Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
Job cries out for pity, and he cries out twice, directing his plea to his friends because the hand of God has touched him. His appeal is not casual complaint but the urgent entreaty of a sufferer who feels himself smitten by divine dealing. He speaks out of anguish and perplexity, overwhelmed by loss and pain he cannot explain. Yet even in that darkness he holds fast to his faith in God and to his consciousness of integrity. Instead of comfort, the accusations of his friends deepen his suffering and add to the wound.
Job cries out for pity, and he cries out twice, directing his plea to his friends because the hand of God has touched him. His appeal is not casual complaint but the urgent entreaty of a sufferer who feels himself smitten by divine dealing. He speaks out of anguish and perplexity, overwhelmed by loss and pain he cannot explain. Yet even in that darkness he holds fast to his faith in God and to his consciousness of integrity. Instead of comfort, the accusations of his friends deepen his suffering and add to the wound.