Job 10:16
New International Version
If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion and again display your awesome power against me.

New Living Translation
And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion and display your awesome power against me.

English Standard Version
And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion and again work wonders against me.

Berean Standard Bible
Should I hold my head high, You would hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me.

King James Bible
For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me.

New King James Version
If my head is exalted, You hunt me like a fierce lion, And again You show Yourself awesome against me.

New American Standard Bible
‘And should my head be high, You would hunt me like a lion; And You would show Your power against me again.

NASB 1995
Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion; And again You would show Your power against me.

NASB 1977
‘And should my head be lifted up, Thou wouldst hunt me like a lion; And again Thou wouldst show Thy power against me.

Legacy Standard Bible
Should my head be set on high, You would hunt me like a lion; And again You would show Your wonders against me.

Amplified Bible
‘Should I lift my head up, You would hunt me like a lion; And again You would show Your marvelous power against me.

Christian Standard Bible
If I am proud, you hunt me like a lion and again display your miraculous power against me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If I am proud, You hunt me like a lion and again display Your miraculous power against me.

American Standard Version
And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion; And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me.

Contemporary English Version
No matter how hard I try, you keep hunting me down like a powerful lion.

English Revised Version
And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvelous upon me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Like a proud, ferocious lion you hunt me down. You keep working your miracles against me.

Good News Translation
If I have any success at all, you hunt me down like a lion; to hurt me you even work miracles.

International Standard Version
But if I do lift up my head, you will hunt me like a lion! You will perform miracles in order to fight against me.

Majority Standard Bible
Should I hold my head high, You would hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me.

NET Bible
If I lift myself up, you hunt me as a fierce lion, and again you display your power against me.

New Heart English Bible
And if I lift myself up, you hunt me like a lion. Again you show yourself powerful to me.

Webster's Bible Translation
For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou showest thyself wonderful upon me.

World English Bible
If my head is held high, you hunt me like a lion. Again you show yourself powerful to me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it rises—as a lion You hunt me. And You turn back—You show Yourself wonderful in me.

Young's Literal Translation
And it riseth -- as a lion Thou huntest me. And Thou turnest back -- Thou shewest Thyself wonderful in me.

Smith's Literal Translation
And shall it be lifted up? Thou wilt hunt me as the lion, and thou wilt turn back, thou wilt show thyself wonderful upon me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And for pride thou wilt take me as a lioness, and returning thou tormentest me wonderfully.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And because of pride, you will seize me like a lioness, and having returned, you torment me to an extraordinary degree.

New American Bible
Should it lift up, you hunt me like a lion: repeatedly you show your wondrous power against me,

New Revised Standard Version
Bold as a lion you hunt me; you repeat your exploits against me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And if I exalt myself, thou dost hunt me like a lion, and then thou dost turn and show thyself gigantic over me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if I will rise up as a lion, you will hunt me and turn like a giant against me
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And if it exalt itself, Thou huntest me as a lion; And again Thou showest Thyself marvellous upon me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For I am hunted like a lion for slaughter; for again thou hast changed and art terribly destroying me;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job's Plea to God
15If I am guilty, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift my head. I am full of shame and aware of my affliction. 16Should I hold my head high, You would hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me. 17You produce new witnesses against me and multiply Your anger toward me. Hardships assault me in wave after wave.…

Cross References
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? / If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. / If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, ...

Lamentations 3:1-18
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath. / He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness instead of light. / Indeed, He keeps turning His hand against me all day long. ...

Isaiah 38:13
I composed myself until the morning. Like a lion He breaks all my bones; from day until night You make an end of me.

Psalm 88:15-18
From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair. / Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. / All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side. ...

Jeremiah 20:7-9
You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. / For whenever I speak, I cry out; I proclaim violence and destruction. For the word of the LORD has become to me a reproach and derision all day long. / If I say, “I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.

Psalm 73:14
For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9
We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; / persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

Psalm 102:3-11
For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers. / My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread. / Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones. ...

Isaiah 53:3-4
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. / Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.

1 Peter 4:12-13
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. / But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory.

Psalm 22:1-2
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? / I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.

Psalm 31:9-10
Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes fail from sorrow, my soul and body as well. / For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.

Matthew 26:38-39
Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” / Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Psalm 6:6-7
I am weary from groaning; all night I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. / My eyes fail from grief; they grow dim because of all my foes.


