Job 9 17

Job 9:17 kjv

For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.

Job 9:17 nkjv

For He crushes me with a tempest, And multiplies my wounds without cause.

Job 9:17 niv

He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.

Job 9:17 esv

For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause;

Job 9:17 nlt

For he attacks me with a storm
and repeatedly wounds me without cause.

Job 9 verses

Job 9 17 Meaning

Job, in a state of profound anguish, conveys his conviction that God is the direct source of his suffering, perceiving it as an overwhelming, destructive force likened to a sudden storm. He feels continuously broken and wounded by God's hand, asserting that these severe afflictions are administered without any justified reason or wrongdoing on his part, highlighting the inexplicable and unjust nature of his torment.

Job 9 17 Context

Job 9 forms a part of Job’s second response to his friends, specifically countering Bildad's speech in chapter 8. Bildad had presented a conventional, simplistic theology: God is always just, therefore, only the wicked suffer and perish, while the righteous prosper. If Job suffers, he must be wicked. Job 9, however, highlights Job's profound understanding of God’s absolute, overwhelming power and majesty (vv. 1-13). He acknowledges God's unchallengeable sovereignty but struggles desperately to reconcile this power with his own seemingly inexplicable and immense suffering. Job sees God's actions as beyond human comprehension or challenge. Verse 17 expresses Job's deep personal anguish, perceiving his overwhelming misfortune as a direct and unmerited assault from this immensely powerful God. He is caught in a theological conundrum: how can a just God act in what feels like an arbitrary and destructive manner toward one who believes himself innocent? This sets up a central tension in the book regarding the nature of divine justice and the problem of innocent suffering, profoundly challenging the prevailing wisdom of the ancient Near East which typically linked suffering directly to sin.

Job 9 17 Word analysis

• כִּי (ki) - "For": Introduces Job's personal explanation or rationale, linking his experience to his preceding statements about God’s incomprehensible power and unchallengeable nature. It provides a cause for his perceived inability to contend with God.

• בְסָעֲרָה (bə-sā-ʿă-rāh) - "with a tempest":

  • בְ (bə-): Preposition meaning "in" or "with."
  • סָעֲרָה (sāʿărāh): Refers to a "storm," "whirlwind," or "tempest." This vivid imagery conveys an irresistible, overwhelming, and destructive force, often associated with divine presence or judgment in biblical texts (e.g., Psa 29, Nah 1:3). It emphasizes the sudden, violent, and uncontrollable nature of Job's calamity.

• יְשׁוּפֵנִי (yə-šū-fē-nî) - "He shatters me":

  • From the root שׁוּף (shûph), meaning "to bruise," "to crush," "to strike," or "to overwhelm." The Qal imperfect form suggests a continuous, repeated, or ongoing action.
  • -ֵנִי (-eni): Suffix for "me."
  • This verb depicts a violent, painful impact that utterly breaks down or crushes Job, a sense of being assailed or trampled. It reflects total destruction and overwhelming physical and spiritual pain. Its rare use also includes Genesis 3:15, hinting at a primordial struggle.

• וְהִרְבָּה (wə-hir-bāh) - "and He multiplies":

  • וְ (wə-): Conjunction "and."
  • הִרְבָּה (hirbāh): Hiphil perfect of רָבָה (rāvah), meaning "to be great," "to become many," or "to multiply." The Hiphil causation signifies God causing an increase or multiplication. It implies relentless, compounding affliction rather than a single blow.

• פְצָעַי (pə-ṣā-ʿay) - "my wounds":

  • פֶּצַע (peṣaʿ): "Wound," "blow," "bruise," "stripe." This denotes physical injuries and bodily pain.
  • -ַי (-ay): Suffix for "my."
  • Highlights the tangible, physical manifestations of Job's suffering. His experience is not just abstract despair but concrete agony.

• חִנָּם (ḥin-nām) - "without cause": This crucial adverb directly means "gratuitously," "for nothing," or "undeservedly." It is Job's emphatic denial of culpability and the cornerstone of his protest against the conventional wisdom of his friends. It encapsulates the profound perceived injustice of his situation, where his suffering is not, to his knowledge, a consequence of sin.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "כִּי־בְסָעֲרָה יְשׁוּפֵנִי" ("For He shatters me with a tempest"): This powerful phrase vividly personifies God's action as an uncontrollable, destructive storm directly assaulting Job. It highlights the divine source of Job's affliction and the overwhelming, violent nature of his experience, evoking terror and helplessness. The tempest signifies not only the manner of destruction but also God’s formidable power at play.
  • "וְהִרְבָּה פְצָעַי חִנָּם" ("and multiplies my wounds without cause"): This second clause deepens the suffering. The "multiplying" suggests a relentless barrage of pain and an escalating, continuous state of torment. Most significantly, "without cause" (חִנָּם) is Job's core argument, proclaiming his innocence and directly challenging the traditional belief that all suffering is a result of sin. This statement establishes the perceived moral conundrum of God's actions towards Job.

Job 9 17 Bonus section

• The raw emotionality and audacity of Job's accusation ("without cause") represent a permissible yet intense form of lament in biblical theology, showing that God allows His children to voice their deepest, most confused sorrows honestly, even when their perception of His ways is flawed. This pushes the boundaries of human-divine dialogue within a faithful context.
• Job’s complaint here is not just about the fact of his suffering, but the manner of it and its apparent lack of purpose from his perspective. It is an unbridled accusation against God’s apparent method and motive, reflecting his absolute bewilderment.
• The verse sets up the profound irony that unbeknownst to Job, he is suffering "without cause" in the traditional sense, as he has committed no specific sin to deserve it, reinforcing the prologue's assertion. This validates Job's perception, even as it reveals God's larger, hidden plan for Job's purification and a greater vindication of divine character against the adversary.
• This specific phrasing is echoed in Psalms and John to describe innocent suffering (e.g., Ps 69:4, 109:3; John 15:25 regarding Christ's persecution), subtly foreshadowing how Job’s suffering aligns with a pattern of the righteous suffering unjustly in salvation history.

Job 9 17 Commentary

Job 9:17 expresses the pinnacle of Job's distress and confusion, as he confronts God as the ultimate source of his calamitous suffering. Far from denying God's power, Job acknowledges it in its most terrifying and destructive form, likening it to a tempest that relentlessly assails and shatters him. His sense of personal agency and physical integrity is completely overwhelmed by what he perceives as a divine onslaught. The critical element of the verse lies in Job's stark assertion that his wounds are multiplied "without cause." This directly challenges the prevailing retributive theology championed by his friends, which insists that all suffering is a direct punishment for sin. Job’s integrity and righteousness are precisely what make his suffering incomprehensible to him. This verse encapsulates the book's central dilemma: how a righteous, all-powerful God can allow severe, inexplicable suffering. Job’s complaint is an honest, albeit painful, wrestling with God, affirming divine power even as he laments its perceived unjust application to his life.