Job 19:17 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "breath", "strange", "wife", "entreaties", "children", "mother's", and "womb". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "breath" and "strange", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "I called my servant and he answered..." into verse 18's "Even young children despise me I rise...", so "breath" and "strange" 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 "breath" and "strange" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.