Job 2 9

Job 2:9 kjv

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

Job 2:9 nkjv

Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!"

Job 2:9 niv

His wife said to him, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!"

Job 2:9 esv

Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die."

Job 2:9 nlt

His wife said to him, "Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die."

Job 2 verses

Job 2 9 Meaning

Job 2:9 captures the profound despair and loss of Job's wife in the face of immense suffering, prompting her to challenge Job's unwavering faithfulness. After witnessing their children's deaths, the loss of their wealth, and now Job's affliction with painful sores, she urges him to renounce his God and embrace death as an escape. Her words suggest that Job's continued integrity is futile, as it has apparently brought him nothing but devastating calamity. It is a temptation to blaspheme God, questioning His justice and goodness amidst suffering, and seek a desperate end to their anguish.

Job 2 9 Context

Job 2:9 occurs at a critical juncture in the Book of Job. Having already lost all his children, servants, and livestock, Job has endured the initial round of divine testing with resolute faith, saying, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21). Chapter 2 opens with Satan again appearing before God, challenging that Job's integrity (תֻמָּה - tummah) would break if his own physical body were afflicted. God grants permission for Satan to strike Job with illness, but not to take his life. Subsequently, Job is afflicted with loathsome sores (שְׁחִין רַע - shekhin raʿ), from head to foot, leaving him in utter misery, scraping himself with a piece of pottery while sitting among the ashes (Job 2:7-8). It is in this abject state of personal anguish and physical agony, where Job's suffering becomes fully visceral and public, that his wife enters the narrative. Her counsel in verse 9 reflects her own profound grief, the utter desolation of their life, and a common human struggle to reconcile deep suffering with a righteous God.

Job 2 9 Word analysis

• Then his wife said to him: Job's wife is here for the first time identified specifically in the narrative. Her words mark her entrance, and subsequently, her disappearance from the story, having played the role of a tempter in Job's moment of extreme suffering. Her identity highlights the closeness of the relationship and thus the depth of the temptation.
• Do you still hold fast to your integrity? (הַעֹדְךָ מַחֲזִיק בְּתֻמָּתֶךָ - haʿodekhā maḥazîq bətumātəkhā):
  • "Do you still hold fast": The Hebrew maḥazîq (מַחֲזִיק) means "holding firmly," "grasping." It implies persistence and unwavering commitment. The question implies an expectation that such a hold would by now have broken.
  • "Integrity": The Hebrew word tumātəkhā (תֻמָּתֶךָ) is from tummah (תֻמָּה) or tom (תֹּם), meaning completeness, soundness, innocence, blamelessness, or perfection. It denotes a wholehearted, sincere, and pure devotion to God. This is the very quality Satan challenged in Job 1:9 and 2:3. His wife's question, driven by grief, echoes Satan's accusation: Is Job truly devoted for devotion's sake, or was it for the blessings?
• Curse God and die. (בָּרֵךְ אֱלֹהִים וָמֻת - bārēkh ʾĕlōhîm wāmūt):
  • "Curse": The Hebrew verb used here is bārēkh (בָּרֵךְ), which literally means "to bless." However, in several places in Job and other Old Testament texts (e.g., 1 Ki 21:10, 13; Ps 10:3), it functions as an obvious euphemism for "to curse" or "blaspheme," used to avoid pronouncing the forbidden act. The context (the consequence "and die," which follows blasphemy according to the Mosaic Law in Lev 24:16) firmly establishes this meaning. Her instruction is to engage in a terminal act of apostasy, provoking divine wrath that would bring about swift death, thus ending his suffering. It's a counsel of despair and theological surrender.
  • "God": (אֱלֹהִים - ʾĕlōhîm) refers to the Almighty, the Creator God. The instruction is directly against Him.
  • "and die": (וָמֻת - wāmūt) This imperative implies death as an immediate, desired outcome and escape from intolerable pain, or as the just and swift consequence of cursing God, thereby achieving an end to his suffering. It suggests death as preferable to living in such misery while still claiming integrity before a seemingly unresponsive God.

Words-group Analysis:

• "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.": This sentence perfectly encapsulates the human temptation in severe trials. It questions the value of piety when it brings no apparent reward, and instead offers a pragmatic, yet spiritually fatal, escape from pain. It implies a "causa pro non causa" logic, attributing Job's suffering to his integrity rather than to a deeper, unseen purpose. It directly mirrors Satan's initial challenge and tests the very essence of Job's relationship with God—unconditional worship.

Job 2 9 Bonus section

• Job's Wife as a Satanic Agent: While Job's wife is deeply grieving, her counsel directly aligns with Satan's objective for Job: to get him to curse God. She effectively functions as a human instrument of Satan's temptation, even if her motive is pain, not malice.
• Cultural Significance of Integrity: In the ancient Near East, personal integrity (tummah) was deeply connected to one's reputation and standing before God and community. Job's maintenance of his integrity, despite profound accusations, highlighted a spiritual conviction beyond societal judgment.
• Foil to Job's Faith: Job's wife's desperate counsel serves as a stark contrast to Job's resolute faith (Job 2:10), emphasizing the unique and profound nature of Job's devotion to God in the face of incomprehensible pain.
• Despair vs. Hope: The verse illustrates the powerful draw of despair when circumstances are dire, contrasting sharply with the divine call to hope and endurance found throughout Scripture. It’s a vivid depiction of choosing hopelessness when God's ways seem unfathomable.

Job 2 9 Commentary

Job 2:9 marks a significant moment as Job's trial intensifies. His wife, herself a profound sufferer having lost all her children and livelihood, urges Job to abandon his steadfast faith. Her words represent a profound human response to seemingly meaningless suffering: questioning the goodness and justice of God and seeking relief, even if it means theological compromise or death. The call to "curse God and die" isn't merely an act of verbal blasphemy; it's a profound spiritual surrender that would affirm Satan's claim that Job served God only for personal gain. Her advice highlights the deceptive nature of temptation, often coming from those closest to us, and in a way that seems to offer a solution to an unbearable burden. Job's subsequent rebuke of his wife (Job 2:10) showcases his profound trust in God's sovereignty, acknowledging that blessings and adversity both come from God's hand. It sets the stage for the rest of the book, contrasting Job's integrity with the faulty wisdom of others, and exploring the mystery of suffering and divine justice.