did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm?
Parallel translations
- WEB if his heart hasn’t blessed me, if he hasn’t been warmed with my sheep’s fleece;
- KJV If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
- BSB if his heart has not blessed me for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,
- NKJV If his heart has not blessed me, And if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;
- NASB If his waist has not thanked me, And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,
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 recalls that the needy blessed him because they were warmed by the fleece of his sheep. His generosity drew genuine gratitude.
Overview
Job describes how those he clothed were sincerely thankful, their very bodies warmed by the wool of his flock. The image conveys not cold charity but heartfelt provision that earned the blessing of the poor. Such generosity that leaves the recipient grateful to God reflects the gospel pattern of giving, where believers, freely supplied by Christ, freely supply the needs of others.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Deut 24:13You shall surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his garment, and bless you. It shall be righteousness to you before Yahweh your God.
- Job 29:11For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it commended 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 31:20 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.