if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,
Parallel translations
- WEB if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering;
- KJV If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
- NKJV If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or any poor man without covering;
- NASB If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering,
- NLT Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes and the needy with nothing to wear,
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 saw anyone perishing from lack of clothing or a needy person without covering. He affirms his readiness to clothe the destitute.
Overview
Job denies ever ignoring the plight of those dying for want of clothing or covering. Providing clothing to the naked is a recurring mark of true righteousness in Scripture, reflecting tangible love for one's neighbor. Jesus himself identifies care for the naked as service rendered to him, so Job's practice foreshadows the gospel ethic of meeting real human needs as an expression of love for Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 22:6For you needlessly demanded security from your brothers and deprived the naked of their clothing.
- 1 Jn 3:18Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
- 2 Chr 28:15Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds, and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
- Luke 3:11John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
- Job 24:4They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
- Acts 9:39So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
- Matt 25:43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
- Matt 25:36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
- Jas 2:16If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?
- Isa 58:7Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
- Job 29:13The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
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 31:19 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.