Job 29:13

29:7-17 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 of his prosperity. It was by his usefulness. He valued himself by the check he gave to the violence of proud and evil men. Good magistrates must thus be a restraint to evil-doers, and protect the innocent; in order to this, they should arm themselves with zeal and resolution. Such men are public blessings, and resemble Him who rescues poor sinners from Satan. How many who were ready to perish, now are blessing Him! But who can show forth His praises? May we trust in His mercy, and seek to imitate His truth, justice, and love.

The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me,.... That were ready to perish through the oppression of others, or through want of the necessaries of life, or through false charges brought, and through false witness bore against them, and so liable to a sentence of condemnation to death, or having it passed upon them; but Job taking their part, and searching thoroughly into their cause, not only respited them from destruction, but cleared them from the charges laid against them, and which brought the blessing of those persons on him; who blessed God for him, and blessed him, wished a blessing on him in their prayers to God, who had been such a happy instrument of their deliverance from ruin and destruction; see Proverbs 24:11 ; and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy; by relieving her wants, defending her cause, and punishing those that oppressed her; which is the reverse of the character Eliphaz gives of Job, Job 22:9.

Job 29:13 . The blessing of him that was ready to perish — Who was in danger of losing his life or estate, by the malice and tyranny of wicked men; came upon me — Both he, and others for his sake, blessed me, and begged that God would bless me. I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy — For her great and unexpected deliverance. Widows are the common objects of injuries and oppressions, because they are generally unable to defend themselves from the violence of their oppressors, or to offend those who molest them.

Verse 13. - The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me (comp. ver. 11). Oppression in the East sometimes drives its victims to actual starvation or to suicide. Isaiah calls the oppressors against whom he inveighs "murderers" ( Isaiah 1:21 ). These "perishing" ones Job often saved, and they "blessed" him. And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy . How cold are the words of Ameni, "No widow have I oppressed," compared with these! Job was not content with mere abstinence from evil, mere negative virtue. He so actively and effectually relieved distress that affliction was turned into happiness, and lamentation into rejoicing. Job 29:13

The blessing, wherewith both he and others for his sake blessed me, and begged that God would bless me. To perish; to lose his life or estate by the malice and tyranny of wicked men. The widow’s heart; who are the common objects of injuries and oppressions, because for the most part they are unable, either to offend those who molest them, or to defend themselves from their violence. To sing for joy, for her great and unexpected deliverance.

The blessing of him that was ready to perish ... - Of the man who was falsely accused, and who was in danger of being condemned, or of him who was exposed to death by poverty and want. And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy - By becoming her patron and friend; by vindicating her cause, and saving her from the oppressive exactions of others; compare Isaiah 1:17.

The blessing (בּרכּת with closely closed penult.) of those who stood on the brink of destruction (אובד, interiturus, as Job 31:19 ; Proverbs 31:6 ), and owed their rescue to him, came upon him; and the heart of the widow to whom he gave assistance, compensating for the assistance of her lost husband, he filled with gladness (הרנין causative, as Psalm 65:9 ). For the primary attribute, the fundamental character of his way of thinking and acting, was צדק, a holding fast to the will of God, which before everything else calls for sympathizing love (root צדק, Arab. ṣdq, to be hard, firm, stiff, e.g., rumh-un sadq-un, according to the Kamus: a hard, firm, straight spear), and משׁפּט, judgment and decision in favour of right and equity against wrong and injustice. Righteousness is here called the garment which he put on (as Psalm 132:9 , comp. Isaiah 11:5 ; Isaiah 59:17 ), and right is the robe and turban with which he adorns himself (comp.

Isaiah 61:10 ); as by Arabian poets noble attributes are also called garments, which God puts on any one, or which any one puts on himself (albasa). (Note: In Beidhwi, if I remember rightly, this expression occurs once, Arab. 'l-tdrr‛ blbls 'l-tqwy, i.e., "clothing one's self in the armour of the fear of God.") Righteousness is compared to the לבושׁ (corresponding to the thob, i.e., garment, indusium, of the nomads) which is worn on the naked body, justice to the צניף, a magnificent turban (corresponding to the kefije, consisting of a thick cotton cloth, and fastened with a cord made of camel's hair), and the magnificent robe (corresponding to the second principal article of clothing, the ‛abâ). The lxx, Jer., Syr., and Arab. wrongly refer ויּלבּשׁני to משׁפטי of the second half of the verse, while, on the contrary, it is said of צדק, per antanaclasin, that Job put this on, and this in turn put Job on, induit; for וילבשׁני, as the usage of the language, as we have it, elsewhere shows, does not signify: it (righteousness) clothed me well (Umbr.), or: adorned me (Ew., Vaih.), also not: it dressed me out (Schlottm.), but only: it put me on as a garment, i.e., it made me so its own, that my whole appearance was the representation of itself, as in Judges 6:34 and twice in the Chronicles, of the Spirit of Jehovah it is said that He puts on any one, induit, when He makes any one the organ of His own manifestation.

Good thinks that renowned speakers or eminent orators are meant: and others have embraced the same opinion. Job here intimates that his judgment was so sound, his decisions so accredited, and his reasoning power so great, that every person paid him the utmost deference. JOB 29: 11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it commended me: Verse 11 When the ear heard me - This and the six following verses present us with a fine exhibition of a man full of benevolence and charity, acting up to the highest dictates of those principles, and rendering the miserable of all descriptions happy, by the constant exercise of his unconfined philanthropy. JOB 29: 12 Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him, Verse 12 Because I delivered the poor that cried - This appears to be intended as a refutation of the charges produced by Eliphaz, Job 22:5-10, to confute which Job appeals to facts, and to public testimony. JOB 29: 13 the blessing of him who was ready to perish came on me, and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. JOB 29: 14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was as a robe and a diadem. JOB 29: 15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. Verse 15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame - Alluding probably to the difficulty of travelling in the Arabian deserts. I was eyes to the blind - those who did not know the way, I furnished with guides.

fail —in the vain expectation of relief (Job 11:20). 17. Arabian rules of hospitality require the stranger to be helped first, and to the best. 18. Parenthetical: asserting that he did the contrary to the things in Job 31:16, 17. he —the orphan. guided her —namely, the widow, by advice and protection. On this and "a father," see Job 29:16. 19. perish —that is, ready to perish (Job 29:13). 20. loins —The parts of the body benefited by Job are poetically described as thanking him; the loins before naked, when clad by me, wished me every blessing. 21. when —that is, "because." I saw —that I might calculate on the "help" of a powerful party in the court of justice—("gate"), if I should be summoned by the injured fatherless. 22. Apodosis to Job 31:13, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21. If I had done those crimes, I should have made a bad use of my influence ("my arm," figuratively, Job 31:21): therefore, if I have done them let my arm (literally) suffer. Job alludes to Eliphaz' charge (Job 22:9). The first "arm" is rather the shoulder. The second "arm" is the forearm. ## from the bone —literally, "a reed"; hence the upper arm, above the elbow. 23. For —that is, the reason why Job guarded against such sins. Fear of God, though he could escape man's judgment (Genesis 39:9). U MBREIT more spiritedly translates, Yea, destruction and terror from God might have befallen me (had I done so): mere fear not being the motive. highness —majestic might. endure —I could have availed nothing against it. 24, 25.