Job 16:16
New International Version
My face is red with weeping, dark shadows ring my eyes;

New Living Translation
My eyes are red with weeping; dark shadows circle my eyes.

English Standard Version
My face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is deep darkness,

Berean Standard Bible
My face is red with weeping, and deep shadows ring my eyes;

King James Bible
My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

New King James Version
My face is flushed from weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

New American Standard Bible
“My face is flushed from weeping, And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

NASB 1995
“My face is flushed from weeping, And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

NASB 1977
“My face is flushed from weeping, And deep darkness is on my eyelids,

Legacy Standard Bible
My face is flushed from weeping, And the shadow of death is on my eyelids,

Amplified Bible
“My face is red and swollen with weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death [my eyes are dimmed],

Christian Standard Bible
My face has grown red with weeping, and darkness covers my eyes,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
My face has grown red with weeping, and darkness covers my eyes,

American Standard Version
My face is red with weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

Contemporary English Version
My face is red with tears, and dark shadows circle my eyes,

English Revised Version
My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
My face is red from crying, and dark shadows encircle my eyes,

Good News Translation
I have cried until my face is red, and my eyes are swollen and circled with shadows,

International Standard Version
My face is red from my tears, and dark shadows encircle my eyelids,

Majority Standard Bible
My face is red with weeping, and deep shadows ring my eyes;

NET Bible
my face is reddened because of weeping, and on my eyelids there is a deep darkness,

New Heart English Bible
My face is red with weeping. Deep darkness is on my eyelids.

Webster's Bible Translation
My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids are the shades of death;

World English Bible
My face is red with weeping. Deep darkness is on my eyelids,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
My face is foul with weeping, "" And on my eyelids [is] death-shade.

Young's Literal Translation
My face is foul with weeping, And on mine eyelids is death-shade.

Smith's Literal Translation
My face became red from weeping, and upon my eye-lashes the shadow of death.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
My face is swollen with weeping, and my eyelids are dim.

Catholic Public Domain Version
My face is swollen from weeping, and my eyelids have dimmed my vision.

New American Bible
My face is inflamed with weeping, darkness covers my eyes,

New Revised Standard Version
My face is red with weeping, and deep darkness is on my eyelids,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
My face is troubled with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
My face is troubled from weeping and my eyes from the shadow of death
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
My face is reddened with weeping, And on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My belly has been parched with wailing, and darkness is on my eyelids.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Decries his Comforters
15I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust. 16My face is red with weeping, and deep shadows ring my eyes; 17yet my hands are free of violence and my prayer is pure.…

Cross References
Psalm 6:6-7
I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. / My eyes fail from grief; they grow dim because of all my foes.

Lamentations 2:11
My eyes fail from weeping; I am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief over the destruction of the daughter of my people, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.

Psalm 31:9-10
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well. / For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.

Isaiah 38:14
I chirp like a swallow or crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak as I look upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security.”

Psalm 69:3
I am weary from my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.

Jeremiah 9:1
Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people.

Psalm 88:9
My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.

Lamentations 3:48-49
Streams of tears flow from my eyes over the destruction of the daughter of my people. / My eyes overflow unceasingly, without relief,

Psalm 119:136
My eyes shed streams of tears because Your law is not obeyed.

Isaiah 22:4
Therefore I said, “Turn away from me, let me weep bitterly! Do not try to console me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.”

Matthew 26:38
Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”

Luke 22:44
And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

John 11:33-35
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. / “Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. / Jesus wept.

Hebrews 5:7
During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.


Treasury of Scripture

My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death;

thy face

Psalm 6:6,7
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears…

Psalm 31:9
Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.

Psalm 32:3
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

on my eyelids

Job 17:7
Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.

Psalm 116:3
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

Jonah 2:1-10
Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, …

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Dark Darkness Death Death-Shade Deep Eyelids Eyes Face Foul Red Ring Shades Shadow Shadows Weeping
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Job 16
1. Job reproves his friends for unmercifulness
17. He maintains his innocence














My face is red with weeping
This phrase captures the intense emotional and physical suffering of Job. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, expressions of grief were often public and demonstrative, involving loud lamentations and visible signs of mourning. Job's red face signifies the depth of his sorrow and the physical toll of his tears. This imagery is consistent with other biblical accounts of mourning, such as David's lament for Absalom (2 Samuel 18:33) and the weeping of Jeremiah over Jerusalem (Jeremiah 9:1). The redness of the face can also symbolize shame or humiliation, reflecting Job's feelings of being unjustly treated by God and his friends.

and deep shadows ring my eyes
The "deep shadows" or "dark circles" around Job's eyes indicate exhaustion and prolonged distress. This description highlights the physical manifestation of Job's inner turmoil and relentless suffering. In the cultural context, such physical signs would be understood as evidence of a person's deep affliction and despair. The imagery of darkness around the eyes can also symbolize spiritual or emotional darkness, a theme echoed in other scriptures where darkness represents suffering or divine judgment (Psalm 88:6, Lamentations 3:2). This phrase underscores the comprehensive nature of Job's trials, affecting both his body and spirit, and foreshadows the suffering of Christ, who was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and integrity who undergoes severe trials and suffering. His lament in this verse reflects his deep anguish and sorrow.

2. Uz
The land where Job lived, often associated with the region east of Israel. It serves as the backdrop for Job's trials and dialogues with his friends.

3. Job's Friends
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who visit Job to offer comfort but end up accusing him of wrongdoing, contributing to his emotional distress.

4. God
The ultimate sovereign in the account, whose purposes and plans are beyond human understanding, yet who remains just and compassionate.

5. Satan
The adversary who challenges Job's integrity, initiating the trials that lead to Job's suffering and the subsequent dialogues.
Teaching Points
The Reality of Suffering
Job's physical and emotional state reminds us that suffering is a real and painful part of the human experience. It is not a sign of weakness but a natural response to deep loss and distress.

The Importance of Lament
Job's honest expression of his pain teaches us the value of lament in our spiritual lives. It is a way to bring our deepest hurts before God, trusting that He hears and understands.

Compassion for the Suffering
As believers, we are called to show compassion to those who are suffering, offering presence and support rather than judgment or simplistic answers.

Hope in God’s Sovereignty
Even in the midst of profound suffering, we can hold onto the hope that God is sovereign and His purposes, though mysterious, are ultimately for our good and His glory.

The Role of Community
Job's interactions with his friends, though flawed, highlight the importance of community in times of suffering. We are called to bear one another's burdens and provide genuine support.(16) Foul.--Rather, perhaps, red, as with wine.

Verse 16. - My face is foul with weeping He has wept so much that his face is stained with his tears. And on my eyelids is the shadow of death. There is an awful shadow on his eyes and eyelids, portending death

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
My face
פָּנַ֣י (pā·nay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6440: The face

is red
חֳ֭מַרְמְרוּ (ḥo·mar·mə·rū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2560: To boil up, to ferment, to glow, to smear with pitch

with
מִנִּי־ (min·nî-)
Preposition
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

weeping,
בֶ֑כִי (ḇe·ḵî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1065: A weeping, a dripping

and deep shadows
צַלְמָֽוֶת׃ (ṣal·mā·weṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6757: Death-like shadow, deep shadow

circle
וְעַ֖ל (wə·‘al)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

my eyes;
עַפְעַפַּ֣י (‘ap̄·‘ap·pay)
Noun - mdc | first person common singular
Strong's 6079: An eyelash, morning ray


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OT Poetry: Job 16:16 My face is red with weeping (Jb)
Job 16:15
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