¶“For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not abandon the fear of the Almighty.
Parallel translations
- WEB “To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- KJV To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
- BSB A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- NKJV “Tohim who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, Even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- NLT “One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty.
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
Kindness should be shown to a despairing friend, even one who seems to forsake the fear of God. Job rebukes his friends for withholding loyal love when he needs it most.
Overview
Job appeals to the duty of covenant kindness toward the brokenhearted, a loyal love owed even when a sufferer seems to falter. He charges his friends with failing this basic obligation. The verse upholds steadfast love as the heart of true friendship, the kind of mercy supremely shown by Christ, who is not ashamed to call us brothers and draws near to us in our despair.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 17:17A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
- 1 Cor 12:26When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
- Gal 6:2Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
- Rom 12:15Rejoice with those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
- Luke 23:40But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
- 2 Cor 11:29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation?
- Heb 13:3Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body.
- Job 19:21“Have pity on me, have pity on me, you my friends; for the hand of God has touched me.
- Job 4:3–5Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands.
- Job 16:5but I would strengthen you with my mouth. The solace of my lips would relieve you.
- Ps 36:1–3For the Chief Musician. By David, the servant of Yahweh. An inner sanctuary is within my heart about the disobedience of the wicked: “There is no fear of God before his eyes.”
- Job 15:4Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
- Gen 20:11Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife’s sake.’
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 6:14 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.