So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry 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.
- BSB They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, and He heard the outcry 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 5:4Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
- Exod 3:7And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
- Job 35:9By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.
- Ps 12:5For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
- Exod 3:9Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
- Exod 22:23–27If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
- Job 29:12–13Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
- Exod 2:23–24And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
- Job 31:19–20If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
- Isa 5:7For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
- Job 22:9–10Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
- Job 24:12Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out: yet God layeth not folly to them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 34:28 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.