“If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side,
Parallel translations
- WEB if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate,
- KJV If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:
- BSB if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,
- NKJV If I have raised my hand against the fatherless, When I saw I had help in the gate;
- NASB If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, Because I saw I had support in the gate,
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 raised his hand against the fatherless, even when he had influence in the court. He refused to abuse his power against the weak.
Overview
Job denies ever exploiting his standing among the elders at the city gate to oppress the orphan. The gate was where justice was administered, so this affirms that he never perverted justice for personal advantage against the vulnerable. His refusal to misuse power reflects God's justice and anticipates Christ, who never abused his authority but used it to defend and save the weak.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Job 22:9You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
- Job 29:12Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him,
- Job 24:9There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor,
- Job 6:27Yes, you would even cast lots for the fatherless, and make merchandise of your friend.
- Ezek 22:7In you have they treated father and mother with contempt. Among you they have oppressed the foreigner. In you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow.
- Mic 2:1–2Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil on their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand.
- Jer 5:28They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they don’t judge the right of the needy.
- Mic 7:3Their hands are on that which is evil to do it diligently. The ruler and judge ask for a bribe; and the powerful man dictates the evil desire of his soul. Thus they conspire together.
- Prov 23:10–11Don’t move the ancient boundary stone. Don’t encroach on the fields of the fatherless:
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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 31:21 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.