My friends are my scoffers
In the context of Job's suffering, his friends, who were initially there to comfort him, have become his accusers. This reflects the cultural expectation of the time that suffering was a direct result of personal sin, a belief that Job's friends held strongly. The Hebrew term for "scoffers" implies mockery and derision, highlighting the betrayal Job feels. This situation parallels Psalm 22:7, where the psalmist speaks of being mocked by those around him, a passage often seen as a prophetic reference to Christ's suffering and mockery by others.

as my eyes pour out tears to God
Job's response to his friends' accusations is not to retaliate but to turn to God in his distress. The imagery of tears pouring out signifies deep emotional pain and a plea for divine intervention. This act of crying out to God is a recurring theme in the Psalms, such as in Psalm 56:8, where tears are kept in God's bottle, symbolizing His awareness and care. Job's lament can be seen as a type of Christ, who also turned to God in prayer and tears during His own suffering, as seen in Hebrews 5:7. This phrase underscores the personal and relational aspect of Job's faith, despite his circumstances.

1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, experiencing intense suffering and loss.

2. Job's Friends
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who initially come to comfort Job but end up accusing him of wrongdoing, suggesting his suffering is due to his sins.

3. God
The Almighty, to whom Job directs his lament and tears, seeking understanding and justice amidst his suffering.

4. The Land of Uz
The setting of the Book of Job, traditionally considered to be in the region of Edom or northern Arabia.

5. The Heavenly Court
An unseen realm where God and Satan discuss Job's faithfulness, setting the stage for Job's trials.The Reality of Suffering
Job's experience reminds us that suffering is a part of the human condition, even for the righteous. It challenges the simplistic view that suffering is always a direct result of personal sin.

The Role of Friends
Job's friends, though well-intentioned, become "scoffers." This teaches us the importance of offering true comfort and empathy rather than judgment when others are suffering.

Pouring Out Our Hearts to God
Job's tears directed to God illustrate the importance of bringing our deepest emotions and struggles to Him in prayer, trusting that He hears and understands.

The Misunderstanding of Suffering
Job's friends misinterpret his suffering, reminding us to be cautious in assuming we understand God's purposes in others' lives.

Faith Amidst Trials
Despite his friends' accusations and his own confusion, Job continues to seek God, demonstrating a steadfast faith that we are called to emulate.(20) My friends scorn me.--Or, as an apostrophe, "Ye my scorners who profess and ought to be my friends: mine eye poureth out tears unto God that He would maintain the right of man with God, and of the son of man with his neighbour;" or, "that one might plead for man with God as the son of man pleadeth for his neighbour"--this is what he has already longed for in Job 9:33.

Verse 20. - My friends scorn me; literally, my scorners are my companions; i.e. I have to live with those who scorn me (comp. ch. 30:1-13). But mine eye poureth out tears unto God. It is not to his "friends" or "companions," or "comforters," or any human aid, that Job turns in his distress. God alone is his Refuge. Forced by his woes to pass his time in weeping and mourning (see ver. 16), it is to God that his heart turns, to God that he "pours out his tears." Hardly as he thinks God to have used him, bitterly as he sometimes ventures to complain, yet the idea never crosses him of looking for help or sympathy to any other quarter, of having recourse to any other support or stay. "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (Job 13:15), expresses the deepest feeling of his heart, the firmost principle of his nature. Nothing overrides it. Even "out of the depths" his soul cries to the Lord (see Psalm 130:1).

Parallel Commentaries ...


My friends
רֵעָ֑י (rê·‘āy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

are my scoffers
מְלִיצַ֥י (mə·lî·ṣay)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3887: Ambassador, have in derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker

as my eyes
עֵינִֽי׃ (‘ê·nî)
Noun - common singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

pour out [tears]
דָּלְפָ֥ה (dā·lə·p̄āh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1811: To drip, to weep

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

God.
אֱ֝ל֗וֹהַ (’ĕ·lō·w·ha)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 433: God -- a deity, the Deity


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OT Poetry: Job 16:20 My friends scoff at me (Jb)