What is the meaning of Job 21:3? Bear with me • Job appeals for a moment of patience: “Bear with me.” In suffering, the simplest kindness is attentive presence. Galatians 6:2 urges, “Carry one another’s burdens,” and Romans 12:15 says to “weep with those who weep,” both echoing Job’s plea. • Genuine compassion listens first; James 1:19 reminds believers to be “quick to listen” before responding. Job asks his friends to grant that courtesy. while I speak • Job wants freedom to pour out his heart. Psalm 62:8 invites, “Pour out your hearts before Him,” and 1 Peter 5:7 encourages casting all cares on the Lord. Job follows this pattern, verbalizing grief instead of bottling it up. • By speaking, he testifies to God’s justice even amid confusion, mirroring Psalm 73, where Asaph wrestles aloud with the prosperity of the wicked yet clings to faith. then, after I have spoken • Job expects to be heard fully before any verdict. Proverbs 18:13 warns, “He who answers before listening—this is folly and shame.” • The phrase underscores order: first listen, then evaluate. Ecclesiastes 3:7 affirms “a time to be silent and a time to speak.” Job’s friends have judged prematurely; he seeks a fair hearing. you may go on mocking • Job acknowledges his friends might still scoff, yet their mockery will be exposed as baseless once his case is laid out. 1 Corinthians 4:5 counsels, “Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.” • Mockery of the afflicted offends God’s heart; Proverbs 17:5 warns, “Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for his Maker.” Job’s words thus serve as both permission and rebuke: they are free to mock, but they will answer to God for it. summary Job 21:3 is a heartfelt request for patient, respectful listening in the midst of suffering. He invites his friends to withhold judgment until they have truly heard him, knowing that any ridicule afterward will reveal their own hardness, not his guilt. The verse models godly conversation: extend patience, allow honest expression, listen before evaluating, and remember that final judgment belongs to the Lord. |
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