when His lamp shone above my head, and by His light I walked through the darkness,
Parallel translations
- WEB when his lamp shone on my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,
- KJV When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;
- NKJV When His lamp shone upon my head, And when by His light I walked through darkness;
- NASB When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness;
- NLT when he lit up the way before me and I walked safely through the darkness.
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 recalls how God's lamp shone on him so that he walked safely even through darkness.
Overview
The image of God's lamp upon his head pictures divine favor, guidance, and protection in former days. Even in dark times, God's light enabled Job to walk securely. This anticipates the truth that God is the light who guides His people (Psalm 119:105), fully revealed in Christ, the light of the world (John 8:12).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Ps 18:28For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
- John 8:12Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”
- John 12:46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should remain in darkness.
- Eph 5:8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
- Job 18:6The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him goes out.
- Job 11:17Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
- Job 22:28Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.
- Ps 84:11For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- Prov 24:20For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
- Ps 27:1Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- Ps 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Eph 5:14So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
- Prov 13:9The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.
- Isa 2:4Then He will judge between the nations and arbitrate for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation, nor train anymore for war.
- Prov 20:20Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.
- Ps 4:6Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
- Job 21:17How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 29:3 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.