Job 16:20

20 My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God,

Job 16:20 Meaning and Commentary

Job 16:20

My friends scorn me
Not that they scoffed at his afflictions and calamities, and at his diseases and disorders, that would have been very brutish and inhuman, but at his words, the arguments and reasons he made use of to defend himself with, see ( Job 12:4 ) ;

[but] mine eye poureth out [tears] unto God;
in great plenty, because of his very great sorrows and distresses, both inward and outward; and it was his mercy, that when his friends slighted and neglected him, yea, bore hard upon him, and mocked at him, that he had a God to go to, and pour out not only his tears, but all his complaints, and even his very soul unto him, from whom he might hope for relief; and what he said, when he did this, is as follows.

Job 16:20 In-Context

18 "O earth, do not cover my blood; let my outcry find no resting place.
19 Even now, in fact, my witness is in heaven, and he that vouches for me is on high.
20 My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God,
21 that he would maintain the right of a mortal with God, as one does for a neighbor.
22 For when a few years have come, I shall go the way from which I shall not return.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.