Job 19:10

Job 19:10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree.

Ver. 10. He hath destroyed me on every side] Heb. He hath demolished me, he hath pulled me down piece meal, as an old house is taken down part by part. See Lev 14:45 Jdg 8:17. God had made and fashioned Job’s body together round about, Job 10:8, and now he destroyeth it round about. The body of a man is a wonderful fabric, wherein the bones are the timber work, the head the upper lodging, the eyes as windows, the eyelids as casements, the brows as pent houses, the ears as watch towers, the mouth as a door to take in that which shall uphold the building, and keep it in repair; the stomach as a kitchen to dress that which is conveyed into it; the guts and baser parts as sinks belonging to the house, &c. All these were decaying apace in Job as he thought.

And I am gone] That is, I am as good as gone already; every day I yield somewhat unto death, I am free among the dead, free of that company.

And my hope hath he removed like a tree] He hath not left me so much as hope (which is the last comfort of the afflicted) of ever recovering here my health, wealth, and former enjoyments; but hath left me as a tree that is plucked up by the roots, and so can never grow again. A saint may be at that pass here in regard to his outward estate, that there may be to him neither hope for the better nor place for worse (Melch. Adam). This was Cranmer’s case.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Job 19:10. He hath destroyed me on every side — In all respects, my person, and family, and estate. And I am gone — I am a lost and dead man. My hope hath he removed — All my hopes of the present life, but not of the life to come; like a tree — Which, being once plucked up by the roots, never grows again. Hope in this life is a perishing thing. But the hope of good men, when it is cut off from this world, is but removed like a tree, transplanted from this nursery to the garden of God.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Which is plucked up, and hath no more hope to grow.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

destroyed . . . on every side--"Shaken all round, so that I fall in the dust"; image from a tree uprooted by violent shaking from every side [UMBREIT]. The last clause accords with this (Jer 1:10)

mine hope--as to this life (in opposition to Zophar, Job 11:18); not as to the world to come (Job 19:25; Job 14:15).

removed--uprooted.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 10. Mine hope hath he removed like a tree.] There is no more hope of my restoration to affluence, authority, and respect, than there is that a tree shall grow and flourish, whose roots are extracted from the earth. I am pulled up by the roots, withered, and gone.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

10. He hath destroyed] Rather, he breaketh me down; the figure of a building. In the second clause the image is that of a great tree torn up by the roots, whose fall is pitiful. The words, and I am gone, refer to his inevitable death from his disease, which he regards as already virtually come, as is expressed in the next clause—his hope (of life or recovery) is removed like a tree.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He hath also kindled his wrath against me,.... In this and some following verses the metaphor is taken from a state of warfare, in which enemies are engaged in an hostile way, Job 19:12; in which way Job apprehended God was come forth against him; he imagined that the wrath of God, which is comparable to fire for its force and fury, was kindled against him; that it began to appear, and was bursting out in a flame upon him, and all around him, to consume him; he thought his afflictions were in wrath, which is often the mistaken apprehension of good men, see Psa 38:1; and that the terrors of it were set in battle array against him, Job 6:4;

and he counted me unto him as one of his enemies; all men are by nature enemies to God, yea, enmity itself, and so are his own people while unregenerate, until the enmity of their hearts is slain, and they are reconciled to God by his spirit and grace; but as Job was truly a gracious man, and possessed of the fruits of the spirit, he must among the rest of his graces have the love of God in his heart; and he was sensible and conscious to himself that he was no enemy to God, and could appeal to him, as the searcher of hearts, that he knew he loved him; nay, he could not believe that God reckoned him his enemy, when he had given such a testimony of him, and of his fear of him, that there was none like him; and when Job so strongly trusted in him for salvation, and believed he should enjoy him for ever: but his sense is, that God treated him, by afflicting him in the manner he did, as if he was one of his enemies; had he really been one, he could not have used him, he thought, more roughly and severely; so that, judging according to the outward appearance of things, it might be concluded, as it seems it was by his friends, that he was a wicked man, an hypocrite, an enemy to God and godliness; but whereas Job thought that God dealt with him as with an enemy, he was mistaken; since when God afflicts his people, he deals with them as with sons, Heb 12:7.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

He hath destroyed me on every side - He has left me nothing. The word which is used here is that which is commonly applied to which is used here is that which is commonly applied to destroying cities, towns, and houses. “Rosenmuller.”

