I would still dread all my sufferings;
Job expresses a deep sense of fear and anxiety about his ongoing afflictions. This reflects the human condition of suffering and the struggle to understand divine justice. In the context of the Book of Job, Job's sufferings are both physical and emotional, as he has lost his wealth, children, and health. The dread he feels is compounded by the belief that his suffering is undeserved, which is a central theme in the book. This phrase highlights the existential dread that can accompany intense suffering, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture, such as in the Psalms where David often laments his own distress (e.g., Psalm 22).

I know that You will not acquit me.
Job acknowledges his belief that God will not declare him innocent. This reflects the ancient Near Eastern understanding of divine justice, where the gods were often seen as inscrutable and their judgments final. Job's statement is a profound expression of his struggle with the concept of divine justice, as he feels that despite his righteousness, he cannot be acquitted by God. This connects to the broader biblical narrative of the need for a mediator between God and man, which is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus is presented as the one who justifies and acquits believers through His sacrifice (Romans 8:33-34). Job's longing for acquittal foreshadows the ultimate redemption and justification found in Christ.

1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, known for his immense suffering and his quest for understanding God's justice.

2. God
The Almighty Creator, whom Job addresses in his lament. Job struggles to understand God's justice and sovereignty in the midst of his suffering.

3. Job's Sufferings
The series of calamities that befall Job, including the loss of his children, wealth, and health, which lead him to question the nature of divine justice.

4. Job's Friends
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who attempt to explain Job's suffering through traditional wisdom, often suggesting that Job's suffering is a result of sin.

5. The Heavenly Court
The setting at the beginning of the Book of Job where God and Satan discuss Job's faithfulness, leading to the trials Job faces.Understanding Suffering
Job's statement reflects the human struggle to comprehend suffering. It is important to acknowledge that suffering is a complex issue that may not always have clear answers.

God's Justice and Sovereignty
Job's fear that God will not acquit him highlights the tension between human understanding and divine justice. Believers are called to trust in God's perfect justice, even when it is not immediately apparent.

Faith in Trials
Despite his fear and confusion, Job continues to engage with God. This teaches us the importance of maintaining faith and communication with God during difficult times.

The Role of Fear
Job's dread of his sufferings can remind us of the importance of casting our fears upon God, who cares for us and understands our struggles.

The Limitations of Human Wisdom
Job's friends offer explanations based on human wisdom, which ultimately fall short. This encourages believers to seek divine wisdom and understanding through prayer and Scripture.1. What is the meaning of Job 9:28?

2. How does Job 9:28 reflect Job's struggle with fear and suffering?

3. What can we learn about God's justice from Job 9:28?

4. How does Job 9:28 connect to Romans 8:28 about God's purpose?

5. How can we trust God amid fear, as seen in Job 9:28?

6. What practical steps can we take when feeling "afraid of all my sufferings"?

7. How does Job 9:28 challenge the concept of divine justice?

8. Why does Job express fear despite his innocence in Job 9:28?

9. What does Job 9:28 reveal about human suffering and God's role?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Job 9?

11. What does the Bible say about anxiety and depression?

12. Psalm 9:10 promises protection for those who seek God; why do many believers still suffer abandonment or persecution despite faithfulness?

13. How can Bildad confidently claim (Job 8:2-4) that Job's children must have sinned to deserve death, when other passages suggest righteous people can suffer unjustly?

14. If suffering for Christ is 'granted' (Philippians 1:29), how does this harmonize with the belief in a loving and just God?I would still dread all my sufferings

Job voices a deep-seated anxiety: “I would still dread all my sufferings” (Job 9:28).

• His fear is ongoing, even though he has already lost wealth, health, and family (Job 1–2). Like Job 3:25, “What I feared has come upon me,” dread can cling long after the first blow.

• The phrase shows how pain can overshadow any hope of relief; every new moment feels charged with the possibility of more loss (Psalm 38:17; Lamentations 3:17–18).

• In admitting dread, Job illustrates honest lament before God. Scripture treats such transparency as legitimate (Psalm 13:1–2), not faithless.

• Yet his dread also hints at the limits of human perception. While Job sees only unrelenting hardship, God is working purposes Job cannot yet discern (James 5:11).

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I know that You will not acquit me

Job continues, “I know that You will not acquit me” (Job 9:28).

• “Acquit” means to declare innocent. Job is convinced that, measured against God’s standard, he cannot be pronounced righteous (Job 9:2–3; Isaiah 64:6).

• This conviction rests on God’s absolute holiness (Habakkuk 1:13). Job perceives that no human argument can sway a perfectly just Judge (Romans 3:19–20).

• His words foreshadow the need for a mediator (Job 9:33). The New Testament reveals that only Christ can secure acquittal, “having been justified by faith” (Romans 5:1).

• Job’s certainty of non-acquittal is accurate apart from divine intervention. Proverbs 17:15 declares, “He who justifies the wicked… is detestable to the LORD,” underscoring why Job sees no path to self-vindication.

• Yet God will later affirm Job’s integrity (Job 42:7–8), demonstrating that the Lord’s final verdict depends on His own gracious provision, not human defense.

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summary

Job 9:28 captures the tension between relentless earthly suffering and the awareness of God’s perfect justice. Job dreads further pain because, in his view, a holy God cannot simply overlook human imperfection. The verse exposes our need for a righteous Mediator who can both relieve suffering and secure acquittal—fulfilled ultimately in Christ, who turns dread into hope and condemnation into justification.

Verse 28. - I am afraid of all my sorrows (see the comment on ver. 27). I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. The worst of all Job's sorrows is the sense of alienation from God, which his unexampled sufferings have wrought in him. Though unconscious of having deserved them, he still, not unnaturally, looks upon them as marks of God s displeasure, proofs that God does not regard him as innocent.

Parallel Commentaries ...


I would still dread
יָגֹ֥רְתִּי (yā·ḡō·rə·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3025: To be afraid, fear

all
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

my sufferings;
עַצְּבֹתָ֑י (‘aṣ·ṣə·ḇō·ṯāy)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6094: A idol, a pain, wound

I know
יָ֝דַ֗עְתִּי (yā·ḏa‘·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3045: To know

that
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

You will not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

acquit me.
תְנַקֵּֽנִי׃ (ṯə·naq·qê·nî)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 5352: To be, clean, to be bare, extirpated


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OT Poetry: Job 9:28 I am afraid of all my sorrows (Jb)