Job 21:6 kjv
Even when I remember I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh.
Job 21:6 nkjv
Even when I remember I am terrified, And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
Job 21:6 niv
When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body.
Job 21:6 esv
When I remember, I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh.
Job 21:6 nlt
When I think about what I am saying, I shudder.
My body trembles.
Job 21 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 30:16 | "And now my soul is poured out within me; days of affliction have taken hold of me." | Job's internal despair. |
| Job 7:3-4 | "So am I made to possess months of vanity... my bed is my companion in my complaint." | Job's weariness and lack of rest. |
| Job 9:22 | "It is all one thing; therefore I say, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked." | God's inscrutable actions on both righteous/wicked. |
| Job 24:1 | "Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?" | Questioning God's delay in judgment. |
| Ps 73:3-5 | "For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm." | Similar struggle with prosperity of wicked. |
| Ps 73:12 | "Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches." | Observational reality of the wicked prospering. |
| Jer 12:1 | "Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?" | Prophetic lament about the wicked's prosperity. |
| Mal 3:15 | "And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered." | Complaints about the ungodly being exalted. |
| Eccl 8:14 | "There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous..." | Life's unfairness, challenging retribution. |
| Ps 55:5 | "Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me." | Deep emotional and physical distress. |
| Hab 3:16 | "When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself..." | Prophetic response to a dreadful vision. |
| Ex 15:15 | "Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them..." | Fear gripping adversaries due to divine action. |
| Dan 10:8 | "Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength." | Physical weakness due to a overwhelming encounter. |
| Mk 14:33 | "And he began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, and to say unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch." | Jesus' profound agony and distress in Gethsemane. |
| Is 33:14 | "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites." | Fear experienced by the ungodly facing judgment. |
| Job 23:3-4 | "Oh that I knew where I might find him!... I would order my cause before him..." | Job's desire to contend with God for understanding. |
| Rom 11:33 | "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" | God's ways are beyond human comprehension. |
| 1 Pet 4:18 | "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" | Contrasting fates, implying suffering of wicked in end. |
| Nah 2:10 | "She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness." | Physical manifestations of terror and destruction. |
| Joel 2:6 | "Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness." | Extreme distress of people in face of dread. |
Job 21 verses
Job 21 6 Meaning
Job 21:6 encapsulates Job’s profound shock and physical reaction to contemplating a reality that contradicts conventional wisdom: the wicked often prosper and escape suffering in this life. His response is not mere intellectual disagreement, but a deep-seated dread and physical trembling, indicating the severity of the theological dilemma he faces. The verse highlights his immense internal struggle and terror at what he observes regarding divine justice.
Job 21 6 Context
Job 21:6 appears within Job's third cycle of discourse, specifically his reply to Zophar (Job 21). Throughout their dialogues, Job's friends maintain the traditional retribution theology: suffering is a direct consequence of sin, and prosperity is a sign of righteousness. Job vehemently challenges this simplistic view, citing his own blameless suffering and, crucially, the undeniable observation that the wicked often live full, prosperous, and peaceful lives (Job 21:7-13).
In this verse, Job describes his deeply personal and physical reaction to the disturbing reality of the wicked's prosperity. His emotional and physical response (fear and trembling) underscores the magnitude of the problem this poses to his theological framework and the understanding of God's justice that he and his friends held. It’s a point of crisis, highlighting the incomprehensibility of God's ways when viewed through limited human experience, contrasting with the comfortable, predictable worldview of his friends.
Job 21 6 Word analysis
- Even when I remember (וּבְזָכְרִי - u-v'zakh'ri):
- וּ (u-): The conjunction "and" often implies "even when" or "but when" in this context, emphasizing the surprising nature of the resulting reaction.
- בְּ (be-): A preposition meaning "in" or "when."
- זָכַר (zakhar): Hebrew root meaning "to remember, recall, call to mind, consider." It's not just a fleeting thought, but a deliberate contemplation or bringing something fully to consciousness, with implications for one's current state. This implies a repeated or prolonged engagement with the troubling thought.
- I am afraid (אֶפְחַד - ef'chad):
- פָּחַד (pachad): Hebrew root meaning "to dread, to be terrified, to tremble." It signifies a strong, visceral sense of fear or terror, beyond simple apprehension. It often describes the involuntary fear experienced in the face of the overwhelming.
- and trembling taketh hold (וַתּ֬אֱחֹז שַׁבָּץ - vat-te'ekhoz shabbaṭz):
- וַתּ֬אֱחֹז (vat-te'ekhoz): From the root אׇחַז (achaz), meaning "to grasp, seize, lay hold of, possess." The prefix indicates a 3rd person singular feminine imperfect, meaning "it takes hold" or "it seizes." This verb highlights the involuntary nature of the reaction, as if an external force is seizing him.
- שַׁבָּץ (shabbaṭz): This is a rare Hebrew word in the Bible, appearing only here in this form. Its precise meaning is debated but generally interpreted as "shuddering," "horror," "dread," "convulsion," or "trembling." Some scholars link it to "a strong shivering or shuddering" akin to "malaria" due to body chills. It conveys a severe, uncontrollable physical manifestation of fear, a deep inner rattling. It is stronger than simple trembling, implying an extreme, whole-body response.
- on my flesh (בְּשָׂרִֽי - b'sarí):
- בְּ (be-): "in" or "on."
- בָּשָׂר (basar): Hebrew for "flesh," but often refers to the entire human body or physical being, encompassing more than just skin. The suffix
י(i) means "my." This emphasizes that the terror is not just mental or emotional but profoundly physical, pervading his entire being.
Job 21 6 Bonus section
This verse vividly illustrates the concept of "existential dread" long before it became a philosophical term. Job's terror isn't primarily a fear for his own well-being, but a fundamental fear of disorder, of a moral universe that defies comprehension, challenging his deeply held understanding of divine governance. It highlights that the most profound anxieties can arise from theological and philosophical conundrums, not just personal threat. It foreshadows the larger struggle of the Book of Job to reconcile human understanding of justice with divine sovereignty.
Job 21 6 Commentary
Job 21:6 reveals Job's profound anguish as he confronts the dissonance between the world he observes and the tidy theological framework of his friends. The conventional wisdom, which Job himself once subscribed to, dictated that righteousness brings prosperity and wickedness brings immediate suffering. However, Job’s bitter experience of undeserved suffering, combined with his observation of the unpunished prosperity of the wicked, shatters this simple belief.
His declaration that merely recalling these facts causes him fear and physical trembling signifies the theological crisis gripping his soul. This is not the trembling of fear of God's power as such, but rather the horror and confusion arising from a world that doesn't fit the expected pattern of divine justice. His "flesh" taking hold of "trembling" or "horror" suggests a loss of control, an involuntary physical reaction to the terrifying reality that God's ways are not as predictable or understandable as humans often presume. It expresses the depth of Job’s agony over the moral perplexity of life, forcing both him and the reader to look beyond simplistic cause-and-effect explanations of suffering and prosperity.