Job 23 15

Job 23:15 kjv

Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.

Job 23:15 nkjv

Therefore I am terrified at His presence; When I consider this, I am afraid of Him.

Job 23:15 niv

That is why I am terrified before him; when I think of all this, I fear him.

Job 23:15 esv

Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him.

Job 23:15 nlt

No wonder I am so terrified in his presence.
When I think of it, terror grips me.

Job 23 verses

Job 23 15 Meaning

Job expresses his profound inward disturbance and fear, attributing it to his contemplation of God's direct presence and incomprehensible actions. He is not only anxious about God's actions but deeply afraid in his very being when he reflects upon the divine nature and its interaction with his suffering. His deepest reflections, meant to bring understanding, instead deepen his dread of an all-powerful yet unfathomable God.

Job 23 15 Context

Chapter 23 Context: Job's monologue in chapter 23 showcases his fervent desire to plead his case directly before God (Job 23:3-4). Despite this longing, he acknowledges God's omnipresence and the inscrutability of His ways (Job 23:8-10). The preceding verses, Job 23:13-14, highlight Job's understanding of God's unchangeable purpose and absolute power, indicating that God will accomplish whatever He wills, even in Job's severe suffering. Verse 23:15, therefore, is a direct consequence of this realization: God's supreme and unalterable will evokes a profound sense of terror in Job, who perceives this omnipotence as a relentless force beyond human understanding or appeal, deepening his dread rather than comforting him.

Historical/Cultural Context: The Book of Job delves into the problem of suffering and divine justice, challenging prevailing Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) wisdom traditions that often maintained a direct, mechanistic correlation between righteous living and prosperity, and sin with suffering. Job's experience is a profound polemic against this simplistic retribution theology, common in his cultural milieu. His fear in Job 23:15 is intensified because God is not operating according to the predictable, understandable framework that much ANE wisdom (and even Job's friends) expected. This God, who seems arbitrary and unreachable despite His immense power, presents an existential crisis for Job, highlighting that the divine cannot be boxed into human categories of justice or cause-and-effect, fostering a unique and terrifying dread rather than comfortable reverence.

Job 23 15 Word analysis

• Therefore: This transitional adverb marks a conclusion, specifically that Job's profound fear is a direct and logical consequence of his realization about God's unwavering and unchangeable will (Job 23:13-14) in the face of his suffering.
• am I troubled: The Hebrew verb is בָּהַל (bahal), conveying intense emotional and physical agitation, dismay, terror, or sudden alarm. It indicates a deep, internal disruption of peace, a shaking to one's core, going beyond simple worry to an existential distress caused by the terrifying contemplation of God.
• at His presence: The Hebrew phrase לְפָנָיו (l'phanev) means literally "before His face." This signifies a powerful sense of direct encounter with God's essence, immediate reality, and personal engagement. For Job, this immediate sense of God's sovereign reality is not comforting but an overwhelming source of profound and terrifying dread, given his unexplained affliction.
• when I consider: The Hebrew root is בּוּן (bun), meaning "to understand," "to discern," "to ponder," or "to pay attention." This points to a deliberate, intellectual process of deep reflection. It is Job's focused contemplation of God's ways, attributes, and actions, which paradoxically leads him not to intellectual clarity or spiritual peace but into a deeper state of overwhelming terror.
• I am afraid of Him: The Hebrew verb is יָרֵא (yare), which generally means "to fear," "to revere," or "to stand in awe." While yare often carries the positive connotation of reverential awe, in Job's acute suffering and questioning of God's justice, this particular usage strongly implies dread, terror, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness before an inscrutable, all-powerful deity whose actions appear arbitrary. This is a fear born of despair, not merely reverence for holiness.

Words-group analysis:

• "Therefore am I troubled at His presence": This phrase captures the immediate, visceral, and overwhelming emotional impact Job experiences when confronted with the direct reality or thought of God's being. It illustrates that God's closeness is not always consoling but can induce a terrifying internal convulsion, especially when divine action appears unfathomable or unjust.
• "when I consider, I am afraid of Him": This segment reveals that Job's terror is not a fleeting emotion but arises from his deliberate, sustained intellectual and spiritual engagement with God. His active process of understanding and pondering God's character and actions, especially in the context of his profound suffering, results in heightened fear, indicating the depths of his spiritual and intellectual crisis.

Job 23 15 Bonus section

Job's fearful introspection here underscores a significant theological point: genuine faith may at times include grappling with aspects of God that appear terrifying or inscrutable from a human perspective. His experience validates that honest doubt and profound distress can coexist with, and indeed sometimes even propel, a deepening relationship with the Divine. This specific form of terror is not necessarily sinful, but rather a visceral response to the overwhelming majesty and mysteriousness of God when conventional understanding of His justice fails. Ultimately, such moments of dread, by forcing humanity beyond its intellectual and emotional limits, prepare the way for a more profound, albeit often uncomfortable, encounter with the living God (Job 42:5-6). It teaches that God is truly beyond human categories and that sometimes, only through radical uncomfortableness can true humility and genuine reverence be cultivated.

Job 23 15 Commentary

Job 23:15 profoundly articulates Job's terror and deep inner disturbance in the presence of an omnipotent and sovereign God. His fear is born from a paradox: God's immense power, usually a source of comfort for the righteous, becomes a terrifying reality when exercised in ways that defy human logic and conventional justice. Job's intellectual consideration of God's nature, particularly His unchangeable will as described in the preceding verses, leads him not to peace but to dread. This is not the "fear of the Lᴏʀᴅ" that is the beginning of wisdom, but a raw, overwhelming apprehension of an arbitrary and unapproachable power that dictates his suffering. His wrestling highlights the dark night of the soul where even the thought of God's presence brings torment rather than solace, marking a crucial stage in his journey towards true, humbled understanding.