Job 19:5 kjv
If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, and plead against me my reproach:
Job 19:5 nkjv
If indeed you exalt yourselves against me, And plead my disgrace against me,
Job 19:5 niv
If indeed you would exalt yourselves above me and use my humiliation against me,
Job 19:5 esv
If indeed you magnify yourselves against me and make my disgrace an argument against me,
Job 19:5 nlt
You think you're better than I am,
using my humiliation as evidence of my sin.
Job 19 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Point) |
|---|---|---|
| Job 2:3 | And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job...? He still holds fast his integrity..." | God attests to Job's blamelessness. |
| Job 6:14 | "He who withholds kindness from a friend forfeits the fear of the Almighty." | Critique of friends' unkindness/disloyalty. |
| Job 13:4 | "As for you, you whitewash with lies; worthless physicians are you all." | Job's condemnation of his friends' empty counsel. |
| Job 16:2 | "I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all." | Job labels his friends as unhelpful "comforters." |
| Job 17:6 | "He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit." | Job's complete degradation and public scorn. |
| Job 32:2-3 | Then Elihu... was angry with Job because he justified himself... and with his three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong. | Elihu notes the friends' failure to convict Job rightfully. |
| Ps 35:11 | "Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know." | Suffering from false accusations and slanders. |
| Ps 38:11 | "My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague, and my kinsmen stand far off." | Experience of isolation and abandonment. |
| Ps 69:10-12 | "When I wept and humbled my soul... it became my reproach... I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me." | Public shame, mockery, and reproach experienced. |
| Prov 18:13 | "If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame." | Warning against premature and biased judgment. |
| John 9:1-3 | "As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned...?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned..." | Jesus refutes the direct correlation of suffering to sin. |
| Acts 28:4 | "When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer...'" | People's tendency to assume calamity signifies sin. |
| Rom 2:1 | "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself..." | Warning against hypocritical judgment. |
| Rom 12:15 | "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." | Call to empathy and shared experience. |
| 1 Cor 4:6 | "...that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another." | Warning against pride and self-exaltation. |
| Jas 2:13 | "For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." | Emphasizes the importance of mercy over judgment. |
| Jas 4:11-12 | "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers... Who are you to judge your neighbor?" | Exhortation against slandering and judging others. |
| 1 Pet 4:12-16 | "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial... but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings..." | Suffering for righteousness' sake, not always for sin. |
| Lk 6:37 | "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned..." | Jesus' command to refrain from judgment. |
| Prov 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | Danger of arrogance and self-exaltation. |
| Is 2:11 | "The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled..." | God opposes and humbles human pride. |
| Matt 7:1-5 | "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged..." | Christ's instruction on righteous judgment and self-reflection. |
| Gal 6:2 | "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." | Imperative for mutual support and burden-bearing. |
Job 19 verses
Job 19 5 Meaning
Job 19:5 expresses Job's deep indignation and ironic challenge to his friends. He asserts that if their genuine intent is to elevate their own status and wisdom by judging him, they should consider his profound suffering, public shame, and physical degradation as the very foundation of their accusations. Through this rhetorical defiance, Job exposes the lack of compassion and self-righteousness inherent in their accusations, emphasizing how his misfortune, which they interpret as divine judgment for sin, is wielded against him as ultimate proof.
Job 19 5 Context
Job 19:5 occurs within Job's third cycle of speeches, following responses from Bildad. This particular chapter is a deeply emotional outcry from Job, characterized by his profound sense of abandonment by God, rejection by his community, and the decay of his physical body. Job feels isolated from everyone, even those who should be closest to him. The friends, having exhausted their initial expressions of sympathy, have relentlessly pressed their traditional theology: suffering equals sin. They view Job's calamities as definitive proof of his unconfessed wrongdoing, denying his assertions of integrity. Job 19:5 directly addresses their condescending and accusatory posture. It highlights Job's immense frustration with their unhelpful and dogmatic adherence to retribution theology, where they turn his suffering into evidence against him rather than an object of compassion. This verse encapsulates the painful climax of the dispute, as Job points to the very disgrace that ought to elicit sympathy as the tool his friends use for condemnation, underscoring their theological cruelty.
