ESTUDIO DEL VERSÍCULO
Job 19:25-27 — The Living Redeemer and the Seeing of God
Job declares that his Redeemer lives, will stand upon the earth, and that he himself will see God after his body is destroyed.
Escritura
- 25.Yo sé que mi Redentor vive, Y al fin se levantará sobre el polvo;But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth, And at last he will stand up upon the earth:
- 26.Y después de deshecha esta mi piel, En mi carne he de ver a Dios;And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God;
- 27.Al cual veré por mí mismo, Y mis ojos lo verán, y no otro, Aunque mi corazón desfallece dentro de mí.Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side, And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. My heart is consumed within me.
Qué significa este pasaje
Job 19:25 begins with the contrastive phrase 'But as for me,' setting Job's confession apart from the accusations of the preceding speech. He affirms knowledge ('I know') that his Redeemer is living and that this Redeemer will, in the end, 'stand up upon the earth.' The verb 'stand up' pictures the Redeemer as one who will rise to act on Job's behalf, taking a position on the dust where Job currently lies. The title 'Redeemer' marks one who has the obligation and the right to vindicate a relative who has been wronged.
Verse 26 moves from the Redeemer's standing to Job's own seeing. Job anticipates a moment when his skin has been stripped away — the body itself destroyed — and yet, even 'without my flesh,' he will see God. The grammar of 'without my flesh' can be read either as 'apart from my flesh' (seeing God without the mediation of the body) or as 'from my flesh' (the eyes of his flesh beholding). Either way, the claim is that Job's own person, not a substitute, will behold God.
Verse 27 personalizes the vision three times: 'I … I … shall see'; 'mine eyes shall behold'; and the negation 'not as a stranger.' Job insists that this will not be a distant, unrecognized encounter but a direct sight of God on his own side. The closing line — 'My heart is consumed within me' — registers the inner cost of holding such a confession: the longing for this seeing burns within him even now, in the midst of suffering.
Contexto
Job 19 is a sustained complaint against the friends' accusations. Verses 21-24 record Job's plea for pity and his wish that his words would be permanently inscribed — an iron-pen engraving in rock for ever. Verse 25, introduced by 'But as for me,' pivots from that plea to an affirmation of hope: even if no friend vindicates him, he knows that a Redeemer lives and will act. The surrounding chapter lists the losses that make this confession remarkable — family, servants, acquaintances, even his wife's regard — yet the speaker claims a sight of God that no present loss can cancel.
Verses 28-29 turn back to the friends, warning that they should fear the sword, because wrath brings its punishments and 'there is a judgment.' The chapter thus frames the resurrection-shaped hope of 25-27 within a larger structure: Job's present abandonment, his plea to be remembered in writing, his confession of a living Redeemer, and the warning that oppressors will answer to a coming judgment.
Preguntas frecuentes
Why does Job say 'I know that my Redeemer lives' if his situation looks hopeless?
The preceding verses (21-24) record Job at the lowest point — abandoned by family and friends, even asking that his words be inscribed in rock. The phrase 'But as for me' (25) sets the confession apart from that lament. Job does not claim to see vindication now; he claims to know that a living Redeemer will, in the end, 'stand up upon the earth' and act on his behalf. The knowledge is grounded in the character of the Redeemer, not in Job's present circumstances.
Does Job 19:26 mean Job will be raised with a body or without one?
The verse reads 'after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, then without my flesh shall I see God.' The grammar of 'without my flesh' is debated: it can be read as 'apart from my flesh' (seeing God without the mediation of the body) or as 'from my flesh' (the eyes of his flesh beholding). Either reading preserves the passage's main claim, which is that Job himself — not a substitute — will see God, and that this sight will follow the destruction of his present body. The text itself does not settle the grammar in a way that resolves every detail of the vision.
Who is the 'Redeemer' that Job speaks of?
Job calls him 'my Redeemer.' The title 'Redeemer' points to one who has both the obligation and the right to vindicate a relative who has been wronged. Job does not identify the Redeemer by lineage or by name within the speech itself; he identifies him by what he will do — he lives, and he will stand upon the earth. Later readers have connected this confession to a range of expectations, but the chapter as given does not specify which figure fulfills the role.