The Church Fathers on this verse
THEOSIS
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Job 19:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Whom I myself shall see, and my eyes shall behold, and not another: this my hope is laid up in my bosom.

Douay-Rheims

אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִ֨י ׀ אֶֽחֱזֶה־לִּ֗י וְעֵינַ֣י רָא֣וּ וְלֹא־זָ֑ר כָּל֖וּ כִלְיֹתַ֣י בְּחֵקִֽי׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

4 Church Fathers comment on this verse

Jerome of Stridon

4th centuryChurch Father

I shall behold God in this very flesh that currently endures suffering and affliction. Thus, I shall indeed witness Him in the body, for He has cured all my ailments through His resurrection. Do you not perceive that in this declaration, Job spoke against Origen and affirmed the truth of the flesh, which he experienced in anguish, addressing heretical views? He lamented the possibility of enduring such pain in vain, as while other bodies may be resurrected in a spiritual sense, this body has been physically tormented.

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Therefore, he speaks with effort and clarity, resolutely declaring, “and whom I myself shall see, and my eyes shall see, and not another.” If he is not raised in his own flesh, if he does not rise with the same members that once lay in decay, and if he does not use the same eyes that beheld the worms, where then shall Job be? You dismiss the reality in which Job lived and offer me mere words regarding the resurrection: if you seek the restoration of a vessel after a shipwreck, how can you deny the very materials from which the ship is made?

Gregory the Great

6th centuryChurch Father

Verse 27. I myself shall behold Him, and my own eyes shall witness Him, not another's (Job 19:27). For if, as some misguided individuals assert, there is no physical body after the resurrection—only some ethereal, invisible form that may be referred to as flesh, despite lacking the essence of flesh—then it follows that one man dies while another arises. Blessed Job counters this fallacy with his authentic declaration, stating, I myself shall see Him, and my own eyes shall witness Him, not another’s. We, embracing the faith that Job exemplifies, wholeheartedly believe in the incarnate body of our Redeemer following His resurrection.

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We understand that our own flesh, post-resurrection, will be both identical and transformed: identical in its essence yet distinct in its glory; genuine in its existence yet elevated in its might. Thus, it will possess a degree of subtlety, as it will be incorruptible, while remaining tangible, as it will retain the true nature of its being. This conviction regarding the resurrection is intimately tied to the unwavering hope that the holy man possesses, as he eagerly anticipates its fulfillment. He affirms, This is my hope laid up in my bosom (Job 19:27). For there is nothing more certain than what is cherished deep within our hearts; thus, he safeguards this hope as he has previously embedded within it the genuine faith concerning the resurrection. While he reveals that the resurrection day will indeed arrive, he simultaneously, whether in his own voice or on behalf of the Holy Universal Church, condemns the deeds of the wicked and prophesies the Judgment that shall occur on that day. He proceeds to add:

Peter of Kiev

17th centuryChurch Father

What is the eleventh tenet of the Faith? The response: It is the expectation of the resurrection of the dead. What does this tenet of the Faith convey? The answer: This tenet affirms the certainty of the resurrection of our physical bodies. These bodies will be the same as those we inhabited during our earthly lives, as Job proclaims: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth, and after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God’ (Job 19:25-27).

Ireneus (Orda)

19th centuryCommentator

This passage stands out as one of the most significant in the entire book of Job. To deepen our understanding of its meaning, let us consider this part in a translation: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at the end. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God; I shall see Him for myself; my eyes will behold Him, not someone else’s; my heart yearns within me.” It seems that Job is declaring that even after his physical body deteriorates and returns to the earth, he will behold the Lord; his body will be resurrected by the might of the Almighty. The eternal Redeemer, when He comes to judge humanity, will also raise him from the dead; He will vindicate him and affirm his innocence—this is the promise of the resurrection.

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Such profound truth, familiar even to the pagan world and vaguely acknowledged by those under the law, was clearly recognized and solemnly affirmed by the patient Job. His words do not merely refer to a restoration of his earthly health or life, as he had recently expressed firm belief in his imminent death. Most of the Church Fathers recognized this passage as a reference to the future resurrection; however, since Irenaeus and Athenagoras did not include it among the proofs for the resurrection of the dead, and St. Chrysostom suggested that Job was not aware of the resurrection, this might be because Job’s brilliant insight is overshadowed by the depiction of his despairing earthly condition.

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.