Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
Parallel translations
- WEB You have turned to be cruel to me. With the might of your hand you persecute me.
- BSB You have ruthlessly turned on me; You oppose me with Your strong hand.
- NKJV But You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You oppose me.
- NASB “You have become cruel to me; With the strength of Your hand You persecute me.
- NLT You have become cruel toward me. You use your power to persecute me.
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 accuses God of turning cruel and persecuting him with a mighty hand. It is the raw, mistaken complaint of a sufferer who misreads God's purposes.
Overview
In his anguish Job charges God with becoming his opponent, using his power against him rather than for him. The reader knows from the prologue that God has not turned cruel but is allowing a test that will end in vindication and blessing. Job's words show how suffering can distort our view of God, and they highlight the gospel truth that in Christ God's hand is revealed as gracious even when his providence is hard to understand.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Job 16:9–14He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
- Job 10:14–17If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.
- Job 10:3Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?
- Job 19:6–9Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.
- 1 Pet 5:6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
- Job 6:9Even that it would please God to destroy me; that he would let loose his hand, and cut me off!
- Ps 89:13Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
- Ps 77:7–9Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?
- Job 13:25–28Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
- Job 19:22Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
- Jer 30:14All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.
- Job 23:6Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.
- Job 7:20–21I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 30:21 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.