Job 19:27

19:23-29 The Spirit of God, at this time, seems to have powerfully wrought on the mind of Job. Here he witnessed a good confession; declared the soundness of his faith, and the assurance of his hope. Here is much of Christ and heaven; and he that said such things are these, declared plainly that he sought the better country, that is, the heavenly. Job was taught of God to believe in a living Redeemer; to look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come; he comforted himself with the expectation of these. Job was assured, that this Redeemer of sinners from the yoke of Satan and the condemnation of sin, was his Redeemer, and expected salvation through him; and that he was a living Redeemer, though not yet come in the flesh; and that at the last day he would appear as the Judge of the world, to raise the dead, and complete the redemption of his people. With what pleasure holy Job enlarges upon this! May these faithful sayings be engraved by the Holy Spirit upon our hearts. We are all concerned to see that the root of the matter be in us. A living, quickening, commanding principle of grace in the heart, is the root of the matter; as necessary to our religion as the root of the tree, to which it owes both its fixedness and its fruitfulness. Job and his friends differed concerning the methods of Providence, but they agreed in the root of the matter, the belief of another world.

(27) My reins be consumed within me. — i.e., with longing to see Him; literally, my reins are consumed in my bosom. The words “in my flesh” may mean from my flesh, or, w ithout my flesh. Taken in the former sense and applied to the future, it is hard not to recognise in them, at the least, some dim conception of a resurrection. (27) Whom I shall see for myself.—The words “see for myself” may mean see on my side, i.e., as my Judge and Avenger; or they may be the personal intensifying of the conviction which seems confirmed by the words, “and not a stranger.” Do Job’s words then teach the doctrine of the resurrection? Possibly not directly, but they express the firm conviction of that faith of which the resurrection is the only natural justification; they express a living trust in a living personal God, who, if He is to come into contact with man, cannot suffer His Holy One to see corruption nor leave His soul in hell. How far Job believed in the resurrection of the flesh hereafter, he certainly believed there was life out of death and through death here; and no man can believe in a living God and not believe that He must and will triumph over death. It is possible for us to believe in some dogma about the resurrection, and yet not believe in God. In this respect we shall be unlike Job.

It is impossible for us to believe as he did and not be ready and thankful to believe in the resurrection of Christ, and of those who belong to Christ, as soon as the fact is proclaimed to us on sufficient authority. In this way, and for this reason, the confession of Job rightly stands at the head of the Christian Office for the Burial of the Dead, which looks forward to the resurrection, and lays fast hold thereon. Those who decline to see in Job’s confession any knowledge or hope of a resurrection, must not forget that they have also to explain and account for Isaiah 26:19.

Job 19:27 . Whom I shall see — In the manner before and after expressed. No wonder that he repeats it again, because the meditation of it was most sweet to him; for myself — For my own benefit and comfort, as the phrase is often used. Or, which is of much the same importance, on my behalf, to plead my cause and vindicate me from all your reproaches. Mine eyes shall behold, and not another — Namely, for me, or in my stead. I shall not see God by another’s eyes, but by my own, and by this self-same body which now I have. Hebrew, ולא זר , velo zar, not a stranger, that is, this privilege shall be granted to me, and to all other sincere servants of God, but not to such as are strangers to God and his people, being alienated from him and his service. And, if I were such a one as you suppose me to be, I could never hope to enjoy that happiness. Though my reins be consumed within me — This I do confidently expect, though at present my case seems hopeless, my very inward parts being consumed with grief; and though, as I have said, the grave and the worms will consume my whole body. Or, without though, for which there is nothing in the Hebrew, My reins are consumed within me: which may be considered as a passionate exclamation, such as we find Genesis 48:18 , and often in the book of Psalms, arising from his confident expectation of this his unspeakable happiness, and expressing his vehement desire and longing for that blessed time and state.

The intelligent reader will be glad to see father Houbigant’s translation of these three important verses, which is as follows: Job 19:25 , For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall hereafter arise over the dust: Job 19:26 , And that even I, after my skin is consumed, shall behold my God in my flesh: Job 19:27 , Yes, I shall behold him: my eyes, and not another’s, shall see him. This my hope is reposed in my bosom.

