The Book of Job: Pl. 9, Then a Spirit passed before my face / the hair of my flesh stood up

The Book of Job: Pl. 9, Then a Spirit passed before my face / the hair of my flesh stood up is a profound engraving created by William Blake in 1825. This plate is one of the twenty-two illustrations Blake executed for the Book of Job, marking the culmination of his graphic art career and deeply spiritual vision. Executed in the tradition of British visionary art, the work illustrates the moment the prophet Eliphaz recounts a terrifying spiritual encounter to the afflicted Job, quoting the passage inscribed in the image. Blake utilized the demanding, detailed technique of copperplate engraving to achieve stark contrasts between ethereal light and profound darkness, essential for depicting this supernatural visitation.

The composition centers on the figures of Job and his three friends seated below a swirling vortex of energy. The spectral spirit hovers dramatically above them, its form defined by the fine, energetic lines characteristic of Blake’s draftsmanship. The terrified response of the figure of Eliphaz, whose hair literally stands up, encapsulates the sublime horror of the divine encounter. Blake surrounds the central image with symbolic marginalia, reinforcing the cyclical nature of suffering and divine judgment central to the biblical narrative.

This piece exemplifies Blake’s late style, characterized by monumental figures and intense spiritual focus, cementing his legacy as a foremost figure of 19th-century art from the United Kingdom. Prints of this influential series, now widely considered to be in the public domain, are frequently studied by scholars. This significant impression of The Book of Job: Pl. 9, Then a Spirit passed before my face / the hair of my flesh stood up is preserved in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.