Job 4:16

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A figure stood there,but I could not recognize its appearance;a form loomed before my eyes.I heard a whispering voice:

Hebrew Names Version
It stood still, but I couldn't discern the appearance of it; A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying,

King James Version
It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

English Standard Version
It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice:

New Century Version
The spirit stopped, but I could not see what it was. A shape stood before my eyes, and I heard a quiet voice.

New English Translation
It stands still, but I cannot recognize its appearance; an image is before my eyes, and I hear a murmuring voice:

Amplified Bible
"The spirit stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, and then I heard a voice, saying:

New American Standard Bible
"Something was standing still, but I could not recognize its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice:

World English Bible
It stood still, but I couldn't discern the appearance of it; A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then stoode one, and I knewe not his face: an image was before mine eyes, and in silence heard I a voyce, saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
It stood still, but I could not recognize its appearance;A form was before my eyes;There was silence, then I heard a voice:

Berean Standard Bible
It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; a form loomed before my eyes, and I heard a whispering voice:

Contemporary English Version
It stopped and stood still. Then a form appeared— a shapeless form. And from the silence, I heard a voice say,

Complete Jewish Bible
It stood still, but I couldn't make out its appearance; yet the form stayed there before my eyes. Then I heard a subdued voice:

Darby Translation
It stood still; I could not discern the appearance thereof: a form was before mine eyes; I heard a slight murmur and a voice:

Easy-to-Read Version
The spirit stood still, but I could not see what it was. A shape stood before my eyes, and there was silence. Then I heard a quiet voice:

George Lamsa Translation
Then I arose, but I could not discern its meaning; there was no form before my eyes, but I heard a gentle voice, saying,

Good News Translation
I could see something standing there; I stared, but couldn't tell what it was. Then I heard a voice out of the silence:

Lexham English Bible
It stood still, but I could not recognize its appearance; a form was before my eyes; there was a hush, and I heard a voice:

Literal Translation
it stood still, but I could not discern its form; an image was before my eyes; there was silence; then I heard a voice:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then stode there one before me, whose face I knewe not: an ymage there was, and the wether was still, so that I herde this voyce:

American Standard Version
It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; A form was before mine eyes: There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

Bible in Basic English
Something was present before me, but I was not able to see it clearly; there was a form before my eyes: a quiet voice came to my ears, saying:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He stoode thereon and I knewe not his face, an image there was before myne eyes, and in the stilnesse hearde I a voyce.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; a form was before mine eyes;

King James Version (1611)
It stood still, but I could not discerne the forme thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voyce, saying,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I arose and perceived it not: I looked, and there, was no form before my eyes: but I only heard a breath and a voice, saying,

English Revised Version
It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; a form was before mine eyes: there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.

Update Bible Version
It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; A form was before my eyes: [There was] silence, and I heard a voice [saying],

Webster's Bible Translation
It stood still, but I could not discern its form: an image [was] before my eyes, [there was] silence, and I heard a voice, [saying],

New King James Version
It stood still, But I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; There was silence; Then I heard a voice saying:

New Living Translation
The spirit stopped, but I couldn't see its shape. There was a form before my eyes. In the silence I heard a voice say,

New Life Bible
The spirit stood still, but I could not understand what I saw. Something was in front of my eyes. All was quiet, then I heard a voice:

New Revised Standard
It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice:

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
It stood still, but I could not distinguish its appearance, I looked, but there was no form before mine eyes, - A whispering voice, I heard: - -

Douay-Rheims Bible
There stood one whose countenance I knew not, an image before my eyes, and I heard the voice, as it were, of a gentle wind.

Revised Standard Version
It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice:

Young's Literal Translation
It standeth, and I discern not its aspect, A similitude [is] over-against mine eyes, Silence! and a voice I hear:

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; A form was before my eyes; There was silence, then I heard a voice:

Contextual Overview

¹²"A word came to me in secret— a mere whisper of a word, but I heard it clearly. It came in a scary dream one night, after I had fallen into a deep, deep sleep. Dread stared me in the face, and Terror. I was scared to death—I shook from head to foot. A spirit glided right in front of me— the hair on my head stood on end. I couldn't tell what it was that appeared there— a blur... and then I heard a muffled voice: ¹⁷"‘How can mere mortals be more righteous than God? How can humans be purer than their Creator? Why, God doesn't even trust his own servants, doesn't even cheer his angels, So how much less these bodies composed of mud, fragile as moths? These bodies of ours are here today and gone tomorrow, and no one even notices—gone without a trace. When the tent stakes are ripped up, the tent collapses— we die and are never the wiser for having lived.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

there: etc. or, I heard a still voice, 1 Kings 19:12

Reciprocal: Acts 10:3 - saw Revelation 8:1 - silence

Cross-References

Genesis 3:8
When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.

Exodus 20:18
All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't have God speak to us or we'll die."

2 Kings 24:20
The source of all this doom to Jerusalem and Judah was God 's anger— God turned his back on them as an act of judgment. And then Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.

Job 1:12
God replied, "We'll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. Just don't hurt him." Then Satan left the presence of God .

Job 2:7
Satan left God and struck Job with terrible sores. Job was ulcers and scabs from head to foot. They itched and oozed so badly that he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, then went and sat on a trash heap, among the ashes.

