Job 29:16
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I was a father to the needy, and I took up the case of the stranger.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
After that excellent discourse concerning wisdom in the foregoing chapter Job sat down and paused awhile, not because he had talked himself out of breath, but because he would not, without the leave of the company, engross the talk to himself, but would give room for his friends, if they pleased, to make their remarks on what he had said; but they had nothing to say, and therefore, after he had recollected himself a little, he went on with his discourse concerning his own affairs, as recorded in this and the two following chapters, in which, I. He describes the height of the prosperity from which he had fallen. And, II. The depth of the adversity into which he had fallen; and this he does to move the pity of his friends, and to justify, or at least excuse, his own complaints. But then, III. To obviate his friends' censures of him, he makes a very ample and particular protestation of his own integrity notwithstanding. In this chapter he looks back to the days of his prosperity, and shows, 1. What comfort and satisfaction he had in his house and family (Job 29:1-6). 2. What a great deal of honour and power he had in his country, and what respect was paid him by all sorts of people (Job 29:7-10). 3. What abundance of good he did in his place, as a magistrate (Job 29:11-17). 4. What a just prospect he had of the continuance of his comfort at home (Job 29:18-20) and of his interest abroad (Job 29:21-25). All this he enlarges upon, to aggravate his present calamities; like Naomi, "I went out full," but am brought "home again empty."
Open source ↗29:16 Job actively searched out and assisted strangers who needed help.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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The righteous consider the cause of the poor, but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.
though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—
And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.
They push the needy off the road and force all the poor of the land into hiding.
then you must inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. And if it is established with certainty that this abomination has been committed among you,
And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.