If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
Parallel translations
- WEB “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
- BSB If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
- NKJV “If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
- NASB ¶“If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
- NLT “Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows?
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
Job swears he never withheld from the poor what they desired or caused the widow's eyes to fail in disappointment. He affirms his generosity to the vulnerable.
Overview
Job denies neglecting the needs of the poor or leaving the widow waiting in vain for help. Care for the poor and the widow is a central concern of God's law and the prophets, marking true godliness. Job's compassion reflects the heart of God, who defends the vulnerable, and points to Christ, who proclaimed good news to the poor and embodies God's care for the helpless.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Deut 15:7–10If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
- Isa 38:14Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.
- Luke 16:21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
- Ps 69:3I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
- Job 20:19Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;
- Gal 2:10Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
- Job 22:7–9Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
- Job 5:16So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
- Ps 112:9He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
- Deut 28:32Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long: and there shall be no might in thine hand:
- Ps 119:123Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.
- Acts 11:29Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:
- Lam 4:17As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.
- Ps 119:82Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
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 31:16 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.