“By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
Parallel translations
- KJV By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.
- BSB Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
- NKJV “Becauseof the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty.
- NASB ¶“Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help because of the arm of the mighty.
- NLT “People cry out when they are oppressed. They groan beneath the power of the mighty.
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 oppressed cry out under the heavy arm of mighty oppressors. Their suffering provokes loud appeals for help.
Overview
Elihu observes that multitudes cry out because of oppression and the power of the strong. This describes the genuine anguish of the afflicted in a fallen world. The verse sets up his point that mere cries of distress, without seeking God Himself, fall short, pointing ahead to the need for hearts that turn to the Maker who alone delivers and ultimately to Christ the Deliverer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Exod 2:23In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
- Job 34:28so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him. He heard the cry of the afflicted.
- Neh 5:1–5Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.
- Job 24:12From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, yet God doesn’t regard the folly.
- Job 12:19He leads priests away stripped, and overthrows the mighty.
- Job 40:9Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?
- Luke 18:3–7A widow was in that city, and she often came to him, saying, ‘Defend me from my adversary!’
- Ps 10:15Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.
- Ps 12:5“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”
- Ps 56:1–2For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Silent Dove in Distant Lands.” A poem by David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me.
- Ps 43:2For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
- Exod 3:9Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
- Ps 55:2–3Attend to me, and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and moan,
- Exod 3:7Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
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 35:9 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.