What is the meaning of Job 29:20? My glory is ever new within me • Job remembers a season when honor, dignity, and a sense of divine favor stayed fresh in his inner life. • “Glory” here points to the public respect God granted him (Job 29:7-11) and the inward confidence that God’s smile produced (Psalm 3:3). • The phrase “ever new” echoes God’s pattern of daily renewal: “His compassions never fail; they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). • Similar language appears in Psalm 92:10—“You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil”—linking ongoing renewal with divine anointing. • In the New Testament the principle continues: “Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16), underscoring that true vitality flows from God’s continual work inside the believer. • Job grieves that the inner freshness he once enjoyed now feels absent, revealing how suffering can cloud—but not cancel—the reality of God’s past grace. and my bow is renewed in my hand • The “bow” was an ancient symbol of power, protection, and leadership (Genesis 48:22). By saying it was “renewed,” Job recalls how his physical and social strength kept being refreshed. • Genesis 49:24 speaks of Joseph: “his bow remained steady…by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,” a parallel picture of God-given resilience. • God “trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze” (Psalm 18:34), showing that renewed skill and strength come from Him. • Isaiah 40:31 captures the same renewal: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles.” • Deuteronomy 33:29 celebrates Israel’s security: “Your enemies shall cower before you, and you shall tread on their heights,” reminding us that renewed weaponry points to renewed victory supplied by God. • For Job, the bow once symbolized readiness to defend justice (Job 29:12-17). Its current absence highlights how loss has stripped him of outward influence, even as he trusts that God remains the ultimate restorer (Job 19:25-27). summary Job 29:20 paints a two-fold memory: inward honor that stayed constantly fresh and outward strength that God kept replenishing. Job’s “glory” speaks to the inner assurance of God’s approval, while the “bow” represents the practical power and authority God enabled him to wield. Together they form a snapshot of a life continually revitalized by the Lord—an image that suffering has dimmed for Job but has not erased from God’s eternal plan for those who trust Him. |
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