The section opens with the anguish of the previous chapter, both in Job's expectation of death (verse 1; cf. Job 16:22) and by the useless, mocking words of his friends (verse 2; cf. Job 16:20). Thereafter, Job addresses God directly, asking why God has closed the minds of his friends to understanding Job's plight (verse 4). Then, Job turns to his friends (or onlookers; "among you" or "all of you", verse 10) and conveying his dismay that God, who runs the world, belittles him in the presence of ("spit in the face" or "spit in front of") others (verse 6), before closing with charging his friends for lacking wisdom in their responses (verse 10).
