Job 2:5
in Job 2But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.
KJV
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
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This verse in Job 2
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
But put forth thine hand now - Satan felt that he had no power to afflict Job without permission. Malignant as he was, he knew that God only could subject the holy man to this trial - another proof that Satan is under the control of the Almighty, and acts only as he is “permitted” to act in tempting and trying the good. And touch his bone - See the note at Job 1:11. Afflict his body so as to endanger his life. The words “bone” and “flesh” denote the whole body.
This site's exposition
Skin for skin
on Job 2:4-6
The words "Skin for skin" occur only here, a saying of barter in Gill and Clarke, one skin traded to save a more valuable one. "A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life," so the losses so far had spared Job's own body.
This site's exposition
strike his flesh and bones
Satan asks for leave a second time, and Barnes takes the request as proof he can strike Job only by permission. Matthew Henry sets the pain of flesh and bones beside Paul's thorn in the flesh at 2 Corinthians 12:7, borne by grace. Flesh and bones means the man himself.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church3 voices
ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth Thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face. When the evil spirit sees our Redeemer shine forth by miracles, he cries out, We know Who Thou art, the Holy One of God. And in saying this, he dreads, whilst he owns, the Son of God. Yet being a stranger to the power of heavenly pity, there are seasons when, beholding Him subject to suffering, he supposes Him to be mere man. Now he had learnt that there were many in the pastoral station, cloaked under the guise of sanctity, who, being very far removed from the bowels of charity, held for very little other men's ills. And thus as though judging of Him by other men, because after much had been taken from Him, he did not see him subdued, he so flamed against Him even to His very flesh, in applying the touch of suffering, as to say, Skin for skin; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth Thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face. As though he said in plain terms, 'He does not care to be moved by the things that are without Him, but it will then be really known what He is, if He shall experience in Himself what may make Him grieve.' This Satan expressed in his own person not by words, but by wishes, when he desired to have it brought to pass; in his members he brought it on both by words and wishes at once. For it is himself that speaks, when, according to the words of the Prophet, his followers say, Let us put the wood in his bread, and let us raze him out from the land of the living. […]
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION. And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face. The old enemy derives from outward things the charge which he urges against the blessed man's soul.
Since someone could say to Satan, "How can you prove that Job bore patiently with the loss of his children and his possessions because he feared for his own skin and his own life?", he now adds, as though in answer to this objection, "But …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
There is no disputing against sense. St. Paul himself had much ado to bear a thorn in the flesh, nor could he have borne it without special grace from Christ, 2 Cor. xii.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He will curse thee to thy face - Literally, If he will not bless thee to thy face or appearances. His piety to thee will be always regulated by thy bounty to him. See the note on Job 1:11.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אוּלָם֙ | ʾulam | but | H199 → | 19 times |
| שְֽׁלַֽח־ | shelach- | stretch out | H7971 → | 845 times |
| נָ֣א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| יָֽדְךָ֔ | yadekha | hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְגַ֥ע | vega' | and touch | H5060 → | 150 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| עַצְמ֖וֹ | atzmo | bone his | H6106 → | 126 times |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בְּשָׂר֑וֹ | besaro | flesh his | H1320 → | 270 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| פָּנֶ֖יךָ | paneikha | face your | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְבָרֲכֶֽךָּ׃ | yevarakheka | he will bless you | H1288 → | 330 times |
אוּלָם֙but
ʾulamH199 →19 times
שְֽׁלַֽח־stretch out
shelach-H7971 →845 times
נָ֣אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
יָֽדְךָ֔hand your
yadekhaH3027 →1618 times
וְגַ֥עand touch
vega'H5060 →150 times
אֶל־<to>
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
עַצְמ֖וֹbone his
atzmoH6106 →126 times
וְאֶל־and <to>
veel-H413 →5510 times
בְּשָׂר֑וֹflesh his
besaroH1320 →270 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
פָּנֶ֖יךָface your
paneikhaH6440 →2123 times
יְבָרֲכֶֽךָּ׃he will bless you
yevarakhekaH1288 →330 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Job 1:5And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps…
it leads to
- Job 42:8
So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. Then My servant Job will pray for you, for I will accept his prayer…
- Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD. And taking from every kind of clean animal and clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
- 1 Samuel 16:5
“In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
- Ephesians 6:18
Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.
- Job 8:4
When your children sinned against Him, He gave them over to their rebellion.
- Job 42:8
Through
Job 1:11But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”
it leads to
- Job 19:21
Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me.
- Revelation 16:11
and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds.
- Job 19:21
Through
Leviticus 24:15And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin.
it leads to
- Leviticus 5:1
“If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.
- Leviticus 5:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Job
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book III; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.