¶“Earth, do not cover my blood, And may there be no resting place for my cry.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Earth, don’t cover my blood. Let my cry have no place to rest.
- KJV O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no place.
- BSB O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry for help never be laid to rest.
- NKJV “O earth, do not cover my blood, And let my cry have no resting place!
- NLT “O earth, do not conceal my blood. Let it cry out on my behalf.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Job cries that the earth not cover his blood and his cry never rest until vindicated. He appeals for his cause to be heard.
Overview
Using the image of unavenged blood that cries out (Genesis 4:10), Job pleads that his innocent suffering not be silenced or forgotten. He longs for justice and vindication. This yearning for a cry that will not be stilled until righted anticipates the gospel, where the blood of Christ speaks a better word than Abel's (Hebrews 12:24).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Isa 26:21For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.
- Ezek 24:7For her blood is in the middle of her; she set it on the bare rock; she didn’t pour it on the ground, to cover it with dust.
- Gen 4:11Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
- Ps 66:18–19If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened.
- Neh 4:5don’t cover their iniquity, and don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
- Isa 1:15When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
- Isa 58:9–10Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away from among you the yoke, finger pointing, and speaking wickedly;
- Jas 4:3–4You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.
- Job 27:9Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
- Jer 22:29O earth, earth, earth, hear Yahweh’s word!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 16:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.