Matthew Henry’s Modern English CommentaryJob 16

The Reply of Job to EliphazIn this section, Job answers Eliphaz and the other friends. Their discussion has become more heated, with each side thinking the other is wrong. Job is upset that his friends keep repeating the same ideas and that their words only add to his pain instead of bringing comfort. He reminds them how important it is to show real kindness to those who are suffering.v. 1-2: Job complains that he has heard the same arguments many times. I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all(Job 16:2 ). His friends only repeat what they said before, and their words do not help him feel any better.

v. 3: He asks why they keep speaking empty words. Shall vain words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer?. Job wishes they would stop talking if they have nothing new or helpful to say.

v. 4-5: Job asks his friends to imagine if they were suffering like him. I also could speak as you do, if your soul were in my place. I could join words together against you and shake my head at you. But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief(Job 16:4-5 ). He says if their roles were reversed, he would try to comfort them, not make things worse. He encourages us to use kind and encouraging words, especially to those who are hurting.

Grievances of JobIn this section, Job expresses how heavy his suffering feels. He struggles to decide whether to speak about his pain or keep it to himself since neither choice seems to bring him relief. Job’s words reflect the deep grief he feels and the challenges of enduring such overwhelming trials.v. 6: Job says that expressing his pain does not ease his suffering. Though I speak, my grief is not relieved; and if I forbear, how am I eased?. Talking about his troubles only leads to misunderstandings, but staying silent does not make him feel any better either.

v. 7: Job complains that God has made him weary and left him desolate. He has made me weary; you have made desolate all my company. His family has been destroyed, and the people who used to gather for worship in his home are gone. He feels abandoned and alone.

v. 8: Job describes how his body has wasted away. You have shriveled me up, and it is a witness against me; my leanness has risen up against me, it testifies to my face. His thin, wrinkled body seems to accuse him, as if it were proof of God’s displeasure. This physical suffering reminds Job that he is dying.

v. 9: Job feels attacked by an enemy. He tears me in his wrath and hates me; he gnashes his teeth at me; my adversary sharpens his gaze on me. This enemy could be Eliphaz and the other friends, Satan, or even God, as Job’s grief makes him feel that way. He struggles with the thought that God might be against him, which is especially painful for a faithful person.

v. 10: Job says the people around him mock him. They gape at me with their mouths; they strike me on the cheek in reproach; they gather themselves together against me. He feels humiliated and attacked by those who should have been kind. This foreshadows what Christ endured when He was mocked and struck by others (Psalm 22:13; Matthew 26:67 ).

v. 11: Job believes that God has handed him over to wicked people. God has delivered me to the ungodly and turned me over to the hands of the wicked. He feels defeated and wonders why God would allow those who oppose Him to harm him. This also reflects Christ’s suffering, as He was delivered into the hands of sinners (Acts 2:23 ).

v. 12-14: Job describes how God seems to treat him harshly. I was at ease, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces; he has set me up as his target(Job 16:12 ). Job feels like God has directed all His arrows at him, breaking him repeatedly. He compares God’s actions to a mighty warrior attacking without mercy.

v. 15-16: Job humbles himself under God’s affliction. I have sewn sackcloth over my skin and laid my horn in the dust; my face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death(Job 16:15-16 ). He wears sackcloth as a sign of mourning and has cried so much that his face shows his sorrow. Job submits to God’s will but feels deeply the weight of his suffering.

Testimony of Conscience; Job's Comfort in Conscious IntegrityEven though Job’s situation is very sad, he finds comfort in knowing he has lived honestly. He shares what gives him strength during his suffering: a clear conscience, trust in God’s knowledge of his heart, and hope for justice and peace after death.v. 17: Job says his conscience is clear. Not for any injustice in my hands; also my prayer is pure. He has not done wrong to others or been fake in his prayers to God. Job admits he is not perfect, but he has not lived in open sin or hypocrisy (Isaiah 1:15 ).

v. 18: Job calls on the earth not to hide any innocent blood if he is guilty. O earth, do not cover my blood, and let my cry have no resting place. He is willing for his life to be examined. If he has done wrong, let it be known, but if not, let his cry for justice be heard (Genesis 4:10-11; Psalm 66:18 ).

v. 19: Job trusts that God in heaven knows the truth. Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high. Even if people judge him wrongly, God sees his heart and will defend him (John 5:31, 37 ).

v. 20-21: Job pours out his tears to God because his friends mock him. My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God, that he would argue the case of a man with God, as a son of man does with his neighbor(Job 16:20-21 ). He wishes for someone to speak for him before God. Christians believe Jesus is the one who pleads for us before God (Isaiah 50:7-8 ).

v. 22: Job looks ahead to death, which will end his troubles. For when a few years have come, I shall go the way from which I shall not return(Job 16:22 ). He knows that everyone must die and not come back to this life. For those with a good conscience, this is a comforting thought, because it means rest and peace with God.