Job 19:16 (DBY)

Passage

I called my servant, and he answered not; I entreated him with my mouth.

Nearby Context

Job 19:14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my known friends have forgotten me.

Job 19:15 The sojourners in my house and my maids count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight.

Job 19:16 I called my servant, and he answered not; I entreated him with my mouth.

Job 19:17 My breath is strange to my wife, and my entreaties to the children of my [mother's] womb.

Job 19:18 Even young children despise me; I rise up, and they speak against me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "servant", "answered", "entreated", and "mouth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "servant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "The sojourners in my house and my..." into verse 17's "My breath is strange to my wife...", so "called" 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 "called" and "servant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.