Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 22:9
Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
9. His treatment of widows he ejected them empty; or when they came seeking redress, or pleading their rights, he let them go unheard. Comp. Job’s own language as to himself, ch. Job 29:13, Job 31:16.
The “arms” of the fatherless are their helps or rights, on which they relied, and by which they were supported.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou hast sent widows away empty – That is, without regarding their needs, and without doing anything to mitigate their sorrows. The oppression of the widow and the fatherless is, in the Scriptures, every where regarded as a crime of special magnitude; see the notes at Isa 1:17.
The arms of the fatherless have been broken – Thou hast taken away all that they relied on. Thou hast oppressed them and taken advantage of their weak and defenseless condition to enrich yourself. This charge was evidently gratuitous and unjust. It was the result of an inference from the fact that he was thus afflicted, and about as just as inferences, in such cases, usually are. To all this, Job replies in beautiful language in Job 29:11-16, when describing his former condition, and in justice to him, we may allow him to speak here, and to show what was, in fact, the course of his life.
When the ear heard me, then it blessed me;
And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
Because I delivered the poor that cried,
And the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me:
And I caused the widows heart to leap for joy.
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
I was eyes to the blind,
And feet was I to the lame;
I was a father to the poor,
And the cause which I knew not, I searched out
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. The arms of the fatherless] Whatever strength or power or property they had, of that thou hast deprived them. Thou hast been hard-hearted and cruel, and hast enriched thyself with the spoils of the poor and the defenceless.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Widows, whose helpless estate called for thy pity, Exo 22:22; Deu 24:17,19.
Away empty; either by denying them that relief which their poverty required, or that right which their cause deserved; or by spoiling them of their goods, because thou knewest them to be unable to oppose thee, or to right themselves.
The arms, i.e. all their supports, and comforts, and rights. A heinous sin, but falsely charged upon Job.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. emptywithout their wantsbeing relieved (Ge 31:42). TheMosaic law especially protected the widow and fatherless (Ex22:22); the violation of it in their case by the great is acomplaint of the prophets (Isa1:17).
armssupports, helps,on which one leans (Ho 7:15).Thou hast robbed them of their only stay. Job replies in Job29:11-16.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou hast sent widows away empty,…. Either out of their own houses, which he spoiled, and devoured, and stripped, and cleared of all that were in them, as did the Scribes and Pharisees in Christ’s time, Mt 23:14; or out of his own house, when they came to him, as a rich man, for charity; as they came to him wanting relief, they went away so; if without food and clothing, they were bid to depart without giving them anything to feed and clothe them with; or if they came to him as a civil magistrate to have justice done them, and to be delivered out of the hands of their oppressors, they could not obtain any, but were dismissed without it; how contrary is this to
Job 29:13;
and the arms of the fatherless have been broken; not in a literal sense, as if when refusing to go out, when their mothers, the widows, had their houses spoiled, and they sent empty out of them; these laid hold on something within them, and would not depart, and so, had their arms broken by the mighty man, the man of arms; but, in a metaphorical and figurative sense, their substance, and goods, and possessions, left them by their fathers for their support, these were taken away from them, and so they were as impotent and helpless as if their arms had been broken; or their friends on whom they relied for their sustenance, these were either ruined, and so could not help them; or else their affections were alienated from them, and would not. This indeed is not expressly charged upon Job, but it is intimated that it was done with his knowledge and consent, good will, and approbation; at least that he connived at it, and suffered it to be done when it was in his power to have prevented it, and therefore to be ascribed unto him; but how foreign is all this to Job’s true character, Job 29:12?
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Job 22:9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Ver. 9. Thou hast sent widows away empty ] A widow is a calamitous name: 2Sa 14:5 , “I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.” As a tree whose root is uncovered thriveth not, so it fareth with a widow. R. Jona observeth, That in Hebrew she hath her name from dumbness, quod marito mortuo respondere non possit adversariis, et se adversus eos tueri, because now that her husband is dead, she cannot answer her adversaries, or defend herself against them. Vidua desolata et derelieta nihil est humiliatius: et proinde peculiariter viduarum iudex et vindex est Deus (Bain. in Pro 15:25 ). God, therefore, hath taken them and their orphans into his tuition, owning them as his clients, and commanding all men to be good to them. These, if Job had indeed sent away empty, not only not relieving their necessities, but ravishing their estates, adding the misery of poverty to that of their condition, he had surely subjected himself to the fierce wrath of God, their patron, by a specialty.
And the arms of the fatherless have been broken
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
widows: Job 24:3, Job 24:21, Job 29:12, Job 29:13, Job 31:16-18, Job 31:21, Exo 22:21-24, Deu 27:19, Psa 94:6, Isa 1:17, Isa 1:23, Isa 10:2, Eze 22:7, Mal 3:5, Luk 18:3-5
arms: Psa 10:15, Psa 37:17, Eze 30:22
Reciprocal: Deu 24:17 – pervert 1Sa 2:31 – I will cut Job 6:27 – the fatherless Job 34:28 – they Pro 23:10 – fatherless Jer 22:3 – do no violence Jer 48:25 – and his Eze 45:9 – exactions Mat 23:14 – for ye
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 22:9. Thou hast sent widows Whose helpless state called for thy pity; away empty Either by denying them that relief that their poverty required, or that right which their cause deserved; or, by spoiling them of their goods, because thou knewest them to be unable to oppose thee, or to defend themselves. And the arms of the fatherless have been broken
That is, all their supports and rights, a heinous sin, but falsely charged upon Job.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
22:9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the {e} fatherless have been broken.
(e) You have not only not shown pity, but oppressed them.