JobChapitre 16

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Then Job answered:

I have heard many things like these. Miserable comforters are you all!

Is there no end to your windy words? What provokes you to keep answering?

I too could speak as you do, if you were in my place. I could string together fine words against you and shake my head at you.

But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the comfort of my lips would ease your pain.

If I speak, my pain is not eased; and if I hold back, what relief goes from me?

Surely now he has worn me out. You have laid waste all my company.

You have shriveled me up, and it stands as a witness; my gauntness rises against me and testifies to my face.

His anger has torn me and hunted me down; he has gnashed his teeth at me. My adversary fixes his glaring eyes on me.

Men gape at me with open mouths; they strike my cheeks in scorn; they mass themselves together against me.

God hands me over to the ungodly and flings me into the grip of the wicked.

I was at ease, and he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces. He has set me up as his target;

his archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without pity and pours my gall on the ground.

He breaks through me, breach upon breach; he rushes at me like a warrior.

I have sewn sackcloth over my skin and thrust my horn into the dust.

My face is flushed with weeping, and deep shadow lies on my eyelids,

though there is no violence in my hands and my prayer is pure.

O earth, do not cover my blood; let my cry find no resting place.

Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven; the one who vouches for me is on high.

My friends are my mockers; to God my eye pours out its tears,

that he might plead a man's case with God, as one pleads for a friend.

For only a few years will pass, and then I will walk the road from which I shall not return.

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Résumé2

Chapitre 16

Main Theme: Job defends his innocence against his friends' empty comfort and cries out in lament over God's harsh treatment.

Content: Job rejects his friends' comfort as worthless and calls them "miserable comforters" (v. 2). With vivid imagery, he describes how God has attacked him like a predator and a warrior—tearing him apart, using him as a target, and crushing him (vv. 9–14). Despite his suffering, Job maintains his innocence and appeals to a witness in heaven who will plead his case before God (vv. 17–21).

Key Words/Images:

Miserable comforters (v. 2): Job's sarcastic label for his friends, whose words only increase his pain.
Target (v. 12): An image of Job as God's target for suffering—God has set him up to be shot at.
Sackcloth and dust (v. 15): Symbols of mourning and humiliation that Job has put on.
Witness in heaven (v. 19): Job's hope for someone who can plead his case in the heavenly courtroom.

Contexte historique

Historical and Cultural Context for Job 16

Key Terms

The chapter contains several Hebrew expressions with deep cultural resonance. The phrase מְנַחֲמֵי עָמָל (menaḥamei amal, "comforters of misery" or "troublesome comforters") in verse 2 is an ironic turn of phrase. The verb naḥam (to comfort) was tied to important social obligations in the ancient Near East, where friends and family had a duty to visit and console those who were grieving. Job accuses his friends of perverting this sacred function.

In verse 19, two parallel words for "witness" are used: עֵדִי (edi) and שָׂהֲדִי (sahadi). The latter is an Aramaic loanword, which may indicate the text’s great age or its cosmopolitan setting. The concept of a witness in heaven reflects ancient Near Eastern beliefs about divine witnesses to covenants and legal proceedings.

Events and Customs

Mourning customs: Verse 15 mentions that Job has "sown sackcloth over his skin" (שַׂק תָּפַרְתִּי עֲלֵי גִלְדִּי). Sackcloth (saq) was a coarse fabric made of goat hair, worn as a sign of deep grief or repentance. The fact that Job has "sewn" it on suggests a permanent state of mourning—he has not merely put on the sackcloth temporarily but has made it part of himself. The expression "I have buried my horn in the dust" (וְעֹלַלְתִּי בֶעָפָר קַרְנִי) refers to the horn as a symbol of dignity and strength; lowering it into the dust signifies total humiliation.

The cry for blood: In verse 18, Job calls upon the earth not to cover his blood. This alludes to the idea in Genesis 4:10 that innocent shed blood cries out from the ground. In ancient Near Eastern thought, uncovered blood demanded vengeance or justice—Job wants his suffering to remain visible as proof of injustice.

Imagery and Metaphors

The imagery in verses 9–14 uses war metaphors well known in antiquity: the enemy who "tears" and "gnashes teeth" (v. 9), Job being set up לְמַטָּרָה (lemattara, "as a target"), archers surrounding him, and a warrior charging repeatedly. The image of "splitting the kidneys" and "pouring out gall" reflects ancient anatomy in which the kidneys (kilayot) were considered the seat of the deepest emotions—equivalent to what we would today call "heart-wrenching."

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Mots-clés7

Misery — A state of great distress, suffering, or sorrow, often experienced by Job in his trials.
Comfort — Support and care given to alleviate pain, grief, or worry; lacking in Job's situation.
Accusations — Charges or criticism directed at a person, as Job's friends direct toward him.
Righteousness — The principle of acting rightly and justly; Job asserts his own righteousness throughout the book.
God's wrath — God's strong displeasure or anger, which Job feels is directed against him without cause.
Witness in heaven — A divine observer who can confirm a person's innocence or righteousness; Job longs for such a witness.
Prayer — An appeal to God for help, guidance, or gratitude; Job prays to God throughout his suffering.