Job 19 5 Word analysis
- If (הֵן - hen): This particle can introduce a condition, but in this context, it carries a tone of bitter irony or sarcastic permission. Job is not truly inviting them but rather highlighting the painful reality of their stance.
- indeed (אָמְנָם - ʾomnam): An adverb meaning "truly, certainly, indeed." It intensifies the conditional "if," suggesting that Job perceives their current behavior as their true and undeniable aim. It underscores their conviction.
- you would exalt (תַּגְדִּילוּ - tagdîlū): This is a Hiphil imperfect form of the verb גדל (gādal), meaning "to make great, magnify, exalt." The Hiphil stem signifies a causative or intensive action. Here, it implies that the friends are actively magnifying themselves, puffing themselves up, or asserting their superior judgment over Job, acting arrogantly in their pronouncements.
- yourselves (implied from verb conjugation): The Hiphil conjugation strongly suggests that the friends are causing themselves to be great or acting in an exalted manner, reinforcing their self-righteous pride.
- against me (עָלַי - ʿālay): This preposition indicates an adversarial position, emphasizing that their self-exaltation is directed at Job, as his accusers and theological opponents. It's a personal affront.
- and plead (וְתֹכִיחוּ - wǝṯōḵîḥū): This is a Hiphil imperfect form of יכח (yāḵaḥ), meaning "to argue, prove, reprove, convict." It carries a forensic or legal connotation, indicating their attempt to convince or prove Job's guilt through argument. They are striving to gain a verdict against him.
- my disgrace (חֶרְפָּתִי - ḥerpāṯî): Derived from חֶרְפָּה (ḥerpâ), meaning "reproach, shame, disgrace, humiliation, contempt." The suffix "-î" makes it "my disgrace." This refers to Job's profound and publicly visible suffering – his severe illness, loss of family, wealth, and social standing – which his friends have interpreted as the tangible proof of his divine punishment.
- against me (עָלָ֑י - ʿālay): A powerful repetition of "against me," intensifying the sense of accusation. It underscores that Job's suffering is not just an observable fact but is actively being weaponized and used as evidence to condemn him. His humiliation is transformed into their rhetorical tool.
Job 19 5 Bonus section
The legalistic language implied in "plead" (wǝṯōḵîḥū) is significant, suggesting a pseudo-courtroom setting where Job is being tried and convicted by his friends based on circumstantial evidence – his suffering. This mirrors Job's ongoing desire for a hearing with God, but instead, he finds himself on trial before human accusers. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, public shame (חֶרְפָּה - ḥerpâ) was a crushing blow, stripping an individual of honor, standing, and identity. For Job, his physical and material losses were compounded by the complete erosion of his social dignity, turning him into a societal outcast. His friends' willingness to exploit this profound disgrace as proof against him showcases their stark lack of compassionate understanding within their strict theological framework. This cultural dimension deepens the tragedy and betrayal expressed in Job's words.
Job 19 5 Commentary
Job 19:5 serves as Job's indignant, yet deeply ironic, retort to his so-called comforters. He observes their behavior, noting how they elevate themselves to a position of judgmental authority while failing to offer genuine empathy. The "exalt yourselves" speaks to their theological pride and certainty in their retribution theology, believing their suffering proves his secret sin. By "plead my disgrace against me," Job sarcastically highlights that his very misery, which they mistakenly attribute to specific transgressions, has become the chief argument in their case for his guilt. This verse masterfully reveals the profound chasm between Job's agonizing reality and his friends' rigid, unmerciful worldview, challenging the simplistic notion that suffering always implies divine punishment. It highlights how quickly misguided religious certainty can turn into cruel condemnation, intensifying a victim's plight.