Christian Standard Bible
Job 29:16
16I was a father to the needy, and I examined the case of the stranger.
Job 29:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
- New International Version (NIV)I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I was a father to the needy, and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.
- New King James Version (NKJV)I was a father to the poor, And I searched out the case that I did not know.
Context of Job 29:16
14I clothed myself in righteousness, and it enveloped me; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban. 15I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I examined the case of the stranger. 17I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth. 18So I thought, “I will die in my own nest and multiply my days as the sand.
Read all of Job 29Job 29:16 word by word
אָ֣ב אָ֭נֹכִֽי לָֽאֶבְיוֹנִ֑ים וְרִ֖ב לֹא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶחְקְרֵֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 29:16
- Job 31:18for from my youth, I raised him as his father, and since the day I was born I guided the widow —
- Esther 2:7Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she had no father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
- Psalms 68:5God in his holy dwelling is a father of the fatherless and a champion of widows.
- Ephesians 5:1Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,
- James 1:27Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
- Exodus 18:26They judged the people at all times; they would bring the hard cases to Moses, but they would judge every minor case themselves.
- Deuteronomy 13:14you are to inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. If the report turns out to be true that this detestable act has been done among you,
- Deuteronomy 17:8“If a case is too difficult for you — concerning bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults — cases disputed at your city gates, then go up to the place the Lord your God chooses.
- 1 Kings 3:16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
- Proverbs 25:2It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.
- Proverbs 29:7The righteous person knows the rights of the poor, but the wicked one does not understand these concerns.
Commentaries on Job 29:16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16The cause which I knew not I searched out - When any thing difficult occurred, I did not give it a slight consideration; I examined it to the bottom, whatever pain, time, and trouble it cost me, that I might not pronounce a hasty judgment.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16I was a father to the poor - I took them under my protection, and treated them as if they were my own children. And the cause which I knew not I searched out - This is according to the interpretation of Jerome. But the more probable meaning is, “the cause of him who was unknown to me, that is, of the stranger, I searched out.” So Rosenmuller, Herder, Umbreit, and Good. According to this, the sense is, that, as a magistrate, he gave particular attention to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-17Verses 7-17 All sorts of people paid respect to Job, not only for the dignity of his rank, but for his personal merit, his prudence, integrity, and good management. Happy the men who are blessed with such gifts as these! They have great opportunities of honouring God and doing good, but have great need to watch against pride. Happy the people who are blessed with such men! it is a token for good to them. Here we see what Job valued himself by, in the day…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16Job was active in searching out and helping strangers in need.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1712-17. The grounds on which Job was praised (Job 29:11), his helping the afflicted (Psa 72:12) who cried to him for help, as a judge, or as one possessed of means of charity. Translate: "The fatherless who had none to help him."Read the comment
Topics related to Job 29:16
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 29
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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