They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow’s ox in pledge.
Parallel translations
- WEB They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, and they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
- KJV They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
- NKJV They drive away the donkey of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
- NASB “They drive away the donkeys of orphans; They seize the widow’s ox as a pledge.
- NLT They take the orphan’s donkey and demand the widow’s ox as security for a loan.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wicked rob the orphan's donkey and seize the widow's ox as security. It matters because they prey on the most vulnerable.
Overview
Job lists crimes against the fatherless and the widow, the very people God commands His people to protect. Taking a widow's ox in pledge strips her of livelihood, exposing the cruelty of the oppressors. Such injustice stands condemned by the God who is the defender of the orphan and widow (Ps. 68:5).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Deut 24:6Do not take a pair of millstones or even an upper millstone as security for a debt, because that would be taking one’s livelihood as security.
- Deut 24:17–21Do not deny justice to the foreigner or the fatherless, and do not take a widow’s cloak as security.
- Deut 24:10–13When you lend anything to your neighbor, do not enter his house to collect security.
- 1 Sam 12:3Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
- Job 22:6–9For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing.
- Job 31:16–17If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 24:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.