Job 19:23 kjv
Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
Job 19:23 nkjv
"Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
Job 19:23 niv
"Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll,
Job 19:23 esv
"Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book!
Job 19:23 nlt
"Oh, that my words could be recorded.
Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument,
Job 19 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 40:8 | "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." | God's word's permanence, Job desires similar for his. |
| Matt 24:35 | "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." | Jesus' words endure; emphasis on eternal truth. |
| Ps 119:89 | "Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens." | God's faithfulness ensures His word's steadfastness. |
| Rev 20:12 | "And books were opened... another book was opened, which is the book of life." | Divine record-keeping and eternal judgment. |
| Mal 3:16 | "...a book of remembrance was written before him for those who feared the LORD..." | God remembers and records His faithful. |
| Exod 32:32 | "But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written." | The concept of a divine book of remembrance or life. |
| Ps 56:8 | "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" | God records personal suffering and emotional pain. |
| Dan 12:1 | "...at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book." | The righteous are recorded for deliverance. |
| Deut 31:9 | "And Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests..." | God's laws given and preserved in writing. |
| Exod 34:1 | "The LORD said to Moses, 'Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words...'" | Divine commands are inscribed on enduring material. |
| Jer 31:33 | "...I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts..." | God's internal law echoes permanence. |
| Isa 30:8 | "Go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a perpetual record." | Desire for a lasting witness/testimony. |
| Deut 17:18 | "...he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law..." | Requirement for a king to personally transcribe law. |
| Job 19:25 | "For I know that my Redeemer lives..." | Immediately follows, highlighting the monumental truth. |
| Job 19:26 | "And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God," | Job's hope of vindication beyond death. |
| Ps 45:1 | "My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe." | Human desire to record important matters. |
| Prov 22:20 | "Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge," | Value of written wisdom for future generations. |
| Luke 10:20 | "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." | Believers' eternal names written by God. |
| Heb 12:23 | "...the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven..." | Names are inscribed in a heavenly register. |
| Hab 2:2-3 | "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it." | Instruction to record divine revelations for clarity. |
Job 19 verses
Job 19 23 Meaning
Job, in profound suffering and perceived abandonment, expresses an intense desire for his words—his declaration of integrity, his protests, and his forthcoming confession of faith—to be permanently recorded. He longs for his truth to endure beyond his physical existence, seeking an unchallengeable, everlasting witness to his vindication. This plea reveals his deep longing for clarity, justice, and lasting remembrance of his authentic experience in contrast to the false accusations of his friends.
Job 19 23 Context
Job 19 is a poignant lament and declaration from Job amidst his unrelenting suffering. It follows his friend Bildad's speech (ch. 18), which accused Job of being a wicked man whose lamp would be put out. In response, Job articulates his deep distress over God's perceived alienation from him (19:6-12), his friends' cruelty (19:13-19), and his physical decay (19:20-22). Job feels utterly misunderstood and forsaken by everyone. This desperate cry in 19:23, "Oh that my words were written!", is not merely a wish for a personal journal. It's a profound, almost liturgical yearning for his plight, his integrity, and his conviction—particularly the truth of his Redeemer's future vindication—to be formally and eternally recorded. It sets the stage for the powerful declaration of faith that follows in Job 19:25-27, where Job expresses his certain hope in his living Redeemer and ultimate resurrection to see God. His desire for a permanent record reflects the monumental importance he places on the truth he is about to declare, a truth that transcends his immediate misery and mortal limitations.
Job 19 23 Word analysis
- Oh that:
- Original Hebrew: מִי יִתֵּן (mî yittēn) literally "who would give" or "who would grant".
- Significance: This is an idiom expressing an intense, fervent, almost desperate wish or longing. It’s not a casual desire but a deep yearning, underscoring the gravity of what Job wants recorded.
- my words:
- Original Hebrew: מִלָּי (millay) from מִלָּה (millah).
- Significance: Refers to Job's discourse, his entire narrative up to this point—his cries of innocence, his appeals to God, his protests against his friends' accusations, and crucially, the profound declaration of faith that immediately follows in verses 25-27. It encapsulates his personal testimony.
- were written:
- Original Hebrew: יֻכְתָּבוּן (yuchtāvūn), the passive form of כָּתַב (kātav), meaning "to write".
- Significance: Implies the general act of putting words down, but within the context, suggests a formal and intentional record-keeping. It signifies transferring spoken, transient words into a more durable medium.
- inscribed:
- Original Hebrew: יֻחָקוּ (yuchāqu), the passive form of חָקַק (ḥāqaq), meaning "to engrave, carve, incise, decree".
- Significance: This word suggests a much greater permanence than merely "written." It implies carving into stone, metal, or some unerasable surface, indicating an everlasting, unchangeable record. This choice of word elevates the wish to one of monumentality and irrefutability.
- in a book:
- Original Hebrew: בַּסֵּפֶר (bassēpher) from סֵפֶר (sēpher), "book" or "scroll".
- Significance: In the ancient Near East, "book" refers to a scroll (papyrus or leather), clay tablet, or even wooden tablets. This signifies a recognized and authoritative written document, intended for preservation and public knowledge, or a personal, enduring record. It ensures the continuity and accessibility of the message.
Words-group analysis:
- "Oh that my words were written!": This phrase emphasizes Job's initial desire for his testimony to be put down as a formal, documented account, seeking legitimacy and enduring recognition for his truth. It highlights the desperate need for his experience and convictions to not fade away as mere oral utterances.
- "Oh that they were inscribed in a book!": This second, parallel plea intensifies the first, going beyond mere writing to "engraving" in a "book." This conveys a longing for absolute permanence, a record that could withstand time, dispute, and death itself. It indicates a desire for his words to become an undeniable, lasting testimony for all generations, perhaps even a testament for the heavenly court, to witness his genuine suffering and faith.
Job 19 23 Bonus section
- Divine Inspiration Echoed: While Job's words are not divine revelation in themselves, his profound desire for permanence echoes the very process by which God's word became sacred scripture, written and preserved for all generations, ensuring its unchanging truth (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21).
- Foreshadowing of Christ: Job's fervent desire for his words—culminating in the revelation of his Redeemer—to be permanently etched in time points prophetically to the definitive written record of God's redemptive work in Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14; 20:30-31). The permanence Job longed for finds its ultimate fulfillment in the unchangeable testimony of the Gospel.
- The Power of Recorded Truth: This verse emphasizes the enduring power and authority of written testimony over transient oral accounts. It highlights how truth, once inscribed, gains a lasting presence, able to bear witness across ages, offering a foundational aspect to both legal systems and spiritual revelation.
Job 19 23 Commentary
Job's earnest cry in 19:23 transcends a simple wish for documentation; it's a yearning for permanent vindication and for the truth of his unmerited suffering, and particularly his unshakable faith, to be undeniably established. Faced with the fleeting nature of spoken words and his impending death, Job sought an eternal witness to his cause. The progression from "written" to "inscribed" in a "book" underscores the desired immutability of his statement, mirroring the permanence of God's own Word and decrees. This verse prepares the reader for Job's grand, counter-cultural declaration of a living Redeemer in verses 25-27, revealing the colossal theological weight Job placed upon this truth. He wished for the truth about himself, but most significantly, the truth about his future and the Redeemer, to be set down forever, beyond dispute, beyond decay, serving as an enduring testament of faith. It stands as a powerful testament to the human desire for justice and the eternal nature of truth, culminating in a magnificent prophetic declaration that foreshadows ultimate redemption.