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:
Parallel translations
- WEB He works to the north, but I can’t see him. He turns south, but I can’t catch a glimpse of him.
- BSB When He is at work in the north, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the south, I cannot see Him.
- NKJV When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
- NASB When He acts on the left, I cannot see Him; He turns to the right, but I cannot see Him.
- NLT I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I look to the south, but he is concealed.
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
Whether God works in the north or turns to the south, Job still cannot see or glimpse Him. God remains elusive on every side.
Overview
Completing the four directions, Job confesses he cannot perceive God anywhere he turns. The sense of divine hiddenness is total. This honest expression of seeking a God who seems concealed is part of faithful endurance. It heightens the wonder that God will indeed appear to Job, and that in Christ the invisible God has made Himself known (John 1:18).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 23:9 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.