Job 19:21 (DRB)

Passage

Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me.

Nearby Context

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.

Job 19:21 Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me.

Job 19:22 Why do you persecute me as God, and glut yourselves with my flesh?

Job 19:23 Who will grant me that my words may be written? who will grant me that they may be marked down in a book?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pity", "least", "friends", "hand", "lord", "hath", and "touched". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pity" and "least", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "The flesh being consumed my bone hath..." into verse 22's "Why do you persecute me as God...", so "pity" and "least" 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 "pity" and "least" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.