Job 17:1

Job Prays for Relief

1 “My spirit is broken,
My days are extinguished,
^aThe grave is ready for me.

2 Are not mockers with me?
And does not my eye¹ dwell on their ^aprovocation?

3 “Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself.
Who is he who ^awill shake hands with me?

4 For You have hidden their heart from ^aunderstanding;
Therefore You will not exalt them.

5 He who speaks flattery to his friends,
Even the eyes of his children will ^afail.

6 “But He has made me ^aa byword of the people,
And I have become one in whose face men spit.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
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What Does Job 17:1 Mean?

Job 17:1-4

Job has not yielded any ground, and now he asks God to put up bail for him to rescue him from his predicament. In addition, he is now not only accusing God for his plight, but he is also accusing Him of closing the minds of his friends so that they cannot judge fairly.

Something deep and wonderful is beginning to happen to Job. He does not yet "see" his sin, but he is vaguely realizing that he cannot justify himself before God or man by his works. He wants their former relationship restored—he wants to be reconciled to the One against whom he has sinned—so that he, in desperation or defiance, almost even as a challenge, asks the One he sinned against to set him free! This is exactly what God does through Christ. However, in Job's case, his condition continues to worsen before it gets better.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Job, Self-Righteousness, and Humility

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Job Prays for Relief

What Does Job 17:1 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning