Job 19:20 kjv
My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
Job 19:20 nkjv
My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, And I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Job 19:20 niv
I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
Job 19:20 esv
My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
Job 19:20 nlt
I have been reduced to skin and bones
and have escaped death by the skin of my teeth.
Job 19 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 102:5 | My bones cling to my flesh. | Similar extreme physical emaciation due to groaning. |
| Lam 4:8 | Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become dry as wood. | Graphic depiction of extreme starvation and suffering. |
| Ps 22:14, 17 | My bones are out of joint... I can count all my bones. | Messianic Psalm portraying Christ's suffering, echoing physical distress. |
| Ps 38:3, 7 | No soundness in my bones... My loins are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. | Sickness and internal suffering affecting the body's structure. |
| 2 Cor 1:9-10 | We felt that we had received the sentence of death... He delivered us from such a deadly peril... | Paul's experience of extreme peril and divine deliverance. |
| 1 Sam 20:3 | ...there is but a step between me and death. | David's desperate awareness of imminent mortal danger. |
| Ps 116:3 | The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me... | Experiencing the terror and nearness of death. |
| Ps 18:4-5 | The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. | Imagery of being caught and nearly overcome by death's forces. |
| Jon 2:6 | You brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. | Jonah's miraculous rescue from the depths of the sea (grave). |
| Ps 88:3-4 | For my soul is full of troubles... I am counted among those who go down to the pit. | On the very brink of death, consigned to the grave. |
| Job 1:13-19, 2:7-8 | (Job loses all his possessions and children, then struck with painful sores). | Contextualizes Job's utter and total loss, health included. |
| Lam 3:19-20 | Remember my affliction and my wanderings... my soul is bowed down within me. | Deep despair and inner anguish complementing physical suffering. |
| Rom 5:3-4 | Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. | Spiritual fruit derived from enduring intense hardship. |
| Jas 1:2-4 | Consider it pure joy... whenever you face trials... that perseverance finishes its work... | Christian perspective on the refining power of trials. |
| Heb 11:35-38 | Some were tortured... others experienced mockings and flogging... destitution, affliction, torment. | Examples of faithful believers enduring extreme physical and material deprivation. |
| Phil 4:12 | I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. | Paul's contentment in both deprivation and prosperity, having endured great want. |
| Acts 27:44 | ...and so it was that all escaped to land safely. | A harrowing near-death experience (shipwreck) from which all were miraculously saved. |
| Job 6:11 | What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should be patient? | Job's earlier lament expressing profound weariness and near hopelessness. |
| Ps 42:1 | As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. | Implies extreme need and desperation, a spiritual thirst amidst barrenness. |
| Lk 8:43 | ...a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. | Example of prolonged physical suffering and utter depletion of resources, a human extremity. |
| Mt 8:16-17 | He healed all who were sick... This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases." | Christ's bearing of human infirmities, in contrast to Job's plight. |
Job 19 verses
Job 19 20 Meaning
Job 19:20 is a profound expression of Job's extreme physical devastation and miraculous, yet desperate, survival. The first part, "My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh," graphically describes severe emaciation where his skeletal structure is painfully prominent, indicating starvation or disease. The second part, "I have escaped by the skin of my teeth," is a vivid Hebrew idiom signifying a survival by the narrowest possible margin, clinging to life when there is virtually nothing left. It underscores Job's absolute depletion and the precariousness of his existence, demonstrating a state of near-death from which he has, surprisingly, not yet succumbed.
Job 19 20 Context
Job 19:20 is situated within Job’s third and most profound defense of his innocence, responding specifically to Bildad's speech in chapter 18. Having been systematically stripped of his possessions, family, and health (Job 1-2), Job is now also alienated from his friends, who persist in accusing him of hidden sin. In this chapter, Job laments God's perceived attack on him (vv. 6-12), the complete abandonment by his loved ones and servants (vv. 13-19), and his utter physical degradation. Verse 20 provides a grim snapshot of this physical state, setting the stage for his subsequent monumental declaration of faith in his living Redeemer (Job 19:25-27), a hope birthed in the very crucible of despair and near-death experience. This passage challenges the conventional wisdom of retribution theology, where suffering always indicates sin, by showcasing the righteous Job's inexplicable, extreme anguish.
