Bible Strands
Job 16:19
Even now my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job addresses his three friends and the surrounding community while pleading for vindication after they have become his scoffers. He speaks at the height of his distress, directly after calling on the earth not to cover his blood.
The words — The Hebrew עֵדִי ('eDî) translates literally as "my witness," and שׂהֲדִי (śehăDî) carries the identical legal sense of "my witness" or "one who testifies on my behalf." Both terms are located in the heavens and high places to denote a divine legal defender.
The thread — This motif of a divine witness appears in Genesis 31:50 and 1 Samuel 12:5, where God functions as a witness between people. Paul later applies the same terminology to his own ministry in Romans 1:9.
Why it lands — The text states that a legal defender exists in the highest realm to counter human accusations. It requires the reader to acknowledge that ultimate validation comes from divine testimony rather than human consensus.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.
Cross-references
- Romans 1:9 God, whom I serve with my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
- Genesis 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”
- 1 Samuel 12:5 Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is a witness,” they replied.
- Job 25:2 “Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes harmony in the heights of heaven.
- Psalms 113:5 Who is like the LORD our God, the One enthroned on high?
- Romans 9:1 I speak the truth in Christ; I am not lying, as confirmed by my conscience in the Holy Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 1:23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
- 2 Corinthians 11:31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:5 As you know, we never used words of flattery or any pretext for greed. God is our witness!
- 1 Thessalonians 2:10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous, and blameless our conduct was among you who believed.