Job 31:16
If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
Study Note
Study Note
'If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail' — Job's lengthy oath of innocence (chapter 31) is the most systematic ethical self-examination in the Hebrew Bible, covering justice to the poor, widow, orphan, and enemy. The legal 'if... then' structure is a binding self-curse: if guilty, Job invites punishment; its very form demonstrates the depth of his commitment to justice. The catalog of social-justice concerns embedded in Job's oath (care for the poor, fair wages, hospitality to strangers, equal justice to servants) anticipates the prophets' social ethics and Jesus's identification of himself with 'the least of these' in Matthew 25:31–46.
Other Translations
If I have withheld the poor fromtheirdesire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
If I withhold from pleasure the poor, And the eyes of the widow do consume,
If I kept back the desire of the poor; if the widow's eye was looking for help to no purpose;
Cross References
Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing …
Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for …
If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy …
Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded …
So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with …
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and …
Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea: