They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.
Parallel translations
- WEB so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him. He heard the cry of the afflicted.
- KJV So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.
- NKJV So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted.
- NASB So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He would hear the cry of the afflicted—
- NLT They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention. He hears the cries of the needy.
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
The wicked's oppression made the cry of the poor rise to God, and He heard it. God is the attentive defender of the afflicted.
Overview
Elihu shows that the wickedness condemned in the previous verse includes crushing the poor, whose cry reaches God and moves Him to act. Scripture repeatedly affirms that the LORD hears the afflicted (Ex. 22:23; Ps. 9:12). This reveals a God who is not indifferent to suffering, foreshadowing the Savior who came to proclaim good news to the poor (Luke 4:18).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jas 5:4Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
- Exod 3:7The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
- Job 35:9Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
- Ps 12:5“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
- Exod 3:9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.
- Exod 22:23–27If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.
- Job 29:12–13because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.
- Exod 2:23–24After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.
- Job 31:19–20if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,
- Isa 5:7For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.
- Job 22:9–10You sent widows away empty-handed, and the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
- Job 24:12From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.
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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.
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Original language
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