Job 13:24
Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?
Original Language Analysis
לָֽמָּה
H4100
לָֽמָּה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
1 of 6
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
פָנֶ֥יךָ
thou thy face
H6440
פָנֶ֥יךָ
thou thy face
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
2 of 6
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
תַסְתִּ֑יר
Wherefore hidest
H5641
תַסְתִּ֑יר
Wherefore hidest
Strong's:
H5641
Word #:
3 of 6
to hide (by covering), literally or figuratively
וְתַחְשְׁבֵ֖נִי
and holdest
H2803
וְתַחְשְׁבֵ֖נִי
and holdest
Strong's:
H2803
Word #:
4 of 6
properly, to plait or interpenetrate, i.e., (literally) to weave or (generally) to fabricate; figuratively, to plot or contrive (usually in a maliciou
Cross References
Job 19:11He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies.Psalms 13:1How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?Lamentations 2:5The Lord was as an enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all her palaces: he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath increased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation.Isaiah 8:17And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.Psalms 44:24Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?Psalms 88:14LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?Job 33:10Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,Deuteronomy 32:20And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
Historical Context
God's face represented His favorable presence (Numbers 6:25-26). To have God hide His face signified covenant curse (Deuteronomy 31:17-18). Job experiences what Israel would later suffer in exile—the sense of God's absence and opposition.
Questions for Reflection
- When have you felt that God was hiding His face from you, and how did you respond?
- How does Christ's experience of abandonment provide comfort when we feel God's absence?
- What is the difference between God actually being absent and our feeling that He is absent?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
Job laments God's hiddenness: 'Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy?' The hidden face of God represents divine favor's withdrawal—a terrifying experience for the faithful. Job's question 'Why?' expresses his deepest pain: not just physical suffering but the sense that God has become his adversary. This prefigures Christ's cry of dereliction (Matthew 27:46), where the truly innocent One experiences divine abandonment.