And I am gone - That is, I am near death. I cannot recover myself.

And mine hope hath he removed like a tree - A tree, which is plucked up by the roots, and which does not grow again. That is, his hopes of life and happiness, of an honored old age, and of a continuance of his prosperity, had been wholly destroyed. This does not refer to his “religious” hope - as the word hope is often used now - but to his desire of future comfort and prosperity in this life. It does not appear but that his religious hope, arising from confidence in God, remainned unaffected.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

On every side, i.e. in all respects, and to all intents and purposes; my person, and family, and estate.

I am gone, i.e. I am a lost and dead man. Going is oft put for dying, as Gen 15:2; Psa 39:13.

Mine hope, i.e. all my hopes of the present life, as he oft expresseth it; but not of the life to come, as appears from Job 13:15,16; 19:25, &c.

Like a tree; which being once plucked up by the roots, never groweth again.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

10. Destroyed — נתצ, a word in common use for the pulling down of buildings.

Removed — Uprooted. By these figures Job expresses complete destruction.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone; or, broken me down. Job compares himself to a city, the walls of which are attacked on every side and broken down. His ruin is complete he perishes. And mine hope hath he removed like a tree; rather, torn up like a tree. Job"s "hope" was, no doubt, to lead a tranquil and a godly life, surrounded by his relatives and friends, in favour with God and man, till old age came, and he descended, like a ripe shock of corn, (Job_5:26) to the grave. This hope had been "torn up by the roots" when his calamities fell upon him.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Every side - In all respects, my person, and family, and estate. Gone - I am a lost and dead man. Hope - All my hopes of the present life, but not of the life to come. Tree - Which being once plucked up by the roots, never grows again. Hope in this life is a perishing thing. But the hope of good men, when it is cut off from this world, is but removed like a tree, transplanted from this nursery to the garden of God.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Job continues to speak to his three friends.

He has broken me down on every side

Job speaks of God ruining him as if Job were building that God is smashing down. AT: "He has ruined me in every way" or "He has attacked me in every way" (See: Metaphor)

I am gone

The metaphor "being gone" represents being completely destroyed. AT: "I am completely destroyed" (See: Metaphor)

he has pulled up my hope like a tree

Job speaks of God causing Job not to have hope as if Job's hope were a tree that God has pulled with its roots out of the ground. AT: "he has completely taken away all my hope" or "because of what he has done, I can no longer hope for anything good" (See: Simile)

like a tree

This simile is also an ellipsis. You may need to supply the omitted words. AT: "the way a man pulls a tree up by its roots" (See: Simile and Ellipsis)

He has also kindled his wrath against me

Job speaks of God's wrath as if it were a fire. AT: "God has also lit a fire of anger against me" or "God has also become very angry with me" (See: Metaphor)

he regards me as one of his adversaries

"he thinks of me as an enemy"

His troops come on together

Job speaks of God attacking him as if Job was a city and God was sending an army to attack it. AT: "God sends his army to attack me" (See: Metaphor)

they cast up siege mounds against me

Job speaks of God attacking him as if Job was a city and God's army was piling up dirt against the city wall in order to climb over the wall and attack the city. AT: "the soldiers pile up dirt in order to climb over my wall" (See: Metaphor)

encamp around my tent

Job speaks of God attacking him as if Job was in his tent and God's army was camping around him and preparing to attack him. AT: "they camp around my tent and prepare to attack me" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

hope

wrath

adversary

siege

tent

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

he has uprooted Heb. ויסע, an expression of uprooting.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.