Job 9:23
If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
Original Language Analysis
אִם
H518
אִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
1 of 7
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
יָמִ֣ית
slay
H4191
יָמִ֣ית
slay
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
3 of 7
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern deities were often portrayed as capricious and cruel, taking pleasure in human suffering. Job's accusation reflects how extreme pain can make even YHWH (the covenant God) seem like pagan deities—arbitrary and malicious. His lament shows faith stretched to breaking point.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we maintain correct theology about God's character when suffering tempts us to project cruelty onto Him?
- What does Job's false accusation teach about the pastoral importance of distinguishing between pain-driven perception and reality?
- In what ways does the cross definitively answer the accusation that God mocks innocent suffering?
Analysis & Commentary
Job describes divine indifference to suffering: 'If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.' The 'scourge' (shot, שׁוֹט) denotes whip or disaster. 'Slay suddenly' (petaom yamit, פִּתְאֹם יָמִית) describes unexpected death. Job accuses God of 'laughing' (laag, לָעַג, mocking) at innocent sufferers' 'trial' (massah, מַסָּה, testing). This is Job's most bitter accusation—God actively mocks suffering innocents.
Job speaks from deep pain, projecting cruelty onto God. His theology errs here—God doesn't mock sufferers. But Job's perception reveals suffering's power to distort our view of divine character. When God seems absent in tragedy, silence feels like mockery. Job interprets divine inaction as malicious satisfaction rather than inscrutable purpose. The accusation is false, but the pain producing it is real.
The cross definitively refutes Job's accusation. Far from laughing at the innocent's trial, God sent His Son to endure it. Christ was the ultimate innocent Sufferer, and God didn't laugh but wept (John 11:35). The Father's silence during Christ's cry 'Why hast thou forsaken me?' wasn't mockery but the cost of atonement. God doesn't laugh at innocent suffering—He bore it.