Job 19:8 (ASV)

Passage

He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass, And hath set darkness in my paths.

Nearby Context

Job 19:6 Know now that God hath subverted me [in my cause], And hath compassed me with his net.

Job 19:7 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry for help, but there is no justice.

Job 19:8 He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass, And hath set darkness in my paths.

Job 19:9 He hath stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head.

Job 19:10 He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone; And my hope hath he plucked up like a tree.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "hath", "walled", "pass", and "paths". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Behold I cry out of wrong but..." into verse 9's "He hath stripped me of my glory...", so "darkness" and "hath" 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 "darkness" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.