Job 30:20
New International Version
“I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.

New Living Translation
“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look.

English Standard Version
I cry to you for help and you do not answer me; I stand, and you only look at me.

Berean Standard Bible
I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

King James Bible
I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.

New King James Version
“I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me.

New American Standard Bible
“I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.

NASB 1995
“I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me.

NASB 1977
“I cry out to Thee for help, but Thou dost not answer me; I stand up, and Thou dost turn Thy attention against me.

Legacy Standard Bible
I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You carefully consider how to be against me.

Amplified Bible
“I cry to You for help, [Lord,] but You do not answer me; I stand up, but You [only] gaze [indifferently] at me.

Christian Standard Bible
I cry out to you for help, but you do not answer me; when I stand up, you merely look at me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

American Standard Version
I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me: I stand up, and thou gazest at me.

Contemporary English Version
I beg God for help, but there is no answer; and when I stand up, he simply stares.

English Revised Version
I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me: I stand up, and thou lookest at me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"I call to you for help, but you don't answer me. I stand up, but you just look at me.

Good News Translation
I call to you, O God, but you never answer; and when I pray, you pay no attention.

International Standard Version
I cry for help to you, but you won't answer me; I stand still, but you only look at me.

Majority Standard Bible
I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me.

NET Bible
I cry out to you, but you do not answer me; I stand up, and you only look at me.

New Heart English Bible
I cry to you, and you do not answer me. I stand up, and you gaze at me.

Webster's Bible Translation
I cry to thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.

World English Bible
I cry to you, and you do not answer me. I stand up, and you gaze at me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I cry to You, "" And You do not answer me, I have stood, and You consider me.

Young's Literal Translation
I cry unto Thee, And Thou dost not answer me, I have stood, and Thou dost consider me.

Smith's Literal Translation
I shall cry to thee and thou wilt not answer me: I stood up and thou wilt not attend to me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I cry to thee, and thou hearest me not: I stand up, and thou dost not regard me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I cry to you, and you do not heed me. I stand up, and you do not look back at me.

New American Bible
I cry to you, but you do not answer me; I stand, but you take no notice.

New Revised Standard Version
I cry to you and you do not answer me; I stand, and you merely look at me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
I cry to thee, and thou dost not answer me; I stand up and thou dost not consider me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
I shall cry to you and you will not answer me; I stood and you noticed me
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
I cry unto Thee, and Thou dost not answer me; I stand up, and Thou lookest at me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I have cried to thee, but thou hearest me not: but they stood still, and observed me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job's Prosperity Becomes Calamity
19He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes. 20I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer; when I stand up, You merely look at me. 21You have ruthlessly turned on me; You oppose me with Your strong hand.…

Cross References
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 69:3
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.

Psalm 88:13-14
But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You. / Why, O LORD, do You reject me? Why do You hide Your face from me?

Psalm 13:1-2
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? / How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?

Isaiah 59:1-2
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. / But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.

Psalm 77:1-9
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 ...

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?

Psalm 28:1-2
Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit. / Hear my cry for mercy when I call to You for help, when I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.

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 143:7
Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.

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?”

Luke 18:1-8
Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray at all times and not lose heart: / “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected men. / And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ...

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.

Hebrews 5:7
During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.


Treasury of Scripture

I cry to you, and you do not hear me: I stand up, and you regard me not.

I cry

Job 19:7
Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.

Job 27:9
Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?

Psalm 22:2
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

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Job 30
1. Job's honor is turned into extreme contempt
15. and his prosperity into calamity














I cry out to You for help
The Hebrew root for "cry out" is "זָעַק" (za'aq), which conveys a deep, desperate plea for assistance. This word is often used in the context of someone in distress calling out for divine intervention. In the historical context of Job, this cry is not just a casual request but a profound expression of anguish and need. Job's cry is emblematic of the human condition, where individuals, in their suffering, reach out to God with the hope of being heard and rescued. This phrase underscores the intensity of Job's suffering and his reliance on God as his ultimate source of help.

but You do not answer
The absence of an answer from God is a central theme in the Book of Job. The Hebrew word for "answer" is "עָנָה" (anah), which implies a response or reply. Job's lament here highlights the silence of God in the face of his suffering, a silence that is both perplexing and painful. This silence can be seen as a test of faith, where Job's trust in God is challenged by the lack of immediate divine intervention. Historically, this reflects the struggle of the faithful to understand God's will and timing, especially when His presence seems distant.

when I stand up
The act of standing up, "קוּם" (qum) in Hebrew, signifies readiness and determination. In the context of Job, standing up can be seen as a metaphor for Job's persistence and resilience in seeking God's attention. Despite his suffering, Job does not remain passive; he actively seeks a response from God. This action reflects a posture of expectation and hope, even in the midst of despair. It is a testament to Job's unwavering faith and his desire for a resolution to his plight.

You merely look at me
The phrase "merely look at me" suggests a sense of divine observation without intervention. The Hebrew word "שָׁעָה" (sha'ah) can mean to look or gaze, often implying a careful or deliberate observation. Job feels as though God is watching him but not acting to alleviate his suffering. This perception of divine detachment is a poignant aspect of Job's struggle, as it raises questions about the nature of God's involvement in human suffering. From a theological perspective, this can be seen as an invitation to trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty, even when His ways are inscrutable.

(20) Thou regardest me not.--The Authorised Version understands that the negative of the first clause must be supplied in the second, as is the case in Psalm 9:18 : "The needy shall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." Others understand it, "I stand up (i.e., to pray) in the attitude of prayer, and Thou lookest at me," i.e., and doest no more with mute indifference.

Verse 20. - I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me. It is the worst of all calamities to be God-forsaken, as Job believed himself to be, because he had no immediate answer to his prayers. The bitterest cry upon the cross was "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" But no good man is ever really God-forsaken, and no rightful and earnest prayers are ever really unheard. Job "had need of patience" (Hebrews 10:36), patient as he was (James 5:11). He should have trusted God more, and complained less. I stand up, and thou regardest me not; rather, I stand up, as the manner of the Jews usually was in prayer (Luke 18:11), and thou lookest at me (see the Revised Version). Job's complaint is that, when he stands up and stretches out his hands to God in prayer, God simply looks on, does nothing, gives him no help.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I cry out to You
אֵ֭לֶיךָ (’ê·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

for help,
אֲשַׁוַּ֣ע (’ă·šaw·wa‘)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7768: To be free, to halloo

but You do not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

answer;
תַעֲנֵ֑נִי (ṯa·‘ă·nê·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

when I stand up,
עָ֝מַ֗דְתִּי (‘ā·maḏ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

You merely look at me.
וַתִּתְבֹּ֥נֶן (wat·tiṯ·bō·nen)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand


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OT Poetry: Job 30:20 I cry to you and you do (Jb)
Job 30:19
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