Job 23:9 BSB — MannaFest

Job 23:9

When He is at work in the north, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the south, I cannot see Him.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

On the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him; He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him.

KJV

On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

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Commentary

2 voices

Gregory the Dialogist

Morals on the Book of Job, Book XVI (604)

If I go to the East, He appeareth not; if I go to the West, I shall not understand Him; if I go to the left hand, what shall I do? I shall not comprehend Him; if I turn myself to the right hand I shall not see Him. For the Creator of all things is not in a part, inasmuch as He is every where. And then He is found the less, when He, That is whole every where, is sought in a part.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

On the left hand - That is, in the North - at the left hand when the face was turned to the East. So the Chaldee, בצפונא - “on the North.” The other versions, the Vulgate, the Septuagint, the Syriac, Castellio, Luther, etc., render it “on the left hand.” The common term among the Hebrews for the “North” is צפון tsâphôn - (from צפן tsâphan - “to hide,” or “conceal”), meaning the hidden, concealed, or dark region, since the ancients regarded the North as the seat of gloom and darkness, (Homer, Odyssey ix.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

8 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
שְׂמֹ֣אול	se.Mol	[the] left [side]	H8040 →
בַּעֲשֹׂת֣וֹ	ba.'a.so.To	when acts he	H6213 →
וְלֹא־	ve.lo'-	and not	H3808 →
אָ֑חַז	'A.chaz	I see [him]	H2372 →
יַעְטֹ֥ף	ya'.Tof	he turns	H5848 →
יָ֝מִ֗ין	ya.Min	[the] right [side]	H3225 →
וְלֹ֣א	ve.Lo'	and not	H3808 →
אֶרְאֶֽה׃	'er.'Eh	I see [him]	H7200 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Isaiah 8:17
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in Him.
leads to
- Hebrews 10:36–39
  You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
- Habakkuk 2:3
  For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.
- Lamentations 3:25–26
  The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
- Isaiah 25:9
  And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us…
- Psalms 33:20
  Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
Through
Psalms 89:46
How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?
leads to
- Psalms 79:5
  How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
- Psalms 78:63
  Fire consumed His young men, and their maidens were left without wedding songs.
- Isaiah 45:15
  Truly You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

Featured studies on this passage

Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of the Composite Statue (Ars moriendi manuscript) — Unknown illuminator

Walks through Job 23

Gold, Silver, Bronze & Iron

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Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the Burning Fiery Furnace — J. M. W. Turner

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The Furnace & the Refiner's Fire

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About Job

Job Hears of His Misfortunes — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Job: the study guide →Read chapter 23 →The featured study →

Continue: Job 23 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Job

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Job