Job 19:11 - He has also kindled his wrath against me. He counts me among his adversaries.

Generated Verse: Job 19:11

What does "Job 19:11" mean?


This verse from Job 19:11 expresses Job's deep feeling of being targeted by God, not just experiencing hardship, but actively being opposed by Him. Let's break it down:

"He has also kindled his wrath against me." This suggests that Job feels like God is actively angry with him. "Kindled" implies that God's anger is a burning fire directed specifically at Job. He believes his suffering isn't random, but a result of God's anger towards him.

"He counts me among his adversaries." This is perhaps the most devastating part of the verse. An "adversary" is an opponent, an enemy, someone in conflict with another. Job is saying that God is treating him as if he were an enemy, actively fighting against him.

In essence, Job feels that:

His suffering is not just misfortune, but a consequence of God's anger.
God is not a neutral observer to his pain, but is actively opposed to him, viewing him as an enemy.

Context within the Book of Job:

This verse comes in the midst of Job's intense suffering and lament. He has lost his wealth, his children, and his health. His friends are accusing him of secret sins as the reason for his suffering. Job, however, maintains his innocence and struggles to understand why God is treating him this way.

The verse highlights the core theological questions the book of Job wrestles with:

The problem of suffering: Why do good people suffer?
The nature of God: Is God just? Is God arbitrary?
The relationship between God and humanity: Is it possible to question God?

Job's words in this verse are not meant to be taken as a statement of objective truth, but rather as an expression of his intense emotional and spiritual anguish. He is grappling with the inexplicable pain he is experiencing and feels utterly abandoned and attacked by God. This verse is a powerful articulation of the depths of Job's despair and his struggle to reconcile his faith with his suffering.

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