Job 19:20 (DBY)

Passage

My bones cleave to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

Nearby Context

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.

Job 19:20 My bones cleave to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

Job 19:21 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.

Job 19:22 Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bones", "cleave", "skin", "flesh", "escaped", and "teeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bones" and "cleave", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "All my intimate friends abhor me and..." into verse 21's "Have pity upon me have pity upon...", so "bones" and "cleave" 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 "bones" and "cleave" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.