Job 19:12

12 His troops also came upon me with one accord, liars in wait compassed my ways.

Job 19:12 Meaning and Commentary

Job 19:12

His troops come together
Afflictions which are many, and of which it may be said, as was at the birth of God, who had his name from the word here used, "a troop cometh": ( Genesis 30:11 ) ; and these sometimes come together, or follow so quick one upon another, that there is scarce any interval between them, as did Job's afflictions; and they are God's hosts, his troops, his soldiers, which are at his command; and he says to them, as the centurion did to his, to the one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and it comes:

and raise up their way against me;
as an army, when it comes against a place, throws up a bank to raise their artillery upon, that they may play it to greater advantage; or make a broad causeway, for the soldiers to march abreast against it; or an high cast up way, as the word F25 signifies, over a ditch or dirty place in a hollow, that they may the better pass over: some read it, "they raise up their way upon me" F26; he opposing and standing in the way was crushed down by them, and trampled upon, and over whom they passed as on an highway, and in a beaten path; see ( Isaiah 51:23 ) ; but most render it, "against me"; for Job looked upon all his afflictions, as Jacob did ( Genesis 42:36 ) , to be against him, to militate against him, and threaten him with ruin, when they were all working for him, even for his good:

and encamp round about my tabernacle:
as an army round about a city when besieging it. Job may have respect to the tabernacle of his body, as that is sometimes so called, ( 2 Corinthians 5:1 ) ( 2 Peter 1:13 2 Peter 1:14 ) ; and to the diseases of it; which being a complication, might be said to encamp about him, or surround him on all sides.


FOOTNOTES:

F25 (wloyw) "aggerant", Cocceius, Schultens; "straverunt", Montanus, Schmidt; a (hlom) "via strata et elevata", Mercerus, Drusius.
F26 (yle) "super me", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Schmidt, Michaelis.

Job 19:12 In-Context

10 He has torn me around about, and I am gone: and he has cut off my hope like a tree.
11 And he has dreadfully handled me in anger, and has counted me for an enemy.
12 His troops also came upon me with one accord, liars in wait compassed my ways.
13 My brethren have stood aloof from me; they have recognized strangers than me: and my friends have become pitiless.
14 My nearest of kin have not acknowledged me, and they that knew my name, have forgotten me.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.