Job 29:11
in Job 29For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:
KJV
When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
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This verse in Job 29
Commentary
10 notes on this verseThe ear hearing me, blessed me; and the eye seeing, gave witness to me. [HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION] Whereas blessed Job avouches himself to be 'blessed by those that heard him,' and to 'have witness given to him by those that saw him,' what he was in speech and what in practice, we have shewn us. For neither is he henceforth perfect in practice, whom wickedness of the tongue still withstands, or praiseworthy in speech who does not exhibit in practice the thing that he utters.
This site's exposition
those who heard me called me blessed
on Job 29:11-13
Two witnesses praise Job for rescuing “the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper”. Henry notes that these are the very sufferers Eliphaz had accused Job of sending away empty in 22:9.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
In order to explain why they proclaimed him to be blessed, he mentions his good works. "I have saved," he says, "the poor from the hand of the powerful," but it is after attributing to God the merit of protecting and watching him that "he is glorified in the Lord."
The Medieval Church1 voice
Since men of such stern authority are usually feared rather than loved by the people, he shows that the people loved him. Since the mark of the magnanimous man is that he can guard his authority toward the great and yet stoop to the lesser …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Darkness - I passed safely through many difficulties, and dangers, and common calamities. Seat - When I caused the seat of justice to be set for me. By this, and several other expressions, it appears that Job was a magistrate.
Many a good word they said of him, and many a good prayer they put up for him. He did not think it an honour to make every body fear him ( Oderint dum metuant--Let them hate, provided they also fear ) nor to be arbitrary, and to have his own will and way, not caring what people said of him; but, like Mordecai, to be accepted of the multitude of his brethren, Esth. x.
When the ear heard me, then it blessed me,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
blessed--extolled my virtues (Pr 31:28). Omit "me" after "heard"; whoever heard of me (in general, not in the market place, Job 29:7-10) praised me. gave witness--to my honorable character. Image from a court of justice (Lu 4:22). the eye--that is, "face to face"; antithesis to ear--that is, report of me.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
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.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
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 nation’s eyes.”
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֹ֣זֶן | ʾozen | an ear | H241 → | 187 times |
| שָׁ֭מְעָה | shamah | it heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| וַֽתְּאַשְּׁרֵ֑נִי | vateashereni | and it called blessed me | H833 → | |
| וְעַ֥יִן | veayin | and an eye | H5869 → | 887 times |
| רָ֝אֲתָ֗ה | raatah | it saw | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| וַתְּעִידֵֽנִי׃ | vateideni | and it bore witness to me | H5749 → |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֹ֣זֶןan ear
ʾozenH241 →187 times
שָׁ֭מְעָהit heard
shamahH8085 →1159 times
וַֽתְּאַשְּׁרֵ֑נִיand it called blessed me
vateashereniH833 →
וְעַ֥יִןand an eye
veayinH5869 →887 times
רָ֝אֲתָ֗הit saw
raatahH7200 →1300 times
וַתְּעִידֵֽנִי׃and it bore witness to me
vateideniH5749 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 29:2When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:12
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.
- Proverbs 11:10
When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
- Proverbs 28:28
When the wicked come to power, people hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous flourish.
- Esther 8:15
Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted…
- Ecclesiastes 10:5
There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:
- Proverbs 28:12
Through
Luke 4:22All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
it leads to
- Matthew 13:54–56
Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.
- Psalms 45:2
You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.
- Acts 6:10
but they could not stand up to his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.
- Matthew 13:54–56
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Job
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XIX; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON JOB 29:10-12; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.