Bible Strands
Job 23:15
Therefore I am terrified in His presence; when I consider this, I fear Him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job speaks these words to himself amid his prolonged suffering, reflecting on God's unyielding decrees and hidden presence. He stands at a moment of isolated contemplation where he acknowledges divine sovereignty over his circumstances.
The words — The Hebrew phrase עַל־כֵּ֭ן ('al-ken) literally means "therefore," linking his terror directly to the preceding declaration of God's unchangeable plans. The verb אֶבָּהֵ֑ל ('e.ba.Hel) translates to "I am terrified," describing a physical and psychological response to divine majesty.
The thread — This theme of dread before God appears in Psalms 119:120 where flesh trembles at His judgments, and in Job 31:23 where calamity from God terrifies Job. The motif of divine awe causing faintness or dread recurs in Psalms 77:3 and the immediate context of Job 23:14 and 23:16.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment of God's absolute authority and the resulting human response of reverence and dread. It asks readers to confront the reality that divine sovereignty provokes terror rather than comfort when approached without mediation.
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
Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.
Cross-references
- Psalms 119:120 My flesh trembles in awe of You; I stand in fear of Your judgments.
- Job 31:23 For calamity from God terrifies me, and His splendor I cannot overpower.
- Psalms 77:3 I remembered You, O God, and I groaned; I mused and my spirit grew faint. Selah
- Job 10:15 If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction.
- Job 23:3 If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat.
- Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.