 kjv
Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?
Job 17:2 nkjv
Are not mockers with me? And does not my eye dwell on their provocation?
Job 17:2 niv
Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
Job 17:2 esv
Surely there are mockers about me, and my eye dwells on their provocation.
Job 17:2 nlt
I am surrounded by mockers.
I watch how bitterly they taunt me.
Job 17 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 22:6-7 | But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me... | Mockery of the afflicted righteous. |
| Ps 35:15-16 | But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered themselves together... They sneered at me with insulting mockery... | Experience of malicious mockery. |
| Ps 38:11 | My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague... | Friends keeping distance during affliction. |
| Lam 3:14 | I have become a laughingstock to all my people, their mocking song all the day. | Despair from constant public mockery. |
| Job 16:20 | My friends scorn me; My eye weeps to God. | Job's direct accusation of friends' scorn. |
| Ps 44:13 | You make us an object of reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision... | National experience of derision. |
| Prov 1:22 | "How long, O naive ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing..." | Warning against the ways of scoffers. |
| Prov 19:29 | Judgments are prepared for scoffers, and blows for the back of fools. | Divine consequences for scoffers. |
| 1 Pet 4:4 | In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses... and they malign you; | Malignity from unbelievers towards believers. |
| Ps 7:3-5 | O Lord my God, if I have done this... Then let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it... | Pleading innocence against false accusation. |
| Jer 20:7 | O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived... I have become a laughingstock all day long... | Prophet's lament over public mockery. |
| Ps 119:153 | Look upon my affliction and rescue me, For I do not forget Your law. | Request for divine relief from affliction. |
| Deut 9:7 | "Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God in the wilderness..." | Example of historical provocation against God. |
| Neh 4:1 | Now it came about that when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became furious... and began to mock the Jews. | Mockery and opposition during faithful work. |
| Job 6:27 | You would even cast lots for the orphan and bargain over your friend. | Job's friends treating him like an object. |
| Heb 12:3 | For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary... | Enduring hostility by Christ as an example. |
| Ps 55:12-14 | For it is not an enemy who reproaches me... But it is you, a man my equal, my companion and my intimate friend. | Betrayal by a trusted friend. |
| 2 Tim 3:12 | Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. | Persecution as part of godly living. |
| Ps 73:21-22 | When my heart was embittered And I was pierced in my innermost parts... I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. | Reflecting on inner bitterness and ignorance. |
| Job 19:13 | He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances have completely turned away from me. | Deep social isolation. |
Job 17 verses
Job 17 2 Meaning
Job 17:2 encapsulates Job's profound anguish and isolation as he experiences relentless mockery from his companions. He perceives their constant presence not as comfort but as a perpetual source of antagonism, viewing his suffering through their eyes of provocation. The rhetorical questions underscore his bitter certainty: he is surrounded by those who scorn him, and his very affliction becomes an object of their judgment, causing his heart and mind to perpetually fixate on this painful reality.
Job 17 2 Context
Job 17:2 is situated in Job's third cycle of speeches (though this specific address is typically seen as a continued lament following Zophar's speech in chapter 11, with Job's friends having largely ceased their efforts to convince him). Having already proclaimed his innocence in chapters 13 and 16, Job’s suffering reaches a crescendo of despair. In Job 17:1, he announces that his "spirit is broken, my days are extinct, the grave is ready for me," signifying extreme weariness and a desire for death. The following verse, 17:2, elaborates on why he feels this way. Instead of finding solace from his companions, he is met with what he perceives as ceaseless ridicule and false accusations. Historically and culturally, a close friend’s comforting presence was vital in times of distress. Job’s friends, however, embody the conventional wisdom of their day—that suffering is a direct result of sin. This verse acts as a lament against their unwavering condemnation, revealing the additional burden of relational strife on Job’s already immense physical and emotional pain. He feels not just isolated, but actively provoked by their distorted understanding of divine justice applied to his blameless life.
Job 17 2 Word analysis
- Are not / הֲלֹא (ha-lo’): This is a strong interrogative particle paired with a negative. It forms a rhetorical question that expects an emphatic affirmative answer: "Surely there are..." or "Is it not indeed true?" It conveys Job’s deep conviction and exasperated confirmation of the situation.
- mockers / מְהָתְלִים (me-hath-lim): This is a participle derived from the root הָתַל (hathal), meaning "to mock," "to scorn," "to delude," or "to deceive." Job views his friends, who were supposed to be comforters, as deluding themselves with false theological premises and, consequently, deluding and ridiculing him with their condemnations. Their words, intended as wisdom, now sting like mockery.
- with me / עִמָּדִי (im-ma-di): Emphasizes their constant presence. It's not a passing insult but a persistent environment of derision. This proximity of mockery deepens his sense of betrayal and torment.
- And does not / וּבְ (u-v' / and in), תָּלִין (ta-lin / does dwell), עֵינִי (ei-ni / my eye): This phrase describes a continuous, inescapable fixation. Job's eye, representing his entire being—his attention, mind, and spirit—is continually fixated on this painful reality. "Does not my eye dwell" again uses a rhetorical question to affirm the ongoing reality.
- dwell / תָּלִין (ta-lin): From the root לִין (lin), meaning "to lodge," "to stay overnight," "to abide," or "to remain." It signifies more than a fleeting glance; it's a persistent, enduring, unavoidable gaze. His focus is involuntarily and constantly drawn to the source of his anguish.
- their provocation / בְּהַמְרוֹתָם (be-ham-ro-tham): This is a crucial and multi-layered term. The root מָרָה (marah) means "to be rebellious," "to be bitter," "to provoke," or "to act obstinately." It can refer to:
- The provocation Job feels from them: Their taunts, accusations, and lack of empathy are a constant irritation and source of bitterness to him.
- The provocation they perceive in him: His unmerited suffering challenges their tidy theology, provoking them to find sin where there is none, or to feel personally challenged by his unwavering claims of innocence.
- His own (perceived by them) rebellious spirit: His refusal to confess a sin he hasn't committed might be seen by his friends as provocation against God and His established order.
- The provocative nature of the situation itself: His entire plight, perhaps even in the eyes of God, is an ongoing cause of distress and contention.
Job 17 2 Bonus section
- Job's experience highlights the psychological impact of being misjudged and condemned by one's closest companions while in extreme distress. This communal aspect of suffering, when negative, often proves more devastating than physical pain alone.
- The verse implicitly criticizes a shallow, mechanistic theology that rigidly links suffering directly to sin. Job's friends cannot fathom blameless suffering, thus they are "provoked" by it and resort to accusing him.
- Job’s desperate plea throughout this section, and especially in this verse, shifts from a direct lament about his suffering to a more explicit and bitter reproach of his friends. He moves from passively enduring their presence to actively voicing the agony their mockery inflicts.
Job 17 2 Commentary
Job 17:2 is a poignant cry from the depths of a soul burdened by physical torment and psychological assault. It starkly reveals Job’s utter desolation, exacerbated by the relentless condemnation masquerading as comfort from his friends. Instead of finding solace, Job feels continually observed and judged, with his very existence as a suffering yet innocent man becoming a point of "provocation" for his companions. This verse underlines the profound cruelty of human insensitivity towards the afflicted and speaks to the heavy burden placed upon the suffering individual when empathy and true compassion are withheld, replaced instead by harsh judgment and mocking scorn. It illustrates how misguided human theology can amplify rather than alleviate pain.