27 . Whom I shall see for myself ] These words might mean merely, whom I myself shall see; or, for myself may mean, favourable to me, on my side and to my joy. and not another ] i. e. I and not another (shall see). Job heaps up phrases to express his assurance that he shall see God, “I shall see for myself,” “mine eyes shall behold,” “I and not another.” The whole of his misery might be expressed in saying that God hid Himself from him, and the whole of his redemption and joy will consist in seeing God. Others take the words “not another,” lit. not a stranger , to refer to God—whom I shall see not as a stranger, i. e. no more estranged or hostile. The position of the words, however, close beside the phrase “mine eyes,” is rather in favour of the other view. though my reins be consumed ] Rather, my reins consume within me , lit. in my bosom (marg.). The words are an exclamation, meaning I faint , cf. Psalm 73:26 ; Psalm 84:2 ; Psalm 119:81 ; Psalm 119:123 . The reins are the seat of the deepest feelings and experiences, especially of those toward God. Job began with expressing his assurance that he should see God, but as he proceeds so vivid is his hope that it becomes almost reality, the intensity of his thought creates an ecstatic condition of mind in which the vision of God seems almost realized, and he faints in the presence of it. See Additional Note on ch. Job 19:23-27 at the end of the Volume.

Verse 27. - Whom I shall see for myself . Not by proxy, i.e. or through faith, or in a vision, but really, actually, I shall see him for myself. As Schultens observes, an unmistakable tone of exultation and triumph pervades the passage. And mine eyes shall behold, and not another ; i.e. "not the eyes of another." I myself, retaining my personal identity, "the same true living man," shall with my own eyes look on my Redeemer. Though my reins be consumed within me . There is no "though "in the original. The clause is detached and independent, nor is it very easy to trace any connection between it and the rest of the verse. Schultens, however, thinks Job to mean that he is internally consumed by a burning desire to see the sight of which he has spoken. (So also Dr. Stanley Leathes.) Job 19:27

27. for myself—for my advantage, as my friend. not another—Mine eyes shall behold Him, but no longer as one estranged from me, as now [Bengel]. though—better omitted. my reins—inward recesses of the heart. be consumed within me—that is, pine with longing desire for that day (Ps 84:2; 119:81). The Gentiles had but few revealed promises: how gracious that the few should have been so explicit (compare Nu 24:17; Mt 2:2).

Whom I shall see, in manner before and after expressed. No wonder that he repeats it again, because the meditation of it was most sweet to him. For myself, i.e. for my own comfort and benefit, as that phrase is oft used. Or, which is much of the same importance, on my behalf; to plead my cause, and vindicate me from all your reproaches. Not another, to wit, for me, or in my stead. I shall not see God by another’s eyes, but by my own, and by these selfsame eyes in this same body which now I have. Heb. not a stranger , i.e. this privilege shall be granted to me and to all other sincere servants of God, but not to strangers, i.e. to wicked men, who are oft called strangers, as Psalm 18:44,45 54:3 Proverbs 21:8 , because they are estranged or alienated from God, and from his service and people. And if I were such a one, as you suppose me to be, I could never hope to enjoy that happiness. Though my reins be consumed within me: this I do confidently expect and hope for, though at present my case seems desperate, my very inward parts being even consumed with grief; and though, as I have said, the grave and the worms will consume my whole body, not excepting the reins, which seem to be safest and furthest out of their reach. Or without though, which is not in the Hebrew, my reins are consumed within me .

So this may be a sudden and passionate ejaculation or exclamation, (such as we find Genesis 49:18 , and oft in the Book of Psalms,) arising from the contemplation and confident expectation of this his unspeakable happiness, wherein he expresseth his vehement desire and longing for that blessed time and state. The reins are oft put for earnest desires or affections, whereof they are supposed to be the seat; as Job 38:36 Proverbs 23:16 . And men are oft in Scripture said to be consumed or eaten up , or the like, by ardent affections; as Psalm 69:9 84:2 119:81,82Jo 2:17 .

Whom I shall see for myself - It will not come to be by mere report. I shall not merely hear of the decision of God in my favor, but I shall myself behold him. He will at length come forth, and I shall be permitted to see him, and shall have the delightful assurance that he settles this controversy in my favor, and declares that I am his friend. Job was thus permitted to see God Job 42:5 , and hear his voice in his favor. He spake to him from the whirlwind Job 38:1 , and pronounced the sentence in his favor which he had desired. And not another - Margin, a stranger. So in the Hebrew. The meaning is, that his own eyes would be permitted to see him. He would have the satisfaction of seeing God himself, and of hearing the sentence in his favor. That expectation he deemed worthy of a permanent record, and wished it transmitted to future times, that in his darkest days and severest trials - when God overwhelmed him, and man forsook him, he still firmly maintained his confidence in God, and his belief that he would come forth to vindicate his cause. Though my reins - The margin renders this, "my reins within me are consumed with earnest desire for that day." Noyes translates it, "For this my soul panteth within me." Herder, I shall see him as my deliverer, Mine eyes shall behold him, as mine, For whom my heart so long fainted.