Job 9:17

My Notes

What Does Job 9:17 Mean?

"For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause." Job's ACCUSATION against God: He BREAKS me (shatters, crushes) with a TEMPEST (storm, whirlwind) and MULTIPLIES my wounds WITHOUT CAUSE (chinnam — for nothing, gratuitously, without reason). The three elements — breaking, multiplying, and causelessness — form the complete charge: God's violence against Job is DESTRUCTIVE (breaking), EXCESSIVE (multiplying), and UNJUSTIFIED (without cause).

The phrase "he breaketh me with a tempest" (yeshupheni bise'arah — he crushes me with a storm) uses SE'ARAH — the same word for the WHIRLWIND from which God will eventually speak (38:1 — 'the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind'). The tempest that BREAKS Job now is the same tempest that will ANSWER Job later. The storm that is the instrument of suffering will become the vehicle of revelation. The same se'arah.

The phrase "without cause" (chinnam — gratuitously, for nothing) is the THEOLOGICAL charge: Job insists his suffering is UNMERITED. The word chinnam echoes God's own description of Job in 1:9 and 2:3 (Satan's question — 'Doth Job fear God for nought [chinnam]?' and God's response — 'thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause [chinnam]'). GOD HIMSELF used this word about Job's suffering. Job's accusation — 'without cause' — is theologically CORRECT. God agrees.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What suffering in your life is genuinely without cause — and what does that mean theologically?
• 2.What does the SAME tempest that breaks (chapter 9) later SPEAKING (chapter 38) teach about destructive instruments becoming revelatory ones?
• 3.How does God AGREEING that Job's suffering is 'without cause' validate the honest accusation against Him?
• 4.What 'multiplied wounds' — what excessive, unjustified suffering — are you carrying that deserves honest expression?

Devotional

Broken by a TEMPEST. Wounds MULTIPLIED. Without CAUSE. Job's charge against God is three-fold: the suffering is destructive, excessive, and unjustified. Not just hurting me — BREAKING me. Not just wounding me — MULTIPLYING the wounds. And all of it WITHOUT REASON. The accusation is total.

The TEMPEST (se'arah) that breaks Job is the same word for the WHIRLWIND that will answer Job in chapter 38. The storm that is currently the instrument of DESTRUCTION will later become the vehicle of REVELATION. The same weather-word carries opposite functions at different points in the story. The storm that crushes is also the storm that speaks. Job doesn't know this yet.

The 'WITHOUT CAUSE' (chinnam) is the most important word: Job says his suffering is gratuitous — unmerited, unjustified, for nothing. And here's what Job doesn't know: GOD AGREES. In chapter 2:3, God told Satan 'thou movedst me against him to destroy him WITHOUT CAUSE' — using the SAME WORD. Job's accusation matches God's own assessment. The suffering IS without cause in the retributive sense. Job IS innocent. The wounds ARE unjustified by anything Job has done.

The agreement between Job's accusation and God's own statement is the book's hidden VINDICATION of Job: the friends will insist Job must have sinned. Job insists he hasn't. And God's own words in the prologue CONFIRM Job's position. The man who says 'without cause' is saying what God already said. The accusation is the truth.

What suffering in your life is genuinely 'without cause' — and what does it mean that God might agree with your assessment?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture