Job 17:5

Job 17:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.
• New International Version (NIV)If anyone denounces their friends for reward, the eyes of their children will fail.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He who informs against his friends to get a share of their property— the eyes of his children will fail.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He who speaks flattery to his friends, Even the eyes of his children will fail.

Context of Job 17:5

3“You must defend my innocence, O God, since no one else will stand up for me. 4You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph. They betray their friends for their own advantage, so let their children faint with hunger. 6“God has made a mockery of me among the people; they spit in my face. 7My eyes are swollen with weeping, and I am but a shadow of my former self.

Job 17:5 word by word

לְ֭חֵלֶק יַגִּ֣יד רֵעִ֑ים וְעֵינֵ֖י בָנָ֣יו תִּכְלֶֽנָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He that speakethנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
• flatteryחֵ֫לֶקchêleq · portionH2506
• friendsרֵעַrêa‛ rêya‛ · neighborH7453
• even the eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• of his childrenבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• shall failכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: expendH3615

Cross-references for Job 17:5

• Job 32:21I won’t play favorites or try to flatter anyone.
• Psalms 12:2Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
• Proverbs 20:19A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.
• Proverbs 29:5To flatter friends is to lay a trap for their feet.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:5Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know. And God is our witness that we were not pretending to be your friends just to get your money!
• Exodus 20:5You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.
• Deuteronomy 28:65There among those nations you will find no peace or place to rest. And the Lord will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight to fail, and your soul to despair.
• 1 Kings 11:12But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son.
• Lamentations 4:17We looked in vain for our allies to come and save us, but we were looking to nations that could not help us.

Commentaries on Job 17:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5He that speaketh flattery - There is a great variety of meaning given to the terms in this verse. The general sense is, The man who expects much from his friends will be disappointed: while depending on them his children's eyes may fail in looking for bread.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5He that speaketh flattery to his friends - Noyes renders this, “He that delivers up his friend as a prey, the eyes of his children shall fail.” So Wemyss, “He who delivers up his friends to plunder.” Dr. Good, “He that rebuketh his friends with mildness, even the eyes of his children shall be accomplished.” The Septuagint, “He announces evil for his portion; his eyes fail over his sons.” The Vulgate, “He promises spoil to his companions, and the eyes of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-5Give me, I pray, the pledge You demand (literally please keep my pledge with yourself): A pledge (Hebrew ‘erabon) can be a deposit that guarantees payment (Genesis 38:17–20; Exodus 22:26–27; Deuteronomy 24:10–14; see Proverbs 20:16; 27:13). So, this might suggest God forgiving sin (making atonement). It might also refer to Job’s wish for an advocate to support his cause (see study note on Job 16:19–21).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. The Hebrew for "flattery" is "smoothness"; then it came to mean a prey divided by lot, because a smooth stone was used in casting the lots (De 18:8), "a portion" (Ge 14:24). Therefore translate, "He that delivers up his friend as a prey (which the conduct of my friends implies that they would do), even the eyes," &c. [Noyes] (Job 11:20). Job says this as to the sinner's children, retorting upon their reproach as to the cutting off of his (Job 5:4…Read the comment

Topics related to Job 17:5

• Flattery

In the dictionaries

• Extinct
• Hold
• Fail

Commentaries on Job 17

• 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