Job 30 26

Job 30:26 kjv

When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

Job 30:26 nkjv

But when I looked for good, evil came to me; And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

Job 30:26 niv

Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.

Job 30:26 esv

But when I hoped for good, evil came, and when I waited for light, darkness came.

Job 30:26 nlt

So I looked for good, but evil came instead.
I waited for the light, but darkness fell.

Job 30 verses

Job 30 26 Meaning

Job 30:26 expresses Job's deep anguish and confusion over his dire circumstances. He states that when he anticipated positive outcomes and prosperity ("looked for good" and "waited for light"), he instead experienced devastating calamity and despair ("evil came" and "darkness"). This verse encapsulates the radical reversal of his fortunes and his profound bewilderment at God's dealings with him, as his expectations for blessing were met with profound suffering.

Job 30 26 Context

Job 30:26 is part of Job’s extensive and agonizing lament, specifically in the third cycle of speeches where he addresses God directly after his friends have failed to provide satisfying answers to his suffering. Following chapter 29, where Job recalls his former glory, respect, and prosperity, chapter 30 plunges into the depths of his current abasement. He describes how those who were formerly beneath him now scorn and mock him. He suffers intense physical pain (vv. 17-20) and feels pursued and tormented by God Himself (vv. 21-23). This verse encapsulates his complete bewilderment: he was righteous, expected divine favor, and instead experienced calamity. It stands in stark contrast to the prevailing ancient Near Eastern theology, also held by his friends, which rigidly linked prosperity to righteousness and suffering to sin. Job's experience profoundly challenged this conventional retributive justice, posing a profound theological dilemma about the nature of God's governance.

Job 30 26 Word analysis

• When I looked for (כִּי אִחַלְתִּי, ki 'ichalti):
  • כִּי (ki): A versatile Hebrew particle meaning "when," "for," or "surely." Here, it establishes a temporal and causal link – when I expected X.
  • אִחַלְתִּי ('ichalti): From the verb יָחַל (yachal), meaning "to hope," "to wait patiently," "to tarry." It signifies a settled expectation or earnest hope, not merely a passing wish. Job had a deep, well-founded expectation.
• good (לְטוֹב, l'tov):
  • לְ (l'): Preposition meaning "to" or "for."
  • טוֹב (tov): Meaning "good," "pleasant," "well-being," "prosperity," "blessing," "advantage." In this context, it refers to favorable circumstances and divine blessings. Job expected life's best for his righteousness.
• then evil came (וַיָּבֹא רָע, vayyavo ra'):
  • וַיָּבֹא (vayyavo): "And it came," from בּוֹא (bo), meaning "to come" or "to go." The consecutive perfect tense implies an immediate and sudden arrival. It highlights the direct consequence and surprise.
  • רָע (ra'): Meaning "evil," "bad," "calamity," "trouble," "misfortune," "harm." It's the antithesis of tov. This wasn't merely absence of good, but the active presence of profound suffering and disaster.
• and when I waited for (וְקִוֵּיתִי, v'qivveiti):
  • וְ (v'): "And."
  • קִוֵּיתִי (qivveiti): From the verb קָוָה (qavah), meaning "to wait," "to hope," "to expect," "to long for." Similar to yachal but can sometimes carry a stronger sense of eager expectation or steadfast waiting. It reiterates the depth of Job's positive anticipation.
• light (לְאוֹר, l'or):
  • לְ (l'): "for."
  • אוֹר (or): Meaning "light," "daylight," "brightness," often used metaphorically for prosperity, joy, deliverance, revelation, or even life itself. It functions as a synonym for "good" in the previous phrase, enhancing the poetic parallelism.
• there came darkness (וַיֵּבֹא חֹשֶׁךְ, vayyevo choshek):
  • וַיֵּבֹא (vayyevo): "And it came," a parallel form to vayyavo.
  • חֹשֶׁךְ (choshek): Meaning "darkness," "obscurity," "misery," "distress," "trouble." It is the direct opposite of "light" and serves as a powerful metaphor for his overwhelming suffering, confusion, and despair.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "When I looked for good, then evil came unto me": This phrase introduces the central paradox of Job's situation. His actions (looking for/expecting good) led to an outcome (evil) that directly contradicted them. This highlights his understanding of God's ways as inverted concerning him.
• "and when I waited for light, there came darkness": This parallel phrase intensifies the preceding statement through synonymous parallelism. "Light" and "darkness" are potent biblical symbols for blessing and affliction, knowledge and ignorance, or divine presence and perceived abandonment. The pairing emphasizes the completeness of Job's reversal and the profundity of his distress; he did not receive an absence of light, but an active imposition of darkness. This symmetrical structure effectively conveys Job's utter dismay and the incomprehensible nature of his suffering from his perspective.

Job 30 26 Bonus section

The profound honesty of Job's lament in this verse and throughout the book validates the raw expression of grief, confusion, and even anger towards God in the midst of suffering. It demonstrates that genuine faith can question, doubt, and cry out to God without necessarily collapsing. The very act of wrestling with God, as Job does here, can be a component of true devotion rather than an absence of it. Furthermore, Job 30:26 directly challenges any simplistic "name it and claim it" or health-and-wealth gospel that asserts a direct, automatic, and visible reward for piety. Job's experience is a powerful biblical counter-narrative, revealing that God's ways are often far more mysterious and complex than human doctrines can contain, inviting deeper trust in His sovereignty even when His hand brings what appears as "darkness" instead of "light."

Job 30 26 Commentary

Job 30:26 captures the heart of Job’s crisis: the collision between deeply held expectations based on his blameless life and the crushing reality of his suffering. His language is a profound lament, expressing his bewilderment that his righteous walk brought not the expected divine favor, but an overwhelming influx of disaster. The vivid antithetical parallelism ("good" vs. "evil," "light" vs. "darkness") powerfully articulates his sense of cosmic injustice. This verse is not merely a complaint; it’s an agonizing cry of a man whose world has been turned upside down, challenging the very premises of divine governance as he understood them. It represents a wrestling with faith when God's ways appear to be antithetical to His perceived character and promises. It provides solace for those whose own experiences of suffering defy logical explanation, acknowledging the reality of unmerited pain in a fallen world, without simplifying God's justice or denying His sovereignty. It teaches that even when expectations based on our actions seem entirely rational, God's purposes may transcend human understanding and involve paths of darkness that lead to a greater light (as ultimately shown in Job's restoration and renewed understanding of God's majesty).