Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
Parallel translations
- WEB “By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
- 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.
- 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 2:23After 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 34:28They caused the cry of the poor to come before Him, and He heard the outcry of the afflicted.
- Neh 5:1–5About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
- Job 24:12From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.
- Job 12:19He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows the established.
- Job 40:9Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His?
- Luke 18:3–7And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
- Ps 10:15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call him to account for his wickedness until none is left to be found.
- 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.”
- Ps 56:1–2For the choirmaster. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack.
- Ps 43:2For You are the God of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?
- Exod 3:9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.
- Ps 55:2–3Attend to me and answer me. I am restless in my complaint, and distraught
- 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.
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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 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.