Job 19:18 (ASV)

Passage

Even young children despise me; If I arise, they speak against me.

Nearby Context

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.

Job 19:19 All my familiar friends abhor me, And they whom I loved are turned against me.

Job 19:20 My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "even", "young", "children", "despise", "arise", "speak", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "even" and "young", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "My breath is strange to my wife..." into verse 19's "All my familiar friends abhor me And...", so "even" and "young" 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 "even" and "young" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.