Job 13:4 Meaning and Explanation
“But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Job rebukes his friends as fabricators of falsehood and healers who cannot heal.
What Does Job 13:4 Mean?
Sharpening his complaint, Job names what his friends have become. Rather than speaking truth, they patch together false explanations of his suffering, and like incompetent doctors they offer remedies that bring no cure to his broken spirit.
Words meant to comfort can wound when they distort the truth. The friends' confident diagnoses only deepen Job's pain because they are built on a lie about why he suffers. The verse warns every would-be comforter: hollow answers are worse than honest silence. True healing comes only from the Great Physician, who binds up the brokenhearted not with empty formulas but with His own faithful presence.
Job 13:4 in the Original Language
rapha (רָפָא), 'to heal' -- the root behind 'physicians,' the same word used of God as the One who heals His people.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 13:4
What does Job 13:4 mean?
Job rebukes his friends as fabricators of falsehood and healers who cannot heal.