Job 23:1
New International Version
Then Job replied:

New Living Translation
Then Job spoke again:

English Standard Version
Then Job answered and said:

Berean Standard Bible
Then Job answered:

King James Bible
Then Job answered and said,

New King James Version
Then Job answered and said:

New American Standard Bible
Then Job responded,

NASB 1995
Then Job replied,

NASB 1977
Then Job replied,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Job answered and said,

Amplified Bible
Then Job answered and said,

Christian Standard Bible
Then Job answered:

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Job answered:

American Standard Version
Then Job answered and said,

Contemporary English Version
Job said:

English Revised Version
Then Job answered and said,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then Job replied [to his friends],

International Standard Version
Job's response was to say:

Majority Standard Bible
Then Job answered:

NET Bible
Then Job answered:

New Heart English Bible
Then Job answered,

Webster's Bible Translation
Then Job answered and said,

World English Bible
Then Job answered,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Job answers and says:

Young's Literal Translation
And Job answereth and saith: --

Smith's Literal Translation
And Job will answer and say,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Job answered, and said:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then Job answered by saying:

New American Bible
Then Job answered and said:

New Revised Standard Version
Then Job answered:
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
THEN Job answered and said,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Job answered and said:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then Job answered and said:

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Then Job answered and said,
Audio Bible



Context
Job Longs for God
1Then Job answered: 2“Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.…

Cross References
Job 13:3
Yet I desire to speak to the Almighty and argue my case before God.

Job 9:2-3
“Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God? / If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.

Job 10:1-2
“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul. / I will say to God: Do not condemn me! Let me know why You prosecute me.

Job 19:7
Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice.

Job 30:20
I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

Job 31:35
(Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser compose an indictment.

Psalm 77:1-3
For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me. / In the day of trouble I sought the Lord; through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted. / I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah

Psalm 142:1-2
A Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer. I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy. / I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.

Psalm 22:1-2
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? / I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

Psalm 55:1-2
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Maskil of David. Listen to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea. / Attend to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and distraught

Psalm 69:1-3
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck. / I have sunk into the miry depths, where there is no footing; I have drifted into deep waters, where the flood engulfs me. / I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Lamentations 3:8
Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.

Isaiah 50:10
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.

Habakkuk 1:2
How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save?

Matthew 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”


Treasury of Scripture

Then Job answered and said,

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Job 23
1. Job longs to appear before God
6. in confidence of his mercy
8. God, who is invisible, observes our ways
11. Job's innocence
13. God's decree is immutable














Then
The word "then" serves as a transitional marker, indicating a response or continuation of a dialogue. In the context of the Book of Job, it signifies a pivotal moment where Job is about to express his thoughts and feelings after listening to his friends' discourses. This word underscores the ongoing nature of the conversation and the unfolding of Job's journey through suffering and seeking understanding. Historically, this moment is set in the ancient Near Eastern context, where dialogues and discourses were a common method of exploring deep philosophical and theological questions.

Job
Job is the central figure of this biblical book, a man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1). His name, in Hebrew, is "Iyov," which some scholars suggest may mean "persecuted" or "hated," reflecting his intense trials. Job's account is set in the land of Uz, a location that is not precisely identified but is thought to be in the region of Edom or northern Arabia. Job's character is a profound study of faith, endurance, and the human struggle to understand divine justice.

answered
The act of answering implies a response to a preceding statement or question. In this context, Job is responding to the speeches of his friends, who have been attempting to explain his suffering through traditional wisdom that equates suffering with divine punishment for sin. The Hebrew root for "answered" is "עָנָה" (anah), which can also mean to respond, testify, or sing. This highlights the dialogical nature of the text, where Job is not merely replying but is engaging in a deep, heartfelt expression of his inner turmoil and quest for answers. This response is part of a larger discourse that explores themes of justice, righteousness, and the mystery of God's ways.

XXIII.

(1) Then Job answered.--Job replies to the insinuations of Eliphaz with the earnest longing after God and the assertion of his own innocence; while in the twenty-fourth chapter he laments that his own case is but one of many, and that multitudes suffer from the oppression of man unavenged, as he suffers from the stroke of God.

Verses 1-24:25. - Job replies to Eliphaz in a speech of no great length, which, though it occupies two chapters, runs to only forty-two verses. He begins by justifying the vehemence of his complaints, first, on the ground of the severity of his sufferings (ver. 2), and secondly, on the ground of his conviction that, if God would bring him to an open trial before his tribunal, he would acquit him (vers. 3-12). By the way, he complains that God hides himself, and cannot be found (vers. 3, 8, 9). He then further complains that God is not to be bent from his purpose, which is set against Job (vers. 13-17). In ch. 24. he goes over ground already trodden, maintaining the general prosperity of the wicked, and their exemption from any special earthly punishment (vers. 2-24). He winds up, finally, with a challenge to his opponents to disprove the truth of what he has said (ver. 25). Verses 1, 2. - Then Job answered and said, Even to-day is my complaint bitter; i.e. even to-day, notwithstanding all that has been said by my opponents against my right to complain, I do complain, and as bitterly as ever. And I justify my complaint on the following ground - my stroke is heavier than my groaning. If I complain bitterly, I suffer even more bitterly (comp. Job 6:2).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Job
אִיּ֗וֹב (’î·yō·wḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 347: Job -- a patriarch

answered:
וַיַּ֥עַן (way·ya·‘an)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond


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OT Poetry: Job 23:1 Then Job answered (Jb)
Job 22:30
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