Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 29:11
When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me:
11. This verse may read,
For the ear that heard of me blessed me,
And the eye that saw me gave witness to me.
Those who had only heard of him by report “blessed” him, that is, “called him happy,” as one whom blessing and prosperity must follow because of his benevolence and mercy to the needy; and they who saw him as he lived among men bore testimony to his goodness as Job 29:12 indicates.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
11 17. The ground of this universal reverence Job’s benevolent care of the poor and his strict justice to their cause.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
When the ear heard me. – A personification for they who heard me speak, blessed me. That is, they commended or praised me.
And when the eye saw me – All who saw me.
It gave witness to me – That is, the fixed attention to what he said and the admiration which was shown by the eyes of the multitudes, were witnesses of the respect and honor in which he was held. Gray has a beautiful expression similar to this when he says,
He reads his history in a nations eyes.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
It blessed me, i.e. pronounced me to be a man blessed of God with eminent gifts and graces; or heartily prayed for Gods blessing upon me, because of that wisdom and integrity which they saw in all my actions, and of the satisfaction which I gave to all, and the relief which I gave to the oppressed, by my righteous and equitable decrees in all causes which were brought before me.
When the eye saw me, it gave witness to me; when my appearance gave them occasion to speak of me, they gave testimony to my pious, and just, and blameless conversation. So far was I from being, or being thought to be, guilty of those crimes wherewith you charge me; of which see Job 22:9.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. blessedextolled myvirtues (Pr 31:28). Omit “me”after “heard”; whoever heard of me (in general, notin the market place, Job29:7-10) praised me.
gave witnessto myhonorable character. Image from a court of justice (Lu4:22).
the eyethat is, “faceto face”; antithesis to
earthat is, report ofme.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me,…. The ear of the common people assembled together to hear causes tried, and how they would go; when they heard Job give his opinion in court, or the definitive sentence passed by him as a judge, they all applauded his wisdom and justice; they highly praised and commended him; in which sense the word “blessed” is used, Pr 31:28; or they wished a blessing on him; they prayed for his welfare, as it becomes people to do for those that are in authority, especially wise and faithful magistrates; or they accounted him a blessed man, and called him so, Lu 1:48; as he was, both in a temporal sense, being blessed with a great plenty of earthly things, and also blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, with an abundance of grace, and with a title to eternal glory; as well as he was blessed as a magistrate, with great wisdom, and with great integrity and uprightness in the discharge of his office:
and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me: of his gracefulness and gravity, of his honesty and faithfulness, of his good behaviour among his neighbours, and of his wise conduct in the courts of judicature.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11 For an ear heard, and called me happy;
And an eye saw, and bear witness to me:
12 For I rescued the sufferer who cried for help,
And the orphan, and him that had no helper.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart rejoice.
14 I put on justice, and it put me on;
As a robe and turban was my integrity.
Thus imposing was the impression of his personal appearance wherever he appeared; for ( explic.) the fulness of the blessing of the possession of power and of prosperity which he enjoyed was so extraordinary, that one had only to hear of it to call him happy, and that, especially if any one saw it with his own eyes, he was obliged to bear laudatory testimony to him. The futt. consec. affirm what was the inevitable consequence of hearing and seeing; , seq. acc., is used like in the signification of laudatory recognition. The expression is not brachylogical for (vid., on Job 31:18); for from 1Ki 21:10, 1Ki 21:13, we perceive that with the acc. of the person signifies to make any one the subject of assertion, whether he be lower or higher in rank (comp. the New Testament word, especially in Luke, ). It was, however, not merely the outward manifestation of his unusual prosperity which called forth such admiration, but his active benevolence united with the abundant resources at his command. For where there was a sufferer who cried for help he, relieved him, especially orphans and those who had no helper. is either a new third object, or a closer definition of what precedes: the orphan and (in this state of orphanhood) helpless one. The latter is more probable both here and in the Salomonic primary passage, Psa 72:12; in the other case might be expected.
Job 29:13 The blessing ( with closely closed penult.) of those who stood on the brink of destruction ( , interiturus , as Job 31:19; Pro 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 ( causative, as Psa 65:9). For the primary attribute, the fundamental character of his way of thinking and acting, was , a holding fast to the will of God, which before everything else calls for sympathizing love (root , Arab. sdq , to be hard, firm, stiff, e.g., rumh – un sadq – un , according to the Kamus: a hard, firm, straight spear), and , judgment and decision in favour of right and equity against wrong and injustice. Righteousness is here called the garment which he put on (as Psa 132:9, comp. Isa 11:5; Isa 59:17), and right is the robe and turban with which he adorns himself (comp. Isa 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 (corresponding to the thob , i.e., garment, indusium , of the nomads) which is worn on the naked body, justice to the , 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 aba ). The lxx, Jer., Syr., and Arab. wrongly refer to of the second half of the verse, while, on the contrary, it is said of , per antanaclasin , that Job put this on, and this in turn put Job on, induit ; for , 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 Jdg 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.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
b. The cause of his honored position was benevolence and righteousness (Job. 29:11-17)
TEXT 29:1117
11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;
And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried,
The fatherless also, that had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me;
And I caused the widows heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:
My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind,
And feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy:
And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.
