Job 19:12 kjv
His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.
Job 19:12 nkjv
His troops come together And build up their road against me; They encamp all around my tent.
Job 19:12 niv
His troops advance in force; they build a siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.
Job 19:12 esv
His troops come on together; they have cast up their siege ramp against me and encamp around my tent.
Job 19:12 nlt
His troops advance.
They build up roads to attack me.
They camp all around my tent.
Job 19 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 19:6 | "Know then that God has wronged me... and encompassed me with His net." | Job's accusation of God's injustice. |
| Job 30:12 | "On my right hand rise the young men; they push my feet, and they build up against me their ways of destruction." | Imagery of being overthrown and attacked. |
| Lam 3:7 | "He has hedged me about so that I cannot escape; He has made my chains heavy." | Similar feeling of entrapment by God. |
| Lam 3:8 | "Even when I cry and call for help, He shuts out my prayer." | God's unresponsiveness in distress. |
| Lam 3:12 | "He bent His bow and set me as a target for His arrow." | God as a direct adversary. |
| Ps 22:16 | "For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and my feet." | Surrounding enemies, suffering. |
| Ps 69:1-2 | "Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire... where there is no foothold..." | Overwhelming affliction. |
| Ps 88:15 | "I am afflicted and close to death from my youth up; I suffer Your terrors; I am helpless." | Intense suffering from God. |
| Isa 1:8 | "And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city." | Desolation and vulnerability of siege. |
| Jer 6:6 | "For thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Cut down her trees; cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem...'" | God commanding a siege. |
| Jer 20:7 | "O LORD, You have deceived me, and I was deceived; You are stronger than I, and You have prevailed." | Prophet's complaint of being overpowered. |
| Micah 2:4 | "...and Lament, saying, 'We are utterly ruined; He has changed the portion of my people; how He has removed it from me!'" | Lament over God's destructive actions. |
| Ps 102:4 | "My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread." | Deep physical and emotional decay. |
| Ps 42:7 | "Deep calls to deep at the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your waves have gone over me." | Overwhelming waves of sorrow/affliction. |
| Job 7:17-18 | "What is man, that You make so much of him...? that You examine him every morning and test him every moment?" | Job's feeling of constant divine scrutiny. |
| Job 16:9 | "He has torn me in His wrath and hated me; He has gnashed His teeth at me; my adversary sharpens His eyes against me." | God portrayed as an angry adversary. |
| Job 3:26 | "I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes." | Persistent distress. |
| Hab 1:13 | "You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong... why do You idly look at traitors and remain silent...?" | Questioning God's inaction amidst evil. |
| 1 Pet 4:12 | "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you... as though something strange were happening to you." | Christians are called to endure trials. |
| Heb 12:5-6 | "...My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord... For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives." | God's loving discipline. |
| Rom 8:31 | "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" | Counterpoint to Job's perception. |
| 2 Cor 1:8-9 | "For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia... We felt that we had received the sentence of death." | Intense suffering and reliance on God. |
| Rev 20:9 | "...and they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city..." | Ultimate siege imagery against God's people. |
Job 19 verses
Job 19 12 Meaning
Job 19:12 expresses Job's profound sense of being under a calculated and relentless attack directly from God. He perceives God not as a protector, but as a military strategist orchestrating a full-scale siege against his very existence. This verse illustrates his complete desolation, feeling surrounded and trapped by a divine force, akin to a city under relentless siege, where all hope of escape or resistance is lost. It reflects his deepest lament over his inexplicable suffering, which he attributes to God's direct, adversarial action.
Job 19 12 Context
Job 19:12 is a central lament in Job's third discourse (chapters 19-21), uttered in response to Bildad's harsh accusation. Job is increasingly frustrated with his friends' unhelpful explanations, which continue to adhere to the traditional retribution theology – that suffering is a direct result of sin. Job, maintaining his innocence of any sin worthy of such punishment, feels that God Himself has turned against him, becoming his adversary. He feels abandoned, betrayed, and directly assaulted by God.
This verse captures the culmination of Job's perception that God is employing sophisticated military tactics against him. He isn't merely suffering misfortune; he feels God is deliberately, powerfully, and systematically dismantling his life, health, family, and reputation. The imagery of a siege highlights complete helplessness, no way out, and impending destruction. Job’s physical tent, home, and existence are reduced to ruins, reflecting the devastation of his entire life, once blessed by God. Culturally, siege warfare was a brutal reality of the ancient Near East, signifying total war, starvation, and inevitable capitulation. For Job to attribute this horrific, overwhelming military action to God underscores the depth of his despair and his inability to comprehend the divine purpose behind his suffering. It also forms a polemic against the simplistic view of God as solely a punisher of evident sins, asserting God's mysterious and at times, seemingly hostile, involvement in human suffering.
