Job 21:2
Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations.
Original Language Analysis
שָׁ֭מוֹעַ
Hear
H8085
שָׁ֭מוֹעַ
Hear
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
1 of 6
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
שָׁ֭מוֹעַ
Hear
H8085
שָׁ֭מוֹעַ
Hear
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
2 of 6
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
מִלָּתִ֑י
my speech
H4405
מִלָּתִ֑י
my speech
Strong's:
H4405
Word #:
3 of 6
a word; collectively, a discourse; figuratively, a topic
Historical Context
The concept of tanchumim (consolations) was central to Jewish mourning practices. The book's opening showed Job's friends initially sitting silently with him for seven days—a proper expression of comfort. But their speeches abandoned consolation for condemnation. Ancient wisdom recognized that suffering required companionship more than explanation, making the friends' failure all the more tragic.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Job's request for sufferance rather than solutions challenge our impulse to immediately "fix" others' problems?
- What is the relationship between theological truth and pastoral sensitivity in ministering to the suffering?
- How does Christ fulfill the role of true comforter that Job's friends failed to provide?
Analysis & Commentary
Job requests consolations (תַּנְחוּמֹתֵיכֶם, tanchumotekem), exposing the failure of his friends' comfort. The verb nasa (נָשָׂא, "suffer") means to bear or carry—Job asks them to simply bear with him, to endure his speech. True comfort requires patient listening, not premature answers. The Reformed tradition recognizes that the ministry of presence often supersedes the ministry of words. Job's request echoes the New Testament call to "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15) before rushing to theological explanation. The friends' failure to provide genuine comfort foreshadows the need for a mediator who truly understands suffering—ultimately fulfilled in Christ, our sympathetic high priest (Hebrews 4:15).