17 And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous,
And plucked the prey out of his teeth.
COMMENT 29:1117
Job. 29:11Jobs righteousness has been vindicated by both his eyes and ears. When his hearers heard of his deeds, they praised him. Their eyes saw his impeccable conduct and also gave witness to his righteousnessGen. 30:13; Pro. 31:28; Psa. 72:17. The verb called me blessed (literally pronounced me happy) suggests that Job was not only blessed but that he deserved the blessings from God. All of the evidence bore witness to me, Job declares. Men declared their approval of him.
Job. 29:12Jobs words stand in radical tension with what Eliphaz had said in Job. 22:6 ff. Job had graciously helped the poor[298] and the fatherless as in Job. 24:9.
[298] See my analysis of the poor in light of world-wide Christian witness today in my The Word of God for a Broken World, LCC, 1977.
Job. 29:13Ministering to those in despair evokes their blessings upon Job. Here Job speaks of high tribute and rich satisfaction for his benevolence. The verb rendered to sing for joy means to raise a ringing cry of either grief or joy. Here the context demands joy.
Job. 29:14Job wore his righteousness as a robe, which was publicly visible to allPsa. 132:9; Isa. 59:17. He was so immersed in just acts that it put on me, i.e., clothed him as a garment. Likewise shame can be worn as a garmentJob. 8:22 and Psa. 132:18.
Job. 29:15The social significance of Jobs piety is here described in a beautiful fashion. He was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
Job. 29:16As a father who provided for his family, Job expresses his godly natureIsa. 22:21; 1Co. 4:15. The poor were utterly helpless before the law. Job undertook the task of securing legal justice for the poor. He fed them, protected, and provided in general for their personal and social welfare. Few would even do such a thing for those with whom they were acquainted. Job sought out those who needed help, even when he did not know them personally. He acted selflessly, not as a tyrant, as he was chargedRom. 3:1 ff. So God in Christ sought us out of our darkness. Christ alone is the answer to Jobs cries and our needs.
Job. 29:17The word rendered jaws as in A. V. literally means fangs or gnawing teeth, not jaws. The oppressive wicked are compared to a wild animal; when his fangs are broken off, its aggressive power is destroyed. Job rescued the poor from their ruthless oppressors, but he also destroyed the power of the aggressor. He rescued them out of the mouth of ruthless animals.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(11) When the ear heard me, then it blessed me.This is a direct negative to the charges of Eliphaz in Job. 22:6, &c. He has felt them too deeply to pass them by in total silence.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Second strophe This prosperity rested on the solid basis is of benevolence, philanthropy, and righteousness, which had become habitual with him, as if incorporated into his very nature, Job 29:11-17.
11. It blessed me His character, as a public functionary, not only commanded the reverence of the aged and the great, but the esteem and affection of all. The friend of God is the friend of man.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
DISCOURSE: 479
JOBS CHARACTER
Job 29:11-16. 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 sing 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.
TO boast of ones own goodness is a sure mark of vanity and folly: of vanity, because it betrays an undue desire of mans applause; and of folly, because it defeats its own end, and injures the reputation which it is intended to exalt. Nevertheless there are occasions on which we may, without any impropriety, declare facts, notwithstanding the mention of them does tend to proclaim our own praise. If, for instance, we have been calumniated, we may vindicate ourselves; and, if false charges have been adduced against us, we may refute them, by a candid and explicit statement of the truth. It was in this way that Job was led to speak of himself as he does in the passage before us. His friends had not only concluded from his extraordinary sufferings that he must have been peculiarly wicked, but they had undertaken even to specify crimes of which he had been guilty, and for which this afflictive dispensation had been sent [Note: Job 22:5-10.]. It was in answer to these unfounded charges that he delivered, what appears like an eulogium upon himself, but what was indeed nothing more than an appeal to facts for the establishment of his own innocence.
To us it is a singular benefit that such a statement was ever made; because it shews us, not only what our character ought to be, but what has actually been attained.