Job 19 12 Word analysis
- His troops (גְדוּדָיו gedûdāw): "His" clearly refers to God, as Job has directly accused God of afflicting him in the preceding verses (e.g., v. 6). The Hebrew term gedûdāw refers to organized military detachments, bands, or raiding parties. This is not random calamity but a disciplined, strategic force. The imagery paints God as a general directing an overwhelming army against Job.
- advance together (יָבֹאוּ יַחְדָּו yāvō'ū yaḥdāw): Yāvō'ū means "they come" or "they advance." Yaḥdāw means "together," "as one," or "in unity." This emphasizes the coordinated, unified nature of the assault. It's a synchronized attack, not disjointed misfortunes, implying deliberation and superior power.
- they build up (וַיַּסְלְלוּ wayyaslelū): This verb is from sālal, meaning "to heap up," "to build a highway/road." In military context, it refers to constructing a siege ramp or causeway, a monumental engineering feat of siege warfare, to reach the walls of a besieged city. This term powerfully conveys a systematic and highly determined attack, involving significant effort and resources.
- their siege ramp (סֹלְלָם solĕlām): Derived from the same root as the previous verb. A "siege mound," "rampart," or "causeway." This is a tangible structure designed to breach defenses, a common ancient military tactic for breaking strongholds. Its construction against Job signifies an unassailable attack with guaranteed success.
- against me (עָלָי ʿālāy): The direct preposition "against me" emphasizes that Job is the singular, targeted victim of this entire military operation. This personalizes the devastating assault and intensifies his lament.
- and encamp around (וַיַּחֲנוּ wayyaḥănū): From ḥānâ, meaning "to encamp" or "to pitch a tent." This signifies encirclement, prolonged military presence, and complete blockade. Once the siege ramp is built, the final step is to establish a camp, signifying total control and isolation, cutting off escape or relief.
- my tent (אֹהֳלִי ʾohŏlî): The "tent" symbolically represents Job's dwelling, his secure place, his very life, and identity. In the ancient world, one's tent was their most personal and vulnerable space. Its encirclement implies that every aspect of Job's being, his well-being, his family, his property, his reputation, are now completely surrounded, cut off, and facing imminent destruction.
Words-group analysis:
- "His troops advance together, they build up their siege ramp against me": This paints a vivid picture of God engaging in a full-scale, highly professional, and organized military campaign against Job. It's not a mere "affliction" but a sophisticated siege, suggesting deliberation, strength, and an inevitable outcome of collapse for the target.
- "and encamp around my tent": This phrase details the final stage of the siege. The "tent" symbolizes Job's entire personal domain and self. The encirclement signifies total isolation, no possibility of escape or relief, and the psychological terror of being utterly confined and powerless.
Job 19 12 Bonus section
The imagery of a "siege ramp" (Heb. solĕlām) is exceptionally powerful, suggesting not just an attack but one that is patiently and meticulously constructed for overwhelming force. It's the kind of attack reserved for the strongest fortresses. For Job to perceive this against his "tent"—a simple dwelling—underscores the disproportionate and crushing nature of the divine assault in his mind. The use of such human, violent military terms for God reveals the extremity of Job's theological wrestling. He is not just lamenting pain, but radically re-interpreting God's character based on his inexplicable suffering, making Him an antagonist with an ultimate aim of destruction. This verse showcases the human struggle to reconcile divine power and suffering, echoing ancient Near Eastern laments where gods were often perceived as both benevolent and wrathful.
Job 19 12 Commentary
Job 19:12 is a stark testament to the profound spiritual and psychological agony Job endures. His suffering has led him to interpret divine action not as mysterious providence or simple test, but as a direct, hostile, and utterly systematic assault. The military imagery employed—troops, siege ramps, encampment—transforms God into an implacable adversary. This language is incredibly strong, conveying that God is actively working to dismantle Job’s life, step by step, with professional military precision.
This verse reveals the theological tension at the heart of the book of Job. While the reader knows of the heavenly dialogue and Satan's role, Job remains completely unaware, attributing all his misfortune directly to God. He cannot reconcile God's supposed justice and goodness with the horrific suffering he is experiencing, especially given his blamelessness. The "siege ramp" and "encampment" signify an inescapable fate, a sense of being completely trapped with no means of defense or reprieve. It is the cry of a man who feels utterly forsaken and persecuted by the very Being who should be his protector. This is not just a description of physical suffering, but an eloquent expression of the mental and spiritual torture of divine abandonment as perceived by the one enduring it.