Job 16: Group Study Handout

Overview

In Job 16, Job responds to the criticisms of his friends with intense emotion and vivid imagery. Job confronts his friends, calling them 'miserable comforters' and criticizing their persistent accusations. He expresses deep anguish by detailing how he feels tormented by God; however, he maintains his integrity by insisting on his innocence.

Key verse

“Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven. He who vouches for me is on high.”

Job 16:19 (WEB)

Outline

1. Job 16:1–2 Job's Response to Friends
2. Job 16:3–6 Accusation of Empty Words
3. Job 16:7–11 God's Wrath Described
4. Job 16:12–14 Metaphors of Torment
5. Job 16:15–17 Expressions of Grief
6. Job 16:18–21 Plea for Justice
7. Job 16:22 Hope for the Future

Discussion questions

1. In v2, what does Job call his friends, and how does he feel about their comfort?
2. What vivid imagery does Job use in v14 to describe his suffering?
3. Job's lament in v12 raises a question about divine justice: how does he see God's role in his suffering?
4. In v19, what does Job mean by stating that his witness is in heaven?
5. When have you felt abandoned like Job, as he expresses in v12?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Job 16: Job 19, Job 13, Lamentations 3.

Before next time: read Job 17.