“IfI have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him
Parallel translations
- WEB “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him
- KJV If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:
- BSB If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—
- NASB ¶“Have I rejoiced at the misfortune of my enemy, Or become excited when evil found him?
- NLT “Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies, or become excited when harm came their way?
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 rejoiced at the ruin of his enemy or gloated when evil befell him who hated him. He affirms his freedom from vengeful malice.
Overview
Job denies the all-too-human temptation to delight in the downfall of his enemies. Refusing to gloat over a foe's misfortune reflects a heart shaped by genuine love rather than vengeance. This anticipates the teaching of Christ to love one's enemies and pray for persecutors, and it reflects God's own restraint, who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires their repentance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Prov 24:17–18Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls. Don’t let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;
- Prov 17:5Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
- Ps 35:13–14But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom.
- Obad 1:12But don’t look down on your brother in the day of his disaster, and don’t rejoice over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Don’t speak proudly in the day of distress.
- Ps 35:25–26Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”
- 2 Sam 1:12They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they had fallen by the sword.
- 2 Sam 16:5–8When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came.
- 2 Sam 4:10–11when someone told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ thinking that he brought good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.
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 31:29 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.