Job 23:2
New International Version
“Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.

New Living Translation
“My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try hard not to groan aloud.

English Standard Version
“Today also my complaint is bitter; my hand is heavy on account of my groaning.

Berean Standard Bible
“Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

King James Bible
Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

New King James Version
“Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning.

New American Standard Bible
“Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

NASB 1995
“Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

NASB 1977
“Even today my complaint is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Even today my musing is rebellion; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

Amplified Bible
“Even today my complaint is contentious; His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

Christian Standard Bible
Today also my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Today also my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

American Standard Version
Even to-day is my complaint rebellious: My stroke is heavier than my groaning.

Contemporary English Version
Today I complain bitterly, because God has been cruel and made me suffer.

English Revised Version
Even today is my complaint rebellious: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"My complaint is bitter again today. I try hard to control my sighing.

International Standard Version
"I'm still complaining bitterly today; my hand is heavy because of groaning.

Majority Standard Bible
?Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning.

NET Bible
"Even today my complaint is still bitter; his hand is heavy despite my groaning.

New Heart English Bible
"Even today my complaint is rebellious. His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.

Webster's Bible Translation
Even to-day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

World English Bible
“Even today my complaint is rebellious. His hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Also—today my complaint [is] bitter, "" My hand has been heavy because of my sighing.

Young's Literal Translation
Also -- to-day is my complaint bitter, My hand hath been heavy because of my sighing.

Smith's Literal Translation
Also today is my complaint bitter: my hand heavy over my groaning,
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now also my words are in bitterness, and the hand of my scourge is more grievous than my mourning.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now again my conversation is in bitterness, and the force of my scourging weighs more heavily on me because of my mourning.

New American Bible
Today especially my complaint is bitter, his hand is heavy upon me in my groanings.

New Revised Standard Version
“Today also my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy despite my groaning.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Even today is my complaint bitter; God's hand is heavier and increases my groaning.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Also today my tale is bitter and his hand has been heavy on my groaning
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Even to-day is my complaint bitter; My hand is become heavy because of my groaning.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Yea, I know that pleading is out of my reach; and his hand has been made heavy upon my groaning.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Longs for God
1Then Job answered: 2“Even today my complaint is bitter. His hand is heavy despite my groaning. 3If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat.…

Cross References
Psalm 77:3
I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah

Psalm 142:2
I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him.

Lamentations 3:39
Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins?

Jeremiah 20:7-9
You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. / For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long. / If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.

Habakkuk 1:2-4
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? / Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. / Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Psalm 38:8
I am numb and badly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

Psalm 55:17
Morning, noon, and night, I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.

Psalm 102:1-2
A prayer of one who is afflicted, when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come before You. / Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.

Psalm 142:1
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.

Isaiah 38:14
I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”

2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. / But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Romans 8:26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 7:5
For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.


Treasury of Scripture

Even to day is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning.

my complaint

Job 6:2
Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!

Job 10:1
My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.

Lamentations 3:19,20
Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall…

stroke.

Job 11:6
And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

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Bitter Complaint Despite Groaning Hand Hard Heavier Heavy Outcry Rebellion Rebellious Sighing Sorrow Spite Stroke Today To-Day
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Bitter Complaint Despite Groaning Hand Hard Heavier Heavy Outcry Rebellion Rebellious Sighing Sorrow Spite Stroke Today To-Day
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














Even today my complaint is bitter.
Job's lamentation reflects his ongoing suffering and the intensity of his emotional and physical pain. The phrase "even today" indicates the persistence of his distress, suggesting that his trials have not abated over time. This is consistent with the broader narrative of Job, where his suffering is prolonged and seemingly without cause. The bitterness of his complaint underscores the depth of his anguish and frustration. In the cultural context of the Ancient Near East, expressing one's complaint or lament was a common practice, often directed towards deities in hopes of eliciting a response. Job's bitterness can be seen as a reflection of his struggle to reconcile his understanding of a just God with his current experience of undeserved suffering. This phrase also connects to other biblical laments, such as those found in the Psalms, where the psalmists often express their grievances to God, seeking relief and understanding.

His hand is heavy despite my groaning.
The "hand" of God is a metaphor frequently used in the Bible to denote God's power and influence over human affairs. Here, Job perceives God's hand as "heavy," suggesting a sense of oppression or overwhelming force. This imagery conveys the idea that Job feels crushed under the weight of divine judgment or discipline, even though he maintains his innocence. The phrase "despite my groaning" indicates that Job's cries for help and expressions of pain have not alleviated his suffering. In the historical context, groaning or lamenting was a way to appeal for divine intervention, yet Job feels that his pleas have gone unheard. This sentiment is echoed in other parts of Scripture, such as in the lamentations of Jeremiah, where the prophet also feels the weight of God's judgment. Theologically, this phrase can be seen as a precursor to the suffering of Christ, who also experienced the weight of divine judgment, though He was without sin. Job's experience foreshadows the ultimate suffering servant, Jesus, who bore the sins of the world despite His own innocence.

Persons / Places / Events
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 questioning God's justice.

2. God
The omnipotent Creator, whose ways and purposes are often beyond human understanding. Job is addressing God in his lament.

3. Job's Suffering
The context of Job's lament is his immense suffering, having lost his wealth, children, and health, which leads him to question and seek answers from God.
Teaching Points
The Reality of Suffering
Suffering is a part of the human experience, even for the righteous. Job's lament reminds us that it is okay to express our pain and questions to God.

God's Sovereignty
Despite Job's perception of God's heavy hand, believers are encouraged to trust in God's ultimate wisdom and sovereignty, even when His ways are inscrutable.

The Importance of Lament
Lament is a biblical way to process grief and suffering. It allows us to bring our honest emotions before God, fostering a deeper relationship with Him.

Faith in the Midst of Trials
Job's account encourages believers to maintain faith and integrity, even when God's presence seems distant and His purposes unclear.

Seeking God in Trials
Like Job, we are called to seek God earnestly in our trials, trusting that He hears us and will ultimately bring about His good purposes.(2) Even to day.--Or, Still is my complaint bitter or accounted rebellion; yet is my stroke heavier than my groaning: my complaint is no just measure of my suffering.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Even
גַּם־ (gam-)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

today
הַ֭יּוֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

my complaint
שִׂחִ֑י (śi·ḥî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7879: A contemplation, an utterance

is bitter.
מְרִ֣י (mə·rî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4805: Bitterness, rebellion, bitter, rebellious

His hand
יָ֝דִ֗י (yā·ḏî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

is heavy
כָּבְדָ֥ה (kā·ḇə·ḏāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3513: To be heavy, weighty, or burdensome

despite
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

my groaning.
אַנְחָתִֽי׃ (’an·ḥā·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 585: A sighing, groaning


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OT Poetry: Job 23:2 Even today my complaint is rebellious (Jb)
Job 23:1
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