Job 21:6

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 21:6 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Even when I remember I am troubled, And horror taketh hold on my flesh.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Even when I remember I am troubled, And horror taketh hold on my flesh.
Job 21:6 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 21

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
6Even when I remember I am troubled, And horror taketh hold on my flesh.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Even when I remember, etc.] Either the iniquities of his youth he was made to possess; or his former state of outward happiness and prosperity he had enjoyed, and reviewed his present miserable case and condition, and called to mind the evil tidings brought him thick and fast of the loss of his substance, servants, and children, which were so terrible and shocking; or when he reflected on the instances of Providence he was about to relate in the following verses: I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh; which is sometimes the case of good men, both with respect to the judgments of God upon the wicked, and with respect to what befalls, or is coming upon, the people of God,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“remember--Think on it. Can you wonder that I broke out into complaints, when the struggle was not with men, but with the Almighty? Reconcile, if you can, the ceaseless woes of the innocent with the divine justice! Is it not enough to make one tremble? [UMBREIT].”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Even when I remember, I am afraid - I have an internal shuddering and horror when I recall the scenes through which I have passed. I am myself utterly overwhelmed at the magnitude of my own sufferings, and they are such as should excite commiseration in your hearts. Some, however, have connected this with the following verse, supposing the idea to be, that he was horror-stricken when he contemplated the prosperity of wicked people. But there seems to me to be no reason for this interpretation. His object is undoubtedly to show them that there was enough in his ease to awe them into silence; and he says, in order to show that, that the recollection of his sufferings perfectly overwhelmed…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Remember - The very remembrance of what is past, fills me with dread and horror. Job 21:13”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“21:6 When I think about what I am saying: Job was dismayed by his horrible task of complaining against God (13:3, 15-16, 22; 23:1-5) and discussing his terrors (6:4; 27:20; 30:15). • My body trembles: This reaction resembles that of Habakkuk (Hab 1:5; 3:16), Ezekiel (Ezek 3:14), and Daniel (Dan 8:27; 10:8-9).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Even when: Psa 77:3, Psa 88:15, Psa 119:120; Lam 3:19, Lam 3:20; Hab 3:16 Job 21:7”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification