Job 19:12
His troops come together, and raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle.
Original Language Analysis
וַיָּסֹ֣לּוּ
and raise up
H5549
וַיָּסֹ֣לּוּ
and raise up
Strong's:
H5549
Word #:
4 of 9
to mound up (especially a turnpike); figurative, to exalt; reflexively, to oppose (as by a dam)
עָלַ֣י
H5921
עָלַ֣י
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
5 of 9
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
דַּרְכָּ֑ם
their way
H1870
דַּרְכָּ֑ם
their way
Strong's:
H1870
Word #:
6 of 9
a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
וַיַּחֲנ֖וּ
against me and encamp
H2583
וַיַּחֲנ֖וּ
against me and encamp
Strong's:
H2583
Word #:
7 of 9
properly, to incline; by implication, to decline (of the slanting rays of evening); specifically, to pitch a tent; generally to encamp (for abode or s
Historical Context
Ancient warfare involved siege tactics where armies would surround a city, build ramps, and systematically break down defenses. Job's original audience would immediately recognize this imagery of helpless encirclement and inevitable defeat.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Job's military siege imagery help articulate the comprehensive nature of overwhelming suffering?
- What is the spiritual danger of perceiving coordinated divine assault rather than permitted Satanic testing (as the prologue reveals)?
- How might the imagery of troops 'encamping' around Job relate to spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12)?
Analysis & Commentary
His troops come together (יַחַד יָבֹאוּ גְדוּדָיו, yachad yavo'u gedudav)—Job shifts to military metaphor. The גְּדוּד (gedud, 'raiding band/troops') suggests organized assault, not random calamity. Job's suffering feels coordinated, strategic—an siege laid by divine forces.
And raise up their way against me, and encamp round about my tabernacle (וַיָּסֹלּוּ עָלַי דַּרְכָּם וַיַּחֲנוּ סָבִיב לְאָהֳלִי)—The verb סָלַל (salal, 'to cast up, lift up') describes building siege ramps (2 Samuel 20:15). The verb חָנָה (chanah, 'to encamp') depicts military encirclement. Job portrays himself as a besieged city—God's armies have invested his tent (life) for total destruction. Yet this same verb chanah describes God's angel encamping around the righteous (Psalm 34:7).