Job 19:18 (DRB)

Passage

Even fools despised me, and when I was gone from them, they spoke against me.

Nearby Context

Job 19:16 I called my servant, and he gave me no answer, I entreated him with my own mouth.

Job 19:17 My wife hath abhorred my breath, and I entreated the children of my womb.

Job 19:18 Even fools despised me, and when I was gone from them, they spoke against me.

Job 19:19 They that were sometime my counsellors, have abhorred me: and he whom I loved most is turned against me.

Job 19:20 The flesh being consumed, my bone hath cleaved to my skin, and nothing but lips are left about my teeth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "even", "fools", "despised", "gone", "spoke", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "even" and "fools", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "My wife hath abhorred my breath and..." into verse 19's "They that were sometime my counsellors have...", so "even" and "fools" 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 "fools" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.