Job 19:7 (KJV)

What does Job 19:7 mean?

Job 19:7 describes Job’s sense that he has been wronged and cannot get a hearing. He calls for justice, but receives neither an answer nor a decision that addresses his complaint.

Job is speaking to friends who have come to discuss his suffering. His words picture someone calling out for help and seeking a fair decision, yet finding no one who will hear the case.

The Hebrew behind Job 19:7

• “wrong” — חָמָס (ḥamas): This word can mean violence or wrongdoing. Job’s cry names the harm he believes has been done to him, rather than merely expressing general distress.
• “judgment” — מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat): This word can refer to justice or a legal decision. Here it suggests the fair hearing or outcome that Job is seeking.

Why Job 19:7 matters

• Job’s complaint is directed toward God, not only toward the friends listening to him. In verse 6, Job says that God has overthrown him and surrounded him with a net.
• Job’s words expose a contrast between being heard and being judged fairly. He says both “I am not heard” and “there is no judgment,” presenting the lack of a response and the lack of justice as parts of the same distress.
• The verse helps explain why Job resists his friends’ treatment of his situation. In verse 5, he objects that they are using his disgrace against him; his own concern is that a wrong has not been set right.