Job 19:25: Edit history

Context

Chapter 19 of the Book of Job is Job's reply to the second speech of his friend Bildad. Job laments that his friends torment him, that God treats him as an enemy, and that even his family and servants have turned away from him (19:2–22). He then wishes that his words might be written in a book and engraved in the rock forever (19:23–24). In verses 25–27 he abruptly voices a confession of confidence. Verse 26 continues, "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (KJV); the phrase rendered "in my flesh" can also be translated "without my flesh."

The word "redeemer" translates the Hebrew go'el. A go'el was a close relative who, when a kinsman had lost his land or his own freedom through debt or servitude, paid the price on his behalf to recover them, and who avenged the blood of one wrongfully killed. Boaz in the Book of Ruth is the best-known example of a go'el.

Interpretations

• As a prophecy of Christ and the resurrection: Since the time of the Church Fathers, the church has identified this go'el with Christ, has read "he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth" as referring to Christ's coming or to the last day, and has understood verse 26 as expressing hope in the bodily resurrection. The aria "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth," which opens Part III of Handel's Messiah, exemplifies this interpretation.
• As God himself acting as advocate: Many Old Testament scholars hold that Job believed the God who now seemed to be striking him would ultimately become the advocate who would vindicate his innocence. This reading connects the verse with the "witness … in heaven" of 16:19.
• As a heavenly mediator: Another interpretation holds that Job longed for a third party who would stand between God and himself and take his side (compare the "daysman" of 9:33).

Points of Debate

The Hebrew text of verse 26 is difficult and its meaning obscure, so translations vary widely. Reading it as "without my flesh" emphasizes seeing God as a soul after death, while reading it as "in my flesh" emphasizes seeing God in a resurrected body. Opinions are also divided over whether Job expected restoration during his lifetime or was looking beyond death. These interpretive differences reflect differing views on the extent of resurrection belief in the Old Testament period.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, the passage is frequently read at funeral services, at graveside committal services, and in Easter sermons, serving as a text for confessing the hope of the resurrection in the face of death.

Related Passages

• Job 16:19–21
• Job 9:32–33
• Ruth 4:4–10
• 1 Corinthians 15:20–22
• John 11:25–26