In order to make a suitable improvement of the passage, we propose to shew,
I.
The excellence of this character
From the particulars which are here enumerated we may distinctly notice,
1.
The character itself
[The first thing that attracts our notice is, Jobs diffusive benevolence. Misery, wherever it could be found, was the object of his tender compassion and assiduous regard: and the greater that misery was, the more imperious did he consider his call to relieve it. Were they poor, or blind, or lame, or widows, or fatherless, or friendless, he felt as a father towards them, and laboured to supply their every want. In the exercise of that benevolence he shewed the most active zeal. He did not stay till his interposition was sought for: but went to the most frequented parts of the city, and prepared his seat in the street [Note: ver. 7.], in order that all might have me readiest access to him, and be encouraged to spread their wants before him. Cases of considerable difficulty often occurred; but he spared no pains to inform himself of whatever might throw light upon the question, and to search to the bottom the truth or falsehood of every assertion, the force or nullity of every claim. No labour was accounted great, when it might tend to the relief of trouble or the confirmation of right. To this he added unblemished integrity. Nothing could for a moment bias his judgment, or induce him to swerve from the path of equity. It sometimes happened that he had to deal with powerful oppressors; but he was unawed by power, as well as unmoved by wealth: yea, the more power he found on the side of injustice, the more determinately he set himself to reduce it within its proper bounds: he brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth: and the effecting of this he accounted more honourable than any ornaments, either of magisterial robes, or of an imperial diadem [Note: ver. 14.].]
2.
The excellence of it
[See what was thought of it by all who beheld it in Job: When the car heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me. And we ask, Where is the man in the whole universe that must not admire it? What part of it is there that is not worthy of our imitation? That such a character will not be censured, we by no means affirm: but no man will censure benevolence, or zeal, or integrity, as such; they must first put a wrong construction upon it, before they will venture to utter one word against it.
From viewing it in itself, let us contemplate it in its aspect on society. What incalculable good must not arise from it! See but a single magistrate possessed of wisdom, of integrity, of power: see him laying out all his time, his strength, his influence in the composing of differences and in the relieving of every species of distress: see him doing this with disinterested zeal and unwearied diligence: will not such an one be esteemed as the father of the poor? and will he not make many a widows heart to sing for joy? See a minister of such a description, devoting himself with equal zeal to the administering of temporal comforts to the poor, and superadding a similar attention to their spiritual necessities: to how many will he be made a source of good, becoming eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame! Surely in many instances the blessing of him that was ready to perish will come on such a minister, and the eyes and ears of multitudes will bear witness to him. The same is equally true of all that are in private life, according to the extent of their sphere and the steadiness of their exertions. And if once such were to become the general character of society, it would go far to banish evil, moral as well as temporal, from the world.]
The excellence of this character being established, we will proceed to mark,
II.
The importance of cultivating it in ourselves, and of encouraging it in others
1.
Of cultivating it in ourselves
[Were there nothing more than the acquiring of such intrinsic worth, and the being so assimilated to Jesus, who went about doing good, it were most desirable that we should be imitators of this holy man. But a resemblance to him is not merely desirable; it is necessary; for by our conformity to his character we must judge of our state before God; and by it we shall be judged in the last day.
The highest attainments, whether of knowledge or of faith, are nothing in Gods estimation, without an active, constant, self-denying exercise of love [Note: 1Co 13:1-3.]. This is the test by which we are to try our religion. We are told expressly, that pure and undefiled religion is, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction [Note: Jam 1:27.]: and that by bearing one anothers burthens we fulfil the law of Christ [Note: Gal 6:2.]. Without this, our faith is no better than the faith of devils [Note: Jam 2:14-19.], and all our professions of love to God are mere hypocrisy. God himself repeatedly appeals to us on this very subject, as though he were willing to abide by the testimony of our own consciences [Note: 1Jn 3:17; 1Jn 4:20.]. To have any just evidence therefore that we belong to Christ, we must tread in the steps of holy Job. This is the rule prescribed by that loving and beloved disciple, John: My little children, let us love, not in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth: for hereby know we that we are of the truth; and shall assure our hearts before him [Note: 1Jn 3:18-19.]. These are the things that accompany salvation [Note: Heb 6:9-10.]; and by abounding in them we shall obtain a full assurance of hope [Note: Heb 6:11.], and an abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord [Note: 2Pe 1:7; 2Pe 1:10-11.].
But these habits are also necessary, because by our proficiency in them we shall be judged in the last day. Who can read the account of the day of judgment as given us by Christ himself, and not wish that he had cultivated more the dispositions of Job? Who that lives for himself, does not see cause to tremble? Let us deeply consider and diligently weigh the declarations of Christ [Note: Mat 25:34-36; Mat 25:41-43.], and we shall need no further arguments to prove the importance of cultivating love ]
2.
