Job 19:16 (ASV)

Passage

I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer, [Though] I entreat him with my mouth.

Nearby Context

Job 19:14 My kinsfolk have failed, And my familiar friends have forgotten me.

Job 19:15 They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.

Job 19:16 I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer, [Though] I entreat him with my mouth.

Job 19:17 My breath is strange to my wife, And my supplication to the children of mine own mother.

Job 19:18 Even young children despise me; If I arise, they speak against me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "call", "servant", "giveth", "answer", "though", "entreat", and "mouth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "call" and "servant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "They that dwell in my house and..." into verse 17's "My breath is strange to my wife...", so "call" and "servant" belong inside that flow. In Job context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "call" and "servant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.