My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The chilling image of Job's "bones cleaving to his skin" emphasizes an extreme emaciation, suggesting his flesh has withered away so severely that his bones are almost visible through his tight skin. The difficult phrase "escaped with the skin of my teeth" is a vivid idiom highlighting a desperately narrow survival, implying he barely has anything left of himself, perhaps only the skin around his gums, suggesting a life clinging on by the thinnest of margins.
My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is describing the extreme physical torment and emaciation caused by his affliction, feeling as though his body is wasting away to nothing. He's conveying that he has barely survived, escaping total destruction by the thinnest possible margin. This comes as part of his bitter lament to his friends, who he feels have abandoned him in his suffering.
Job describes a physical state so extreme it’s almost unbelievable. What does this visceral imagery tell us about his suffering?
Job uses powerful language to convey his utter physical deterioration. "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh" isn't just a description of being thin; it paints a picture of a body ravaged by disease, where the flesh has withered away, leaving the bones seemingly attached directly to the skin. It’s a state of emaciation so profound that the body’s natural padding is gone.
This isn't just about outward appearance. It signifies a deep internal decay, a complete breakdown of his physical being. Imagine feeling so hollowed out that the very structure of your body feels exposed and brittle.
This famous idiom pops up in Job's lament. What does this incredibly narrow escape truly represent?
The phrase "escaped with the skin of my teeth" is a vivid idiom signifying an incredibly narrow and improbable escape from disaster. While the exact origin is debated, the meaning is clear: Job has survived by the barest margin, clinging to life when all seemed lost.
Think of it like this: the most delicate, least significant part of you is all that remains. It speaks to a survival that feels almost accidental, a defiance of logic. It’s the feeling of being at death’s door, and somehow, miraculously, finding yourself still breathing, yet utterly broken.
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This psalm uses a similar physical description of wasting away, stating 'I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl that is in the desert. I watch, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.' This echoes Job's extreme emaciation and isolation.
Lamentations 4:8This verse describes a similar state of severe suffering and physical deterioration: 'Their appearance is blacker than soot; they are gaunt from the streets.' This highlights how extreme hardship can profoundly alter one's physical appearance, mirroring Job's condition.
Job 33:21In a different part of Job's story, Elihu describes a similar wasting away: 'His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones, which were not seen, come into view.' This reinforces the severity of the physical affliction Job is enduring.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9Paul uses language that contrasts outward suffering with inward preservation, saying, 'We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not destroyed; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.' This speaks to the idea of escaping by the 'skin of your teeth,' being preserved despite overwhelming circumstances.
barnesJob 19:20: "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth."
My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh - The meaning of this probably is, "my skin and flesh are dried up so that the bone seems adhere to the skin, and so tht the form of the bone becomes visible." It is designed to denote a state of great emaciation, and describes an effect which we often see. And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth - A very difficult expression, and which has greatly…
clarkeJob 19:20: "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth."
My bone cleaveth to my skin - My flesh is entirely wasted away, and nothing but skin and bone left. I am escaped with the skin of my teeth - I have had the most narrow escape. If I still live, it is a thing to be wondered at, my sufferings and privations have been so great. To escape with the skin of the teeth seems to have been a proverbial expression, signifying great difficulty. I had as nar…
The chilling image of Job's "bones cleaving to his skin" emphasizes an extreme emaciation, suggesting his flesh has withered away so severely that his bones are almost visible through his tight skin. The difficult phrase "escaped with the skin of my teeth" is a vivid idiom highlighting a desperately narrow survival, implying he barely has anything left of himself, perhaps only the skin around his gums, suggesting a life clinging on by the thinnest of margins.
Job is describing the extreme physical torment and emaciation caused by his affliction, feeling as though his body is wasting away to nothing. He's conveying that he has barely survived, escaping total destruction by the thinnest possible margin. This comes as part of his bitter lament to his friends, who he feels have abandoned him in his suffering.
Job is describing the extreme physical torment and emaciation caused by his affliction, feeling as though his body is wasting away to nothing. He's conveying that he has barely survived, escaping total destruction by the thinnest possible margin. This comes as part of his bitter lament to his friends, who he feels have abandoned him in his suffering.
"My bones stick to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth." — The chilling image of Job's "bones cleaving to his skin" emphasizes an extreme emaciation, suggesting his flesh has withered away so severely that his bones are almost visible through his tight skin.…
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Last reviewed October 2026