Psalms 5:11
But you'll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration. You are famous, God , for welcoming God-seekers, for decking us out in delight.

Jeremiah 23:39
"Are you paying attention? You'd better, because I'm about to take you in hand and throw you to the ground, you and this entire city that I gave to your ancestors. I've had it with the lot of you. You're never going to live this down. You're going down in history as a disgrace."

Jeremiah 52:3
The source of all this doom to Jerusalem and Judah was God 's anger. God turned his back on them as an act of judgment. Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar set out for Jerusalem with a full army. He set up camp and sealed off the city by building siege mounds around it. He arrived on the ninth year and tenth month of Zedekiah's reign. The city was under siege for nineteen months (until the eleventh year of Zedekiah).

Luke 13:26
"You'll protest, ‘But we've known you all our lives!' only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'

John 1:3
Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

It stood still,.... That is, the spirit, or the angel in a visible form; it was before going to and fro, but now it stood still right against Eliphaz, as if it had something to say to him, and so preparing him to attend to it; which he might do the better, it standing before him while speaking to him, that he might have the opportunity of taking more notice of it:

but, notwithstanding this advantageous position of it,

I could not discern the form thereof; what it was, whether human or any other:

an image [was] before mine eyes; he saw something, some appearance and likeness, but could not tell what it was; perhaps the fear and surprise he was in hindered him from taking in any distinct idea of it, or that particular notice of it, so as to be able to form in his own mind any suitable notion of it, or to describe it to others:

[there was] silence both in the spirit or image, which, standing still, made no rushing noise, and in Eliphaz himself, who kept in his breath, and listened with all the attention he could to it; or a small low voice, as Ben Melech interprets it: so it follows,

and I heard a voice; a distinct articulate voice or sound of words, very audibly delivered by the spirit or image that stood before him:

[saying]; as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It stood still - It took a fixed position and looked on me. It at first glided by, or toward him, then stood in an immovable position, as if to attract his attention, and to prepare him for the solemn announcement which it was about to make. This was the point in which most horror would be felt. We should be less alarmed at anything which a strange messenger should say, than to have him stand and fix his eyes steadily and silently upon us. Hence, Horatius, in “Hamlet,” tortured by the imperturbable silence of the Ghost, earnestly entreated it to give him relief by speaking.

Hor. - What art thou that usurp’st this time of night,

Together with that fair and warlike form

In which the majesty of buried Denmark

Did sometime march? By heaven, I charge thee, speak.

Mar. - It is offended.

Ber. - See: It stalks away.

Hor. - Stay; speak: speak, I charge thee speak.

Act i. Sc. i.

Re-enter Ghost.

Hor. - But, soft; behold! lo, where it comes again!

I’ll cross it, though it blast me. - Stay, illusion!

If thou hast any sound, or use of voice,

Speak to me:

If there be any good thing to be done,

That may to thee do ease, and grace to me,

Speak to me:

Which, happily, foreknowing may avoid,

If thou art privy to thy country’s fate.

O speak!

Or if thou hast uphoarded in thy life

Extorted treasure in the womb of earth,

For which, they say, you spirits oft walk in death,

Speak of it; stay, and speak.

Act i. Sc. i.

Enter Ghost

Hor. - Look, my lord; it comes!

Ham. - Angels and ministers of grace, defend us!

Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damn’d,

Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell,

Be thy intents wicked or charitable,

Thou com’st in such a questionable shape,

That I will speak to thee: I’ll call thee, Hamlet,

King, father, royal Dane: O, answer me;

Let me not burst in ignorance!

Act i: Sc. iv.

But I could not discern the form thereof - This might have arisen from fear, or from the darkness of the night, or because the spirit was not distinct enough in its outline to enable him to do it. There is here just the kind of obscurity which is essential to the sublime, and the statement of this circumstance is a master-stroke in the poet. A less perfect imagination would have attempted to describe the form of the spectre, and would have given an account of its shape, and eyes, and color. But none of these are here hinted at. The subject is left so that the imagination is most deeply impressed, and the whole scene has the aspect of the highest sublimity. Noyes very improperly renders this, “Its face I could not discern.” But the word used, מראה mar'eh, does not mean “face” here merely; it means the form, figure, aspect, of the spectre.

An image was before mine eyes - Some form; some appearance was before me, whose exact figure I could not mark or describe.

There was silence - Margin, “I heard a still voice.” So Rosenmuller says that the word here, דּממה d^emâmâh, does not mean silence, but a gentle breeze, or air - auram lenem - such as Elijah heard after the tempest had gone by, and when God spoke to him, 1 Kings 19:12-13. Grotins supposes that it means here the בת־קול bath qôl, or “daughter of the voice,” of which the Jewish Robbins speak so often - the still and gentle voice in which God spoke to people. The word used דממה d^emâmâh usually means silence, stillness, as of the winds after a storm, a calm, Psalms 107:29. The Septuagint renders it, “I heard a gentle breeze, αυραν auran, and a voice,” καί φωνὴν kai phōnēn. But it seems to me that the common reading is preferable. There was stillness - a solemn, awful silence, and then he heard a voice impressively speaking. The stillness was designed to fix the attention, and to prepare the mind for the sublime announcement which was to be made.