Treasury of Scripture

For it increases. You hunt me as a fierce lion: and again you show yourself marvelous on me.

Thou huntest

Isaiah 38:13
I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

Lamentations 3:10
He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places.

Hosea 13:7,8
Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them: …

marvellous

Numbers 16:29,30
If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me…

Deuteronomy 28:59
Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

Jump to Previous
Awesome Cause Display Exalt Fierce Head Held High Hunt Increaseth Itself Lion Marvellous Power Powerful Pride Shewest Show Showest Stalk Thyself Wonderful Wonders Work
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Awesome Cause Display Exalt Fierce Head Held High Hunt Increaseth Itself Lion Marvellous Power Powerful Pride Shewest Show Showest Stalk Thyself Wonderful Wonders Work
Job 10
1. Job, taking liberty of complaint, expostulates with God about his afflictions
18. He complains of life, and craves a little ease before death














If I hold my head high
This phrase reflects Job's struggle with pride and dignity amidst suffering. In the Hebrew context, "holding one's head high" signifies maintaining dignity and self-respect. Job feels that even when he attempts to maintain his dignity, he is met with further adversity. This reflects the broader theme of the Book of Job, where human pride is often challenged by divine sovereignty. The phrase invites readers to consider the balance between human dignity and humility before God.

You hunt me like a lion
The imagery of a lion is powerful and evocative, symbolizing strength, ferocity, and relentless pursuit. In ancient Near Eastern culture, lions were often seen as symbols of both royal power and divine judgment. Job feels pursued by God with the same intensity and inevitability as a lion hunts its prey. This metaphor underscores the intensity of Job's suffering and his perception of God's overwhelming power. It challenges readers to reflect on the nature of divine testing and the feeling of being overwhelmed by circumstances beyond one's control.

and again display Your power against me
Here, Job acknowledges the repeated demonstrations of God's power in his life, which he perceives as adversarial. The Hebrew root for "display" suggests a public showing or manifestation, indicating that Job feels his trials are not only personal but also a demonstration of divine power. This phrase highlights the tension between God's omnipotence and human vulnerability. It encourages believers to trust in God's ultimate purpose, even when His actions seem incomprehensible or harsh. The repetition of trials in Job's life serves as a reminder of the refining process that suffering can bring, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of God's character and purposes.

(16) For it increaseth.--This verse is very obscure. Some understand it thus: "But is it so glorious a thing that Thou shouldst hunt me like a fierce lion, and then again show Thyself mysterious and wonderful towards me? hunting me like a lion, and yet hiding alike Thy person and Thy motive from me?" Or the subject is the head of the former verse, "And if it exalt itself, Thou huntest me," &c. Or again, as in the Authorised Version, the subject is the affliction, "For it increaseth: Thou huntest me," &c.

Verse 16. - For it increaseth. Thou huntest me. This passage is very obscure, and has been taken in several quite different senses. On the whole, it is not clear that any better meaning can be assigned to it than that of the Authorized Version, "For my affliction increaseth," or "is ever increasing. Thou huntest me;" i.e. thou art continually pursuing me with thy plagues, thy "arrows" (Job 6:4), thy" wounds" (Job 9:17), thy poisoned shafts (Job 6:4). Thou givest me no rest, therefore I am ever conscious of my afflictions. As a fierce lion. Schultens regards Job as the lion, and so Jarchi and others. But most commentators take the view that the lion is God (comp. Isaiah 31:4; Isaiah 38:13; Jeremiah 25:38; Lamentations 3:10; Hosea 5:14; Hosea 13:7, 8). And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me; or, thou dealest marvellously with me; i.e. "in-flictest on me strange and marvellous sufferings."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Should I hold my head high,
וְ֭יִגְאֶה (wə·yiḡ·’eh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1342: To mount up, to rise, be majestic

You would hunt me
תְּצוּדֵ֑נִי (tə·ṣū·ḏê·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 6679: To lie alongside, to catch an animal, to victual

like a lion,
כַּשַּׁ֣חַל (kaš·ša·ḥal)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7826: A lion

and again
וְ֝תָשֹׁ֗ב (wə·ṯā·šōḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

display Your power
תִּתְפַּלָּא־ (tiṯ·pal·lā-)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6381: To separate, distinguish, to be, great, difficult, wonderful

against me.
בִֽי׃ (ḇî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew


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OT Poetry: Job 10:16 If my head is held high you (Jb)
Job 10:15
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