Job 17:8

Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stirre vp himselfe against the hypocrite. Job 17:8 (KJV)

Upright

men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite. Job 17:8 (KJV)

This verse belongs to Job’s reply to his friends, who had been offering him advice and counsel concerning his suffering and trials. In the dialogue, Job, a righteous man, laments his condition and expresses deep disappointment with the responses he receives.

When Job says, “The upright shall be astonied at this,” he is declaring that even men who are upright or righteous will be amazed, astonished, or shocked by the circumstances he describes. The word “astonied” conveys a sense of unexpectedness that overwhelms those who are normally steadfast.

He continues, “And the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.” Here the innocent, the blameless, are portrayed as rising up, contending, or stirring themselves against one who is hypocritical. The phrase “stir up himself” suggests an active resistance on the part of the innocent toward the hypocrite.

Overall, Job 17:8 highlights Job’s feelings of disappointment and frustration with his friends’ responses to his suffering. The verse captures the tension between the upright and the hypocrite, and it underscores Job’s sense that even the innocent are compelled to confront hypocrisy in the midst of his trials.

Job’s disappointment with his friends’ responses leads him to describe the situation as involving a hypocrite, and his words convey a stark contrast between those who are upright and those who act hypocritically.

Thus the verse serves as a poignant reminder that even the righteous can be taken aback by suffering, and that the innocent may be compelled to confront falsehood wherever it appears in their lives.