Job 29

Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,

Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;

When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;

As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;

When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;

When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!

The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.

The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.

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 widow’s 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.

And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.

Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.

My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.

My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.

Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.

After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.

And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.

If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.

I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.

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Job 29:11

“When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:”

Study Summary

When the ear heard, it called me blessed, and when the eye saw, it approved of me, describing how sensory exposure to Job—being near him (ear heard) or seeing him (eye saw)—resulted in favorable judgment. The calling of blessedness by those who heard of Job suggests that his reputation preceded him and hearing about him brought positive assessment. The approval by those who saw him suggests that visual perception confirmed the favorable judgment hearing had created. The verse establishes that Job was a subject of public blessing and approbation.

Community Reflections

Amara Osei (test user)7h ago

Trusting God's timing — Job 29

God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. Reading the Psalms alongside this gives a fuller picture of what the author was experiencing — both the anguish and the hope.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. The Hebrew word used here carries a richness that English can't fully capture. Following God is costly, but the reward is eternal.. The early church would have heard this very differently than we…

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