Job 19:8
New International Version
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.

New Living Translation
God has blocked my way so I cannot move. He has plunged my path into darkness.

English Standard Version
He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness upon my paths.

Berean Standard Bible
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness.

King James Bible
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

New King James Version
He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; And He has set darkness in my paths.

New American Standard Bible
“He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass, And He has put darkness on my paths.

NASB 1995
“He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, And He has put darkness on my paths.

NASB 1977
“He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass; And He has put darkness on my paths.

Legacy Standard Bible
He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, And He has put darkness on my paths.

Amplified Bible
“He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, And He has set darkness upon my paths.

Christian Standard Bible
He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass through; he has veiled my paths with darkness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass through; He has veiled my paths with darkness.

American Standard Version
He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass, And hath set darkness in my paths.

Contemporary English Version
God has me trapped with a wall of darkness

English Revised Version
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and hath set darkness in my paths.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"God has blocked my path so that I can't go on. He has made my paths dark.

Good News Translation
God has blocked the way, and I can't get through; he has hidden my path in darkness.

International Standard Version
He blocked my path, so I cannot pass; and he turned out the lights on my pathways.

Majority Standard Bible
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness.

NET Bible
He has blocked my way so I cannot pass, and has set darkness over my paths.

New Heart English Bible
He has walled up my way so that I can't pass, and has set darkness in my paths.

Webster's Bible Translation
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.

World English Bible
He has walled up my way so that I can’t pass, and has set darkness in my paths.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He hedged up my way, and I do not pass over, "" And He places darkness on my paths.

Young's Literal Translation
My way He hedged up, and I pass not over, And on my paths darkness He placeth.

Smith's Literal Translation
He walled up my path and I shall not pass, and he will set darkness upon my beaten paths.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He hath hedged in my path round about, and I cannot pass, and in my way he hath set darkness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He has hemmed in my path, and I cannot pass; he has added darkness to my difficult path.

New American Bible
He has barred my way and I cannot pass; veiled my path in darkness;

New Revised Standard Version
He has walled up my way so that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness upon my paths.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
He has fenced up my ways so that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness in my paths.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
My ways he has fenced in that I may not pass, and laid darkness on my path
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, And hath set darkness in my paths.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I am fenced round about, and can by no means escape: he has set darkness before my face.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: My Redeemer Lives
7Though I cry out, ‘Violence!’ I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice. 8He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; He has veiled my paths with darkness. 9He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head.…

Cross References
Lamentations 3:7-9
He has walled me in so I cannot escape; He has weighed me down with chains. / Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer. / He has barred my ways with cut stones; He has made my paths crooked.

Isaiah 59:2
But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.

Psalm 88:8
You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape.

Psalm 142:3
Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.

Hosea 2:6
Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot find her way.

Micah 7:8
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

Isaiah 50:10
Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.

Psalm 31:22
In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help.

Psalm 88:18
You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.

Jeremiah 13:16
Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.

Psalm 143:3
For the enemy has pursued my soul, crushing my life to the ground, making me dwell in darkness like those long since dead.

Isaiah 49:14
But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me!”

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? / As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” / No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ...

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

He has fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness in my paths.

fenced

Job 3:23
Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

Psalm 88:8
Thou 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 3:7,9
He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy…

set

Joshua 24:7
And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

Proverbs 4:19
The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Isaiah 50:10
Who 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.

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Job 19
1. Job, complaining of his friends' cruelty,
6. shows there is misery enough in him to feed their cruelty
21. He craves pity
23. He believes the resurrection














He has blocked my way
In this phrase, Job expresses a profound sense of divine obstruction. The Hebrew word used here is "גָּדַר" (gadar), which means to wall up or enclose. This imagery suggests a deliberate act of God to prevent Job from moving forward, symbolizing the trials and limitations he faces. Historically, walls were both protective and restrictive, indicating that Job feels trapped by his circumstances, unable to find a path to relief or understanding.

so I cannot pass
The continuation of the thought emphasizes the completeness of the obstruction. The Hebrew "לֹא אֽוּכַל" (lo uchal) translates to "I cannot," underscoring Job's helplessness. This phrase reflects the human experience of feeling powerless in the face of overwhelming adversity. It is a poignant reminder of the limitations of human strength and the need for divine intervention.

He has shrouded my paths with darkness
Here, Job uses the imagery of darkness to describe his situation. The Hebrew word "חֹשֶׁךְ" (choshek) for darkness often symbolizes chaos, confusion, and the absence of divine light or guidance. In the ancient Near Eastern context, darkness was feared and associated with danger and evil. Job's use of this metaphor indicates his perception of being enveloped in uncertainty and despair, unable to see a way forward. This reflects a spiritual and emotional state where God's presence seems obscured, yet it also invites believers to seek God's light even in the darkest times.

Verse 8. - He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass (comp. Job 3:25; Job 13:27; Hosea 2:6), and he hath set darkness in my paths. Job complains of the want of light; in his heart he cries, Ἐν δὲ φάει καὶ ὄλεσσον. Nothing vexes him so much as his inability to understand why he is afflicted.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He has blocked
גָ֭דַר (ḡā·ḏar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1443: To wall up or off, to build a wall

my way
אָרְחִ֣י (’ā·rə·ḥî)
Noun - common singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 734: A well-trodden road, a caravan

so I cannot
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

pass;
אֶעֱב֑וֹר (’e·‘ĕ·ḇō·wr)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

He has veiled
וְעַ֥ל (wə·‘al)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

my paths
נְ֝תִיבוֹתַ֗י (nə·ṯî·ḇō·w·ṯay)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5410: Path, pathway

with darkness.
חֹ֣שֶׁךְ (ḥō·šeḵ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness


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OT Poetry: Job 19:8 He has walled up my way so (Jb)
Job 19:7
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