Job 19:20

Verse

Berean Standard Bible

My skin and flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

American Standard Version (1901)

My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

Bible in Basic English

My bones are joined to my skin, and I have got away with my flesh in my teeth.

Free Bible Version

I've been reduced to skin and bones and I survive by the skin of my teeth.

King James (Authorized) Version

My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.

Translation for Translators

My body is only skin and bones; I am barely alive [IDM].

Unlocked Literal Bible

My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh; I survive only by the skin of my teeth.

Noah Webster Bible

My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped with the skin of my teeth.

World English Bible

My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh. I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

Young's Literal Translation

To my skin and to my flesh Cleaved hath my bone, And I deliver myself with the skin of my teeth.

Context

Job: My Redeemer Lives

¹⁹All my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me. ²⁰My skin and flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

Summary

In this verse, Job expresses his deep distress and isolation, feeling abandoned by his close friends and family. Despite his suffering, Job finds himself in a state of loneliness and despair, longing for compassion and support that is nowhere to be found. This poignant cry reflects the intense emotional and physical pain that Job is enduring, highlighting the importance of empathy and companionship during times of trial and tribulation.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

My bone cleaveth to my skin - My flesh is entirely wasted away, and nothing but skin and bone left. I am escaped with the skin of my teeth - I have had the most narrow escape. If I still live, it is a thing to be wondered at, my sufferings and privations have been so great. To escape with the skin of the teeth seems to have been a proverbial expression, signifying great difficulty. I had as narrow an escape from death, as the thickness of the enamel on the teeth. I was within a hair's breadth of destruction; see on Job 19:11 (note).

Job 19:20

Job: My Redeemer Lives

¹⁹All my best friends despise me, and those I love have turned against me. ²⁰My skin and flesh cling to my bones; I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.