Of encouraging it in others
[It is thought by many, that it is better to distribute their alms themselves, than to do good through the medium of others. We grant that all may find proper objects of charity within their own immediate neighbourhood; and that, if every one would exert himself within his own circle, there would be little comparative need of persons to dispense our alms for us. But we know that some want time, some inclination, some ability, to seek out the poor, and to impart to them spiritual instruction with temporal relief. Though therefore we certainly admit that it is well to reserve a portion of our alms for our own personal distribution, yet we cannot but say that it is of peculiar importance to encourage the activity of others; for by that, more extensive good is donemore grace is called forth into exerciseand more honour is brought to religion.
More extensive good is done.Numberless are the cases wherein the poor require more assistance than it would be possible for an individual to afford them. It is on this account that hospitals and other public charities have been so universally established. For the same reason a society for relieving the poor must be of the greatest utility, because that can be done out of a public fund which cannot be done out of a private purse. Moreover, where persons who have some degree of leisure and ability devote themselves to the various offices of charity, it must be supposed that they will acquire a greater fitness for the work, and consequently will perform it to more advantage. Besides, many, however fit for the work, and well disposed towards it, have not time to spare; and consequently much good must be left undone, if those who have time be not encouraged and enabled to improve it in this way.
More grace also is called forth into exercise.We will suppose that in either case the same degree of grace is exercised both by the donor and the receiver of the alms: still the employing of the services of others has greatly the advantage; because it calls forth their graces, and strengthens in them a habit of benevolence. Methinks, it is like the training of soldiers for war; which gives them a martial spirit, and renders them more efficient in their work. Many there are, possessed of wisdom and piety, who yet, on account of the narrowness of their own circumstances, are unable to visit the poor; because they cannot shew their sympathy in such a way as to render it acceptable to the poor themselves. But, if they be employed as the dispensers of the charity of others, they have scope for all the finer feelings of their souls, and are enabled to rejoice with them that rejoice, as well as to weep with them that weep.
We may add further, that more honour also is brought to religion.It is said by the enemies of the Gospel, that the doctrine of salvation by faith alone leads to a neglect and contempt of good works. But, with Job, we will appeal to facts: Who are they that most abound in good works; those who talk about them, and profess to make them the ground of their hopes? or those who build all their hopes of salvation on Christ alone? Amongst which of these two classes shall we find those, who, not having funds of their own, are willing to become the almoners of others, that they may exert themselves with more effect in every office of love both to the bodies and the souls of men? The matter is too notorious to admit a doubt. And does not this tend to the honour of religion? and do not they consult the interests of religion, who encourage such societies? Yes: and our answer to all who decry our faith is, Outdo us in good works [Note: Here the excellence of any particular charity may be stated, with a suitable exhortation to support it.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Job 29:11 When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me:
Ver. 11. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me ] That is, it praised me, and praised God for me, as for a common blessing; so weighty were my words, and so just my sentence, not unlike that of the Areopagites, in Athens, which was so upright, that none could ever say that he was unjustly condemned by them; but both parties, as well those that were cast as they that cast them, were alike contented, H .
And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the ear: Job 31:20, Pro 29:2, Luk 4:22, Luk 11:27
Reciprocal: Deu 1:17 – ye shall hear Deu 24:13 – deliver Deu 24:17 – pervert 2Sa 14:22 – thanked Job 32:1 – righteous Pro 28:12 – righteous Pro 29:14 – king Mat 25:17 – he also 1Co 12:21 – General 1Th 2:10 – how
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 29:11-12. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me Prayed to God to bless me, and pronounced a blessing upon me, because of the integrity, justice, and wisdom which were observed in all my discourses and actions, and of the satisfaction which I gave to all; as well as on account of the relief which I afforded to the oppressed, by my equitable decrees in all causes which were brought before me. When the eye saw me it gave witness to me Gave testimony to my pious, and just, and blameless conversation. Because I delivered the poor From his potent oppressor. Men did not honour me for my great wealth or power, but for my impartial justice and pity to the afflicted, and courage in maintaining their cause and right against their mighty adversaries. The fatherless, and him that had none to help him None would own or help them, partly because they were poor, and unable to recompense them for it, and partly because their enemies were great, and likely to crush both them and their helpers; which made Jobs virtue more remarkable.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
29:11 When the {g} ear heard [me], then it blessed me; and when the eye saw [me], it gave witness to me:
(g) All that heard me, praised me.