Job 19 20 Word analysis
- My bones: (
עֲצָמַי,‘atsamay). Refers to the hard, structural framework of the body. In Job’s context, the emphasis is on their painful visibility and prominence, implying a severe wasting away of muscle and fat. It signifies the core of his being reduced to bare elements. - cling: (
דָּֽבְקָ֣ה,dāḇəqāh). From the Hebrew rootדָּבַק(dabaq), meaning "to stick fast," "adhere," "cleave." While often used for emotional or marital attachment (e.g., Gen 2:24), here it denotes physical adherence due to extreme emaciation, where skin and flesh are so thin they barely cover the bones, seeming stuck to them in desperation rather than healthily padded. - my skin and to my flesh: (
עוֹרִ֣י וּבְשָׂרִ֔י,‘ōwrî ūḇəśārî). Refers to the outermost layer and the underlying soft tissue of the body. Their condition reflects the inner state of suffering. The conjunction "and" emphasizes that both layers are shrunken, revealing the underlying skeleton. This imagery powerfully conveys an unprecedented physical collapse. - I have escaped: (
וָאֶתְמַלְּטָ֖ה,wā’eṯmalləṭāh). Fromמָלַט(malat), meaning "to escape" or "to be delivered." The Hithpael form indicates a reflexive or passive sense—he delivered himself, or was delivered. It portrays a survival that is astonishing given his condition, suggesting divine, albeit puzzling, preservation in a desperate situation. - by the skin of my teeth: (
בְּעוֹר־שִׁנָּֽי,bə‘ōwr-šinnāy). This is the famous idiom. Literally, "with the skin of my teeth." Since teeth have no "skin," the phrase metaphorically implies escaping by the slimmest possible margin, with absolutely nothing left, having been stripped of everything yet just managing to survive. It vividly illustrates Job's utterly depleted state but miraculously persistent existence, hanging on by the barest shred of life. Some interpretations consider "skin" here to refer to the gums or mucous membranes, or a slight residue left by severe affliction, but the idiomatic meaning of a narrow escape or utter lack is paramount.
Job 19 20 Bonus section
The phrase "by the skin of my teeth" is almost universally recognized and used in English to denote a very narrow escape. Its origin can be traced directly to Job 19:20 in the King James Version, popularizing this ancient Hebrew idiom. While its precise literal meaning in Hebrew might involve interpretations such as "gum," "enamel," or simply a general sense of being utterly scraped bare, the strength of the metaphor lies in the absurdity of the literal meaning highlighting the extreme impossibility of survival under normal circumstances. Job's desperate state, vividly presented, acts as a foil to the prosperity theology that was challenged throughout the book. This deep physical degradation made Job’s future hope, revealed only verses later, so startling and powerful. It underscores that God preserves life even when all natural means of preservation have failed. Job's perseverance through this absolute "bottom" serves as an enduring symbol of faith's resilience amidst trials that shatter all human understanding.
Job 19 20 Commentary
Job 19:20 stands as a raw portrayal of Job's physical nadir, revealing a suffering so profound it has withered his very being to mere bone, skin, and flesh. This vivid description is not merely poetic flourish but reflects the harrowing reality of severe disease or starvation. Yet, from this physical wreckage emerges a statement of incredible tenacity: he has "escaped by the skin of his teeth." This iconic phrase encapsulates a survival against all odds, a barely breathing existence from a situation that should have, by all natural accounts, claimed him. It amplifies the weight of Job’s later declaration of faith in a living Redeemer (v. 25-27), a testimony not from a place of comfort, but from the depths of absolute physical and relational desolation. Job's state challenges human perceptions of divine justice and prosperity, showing that righteousness does not inoculate one from immense, unmerited suffering. His survival, even in such a degraded state, testifies to a mysterious, yet ultimately sovereign, hand in his life, allowing him to cling on for a purpose beyond his immediate comprehension.