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Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Book of Job, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Suffering and Divine Justice
The Mystery of God
Human Wisdom vs. Divine Wisdom
Faith in Suffering
Summary
Analysis
Continuing his complaint, Job says that his spirit is broken. He seeks someone who will “give surety” for him. People spit at the sight of Job, and upright people are appalled at his plight. Job addresses his friends and asks where he can find hope, if Sheol is to be his dwelling.
Job looks for someone who will give “surety” for him, or vouch for his innocence—a person who seems difficult to find. When Job addresses his friends, he insists again that their perspectives don’t offer him true hope, because they don’t reflect the truth about his situation. Again, too, Job points out the fact that Sheol isn’t a hopeful place—someone who goes to the realm of the dead doesn’t expect to return.
Themes
