Job 19:8
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.
Original Language Analysis
אָרְחִ֣י
my way
H734
אָרְחִ֣י
my way
Strong's:
H734
Word #:
1 of 8
a well-trodden road (literally or figuratively); also a caravan
וְלֹ֣א
H3808
וְלֹ֣א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
3 of 8
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
אֶעֱב֑וֹר
that I cannot pass
H5674
אֶעֱב֑וֹר
that I cannot pass
Strong's:
H5674
Word #:
4 of 8
to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in
וְעַ֥ל
H5921
וְעַ֥ל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
5 of 8
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Cross References
Job 3:23Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?Lamentations 3:7He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.Psalms 88:8Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.Lamentations 3:9He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked.Proverbs 4:19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.Hosea 2:6Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths.Isaiah 50:10Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.Job 30:26When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.Jeremiah 23:12Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.Jeremiah 13:16Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Historical Context
Ancient travelers depended on clear paths and light for safe passage. Job's metaphor of fenced ways and darkness would resonate with his original audience's experience of being stranded in wilderness—helpless, disoriented, and vulnerable.
Questions for Reflection
- When has God seemed to block every path forward in your life? How did you respond?
- How can Job's honesty about experiencing God's ways as dark encourage those in spiritual confusion?
- What is the relationship between the 'darkness' of Job 19:8 and the faith confession of Job 19:25?
Analysis & Commentary
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass (אָרְחִי גָדַר וְלֹא אֶעֱבוֹר, orchi gadar welo' e'evor)—The verb גָּדַר (gadar, 'to wall up, fence') describes complete blockage. Job portrays God as actively obstructing every path forward—a reversal of Psalm 23's 'paths of righteousness.' What Job experiences as divine hostility is actually sovereign governance he cannot yet comprehend.
And he hath set darkness in my paths (וְעַל־נְתִיבוֹתַי חֹשֶׁךְ יָשִׂים)—The Hebrew חֹשֶׁךְ (choshek, 'darkness') implies not just absence of light but moral confusion and divine hiddenness. Job's complaint echoes Lamentations 3:2: 'He hath led me, and brought me into darkness.' Yet this same darkness becomes the womb of faith—by 19:25, Job will confess his Redeemer lives despite seeing no light.