Job 6:14
in Job 6A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend; Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
KJV
To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
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This verse in Job 6
Commentary
9 notes on this verseTo him that is afflicted pity should be showed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty - The Vulgate gives a better sense, Qui tollit ab amico suo misericordiam, timorem Domini dereliquit, “He who takes away mercy from his friend, hath cast off the fear of the Lord.” The word למס lammas, which we render to him who is Afflicted, from מסה masah, to dissolve, or waste away, is in thirty-two of Dr. Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS. למאס lemoes, “to him that despiseth his friend;” and hence the passage may be read: To him who despiseth his friend, it is a reproach; and he will forsake the fear of the Almighty: or, as Mr. Good translates, “Shame to the man who despiseth his friend!
This site's exposition
A despairing man should have the kindness
Job states the book's ethic: "A despairing man should have the kindness of his friend, even if he forsakes the fear of the Almighty". The book gives its clearest statement on comfort to the sufferer himself, and to none of his friends.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
To show they are blameworthy for this, he continues, "He takes away mercy from a neighbor," namely in the time of sorrow, "forsakes the fear of the Lord," that is, the reverence due to God, because of whom and in whom one loves his neighbor. …
Whoso taketh away pity from his friend, forsaketh the fear of the Lord. Who else is here denoted by the name of a friend, saving every neighbour, who is united to us in a faithful attachment in proportion as, having received from us good service in this present time, he effectually aids us toward attaining hereafter the eternal country?
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): " To him that is afflicted, and that is wasting and melting under his affliction, pity should be shown from his friend; and he that does not show that pity forsakes the fear of the Almighty. " Note, 1. Compassion is a debt owing to those that are in affliction.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me. 5 Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder? 6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
To him that is afflicted pity should be showed from his friend,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Charity is the love which judges indulgently of our fellow men: it is put on a par with truth in Pr 3:3, for they together form the essence of moral perfection [UMBREIT]. It is the spirit of Christianity (1Pe 4:8;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
To him that is afflicted - Margin, “melteth.” The word here used (מס mâs) is from מסס mâsas, to melt, flow down, waste away, and here means one who pines away, or is consumed under calamities. The design of this verse is, to reprove his friends for the little sympathy which they had shown for him. He had looked for consolation in his trials, and he had a right to expect it; but he says that he had met with just the opposite, and that his calamity was aggravated by the fact that they had dealt only in the language of severity. Pity should be showed from his friend - Good renders this, “shame to the man who despiseth his friend.” A great variety of interpretations have been proposed of the passage, but our translation has probably expressed the true sense. If there is any place where kindness should be shown, it is when a man is sinking under accumulated sorrows to the grave. But he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty - This may be either understood as referring to the language which Job says they had used of him - charging him with forsaking the fear of God, instead of consoling him; or it may mean that they had forsaken the fear of God in reproaching him, and in failing to comfort him; or it may mean that if such kindness were not shown to a friend in trial, he would be left to cast off the fear of God. This last interpretation is adopted by Noyes. Good supposes that it is designed to be a severe reproach of Eliphaz, for the course which he had pursued. It seems to me that this is probably the correct interpretation, and that the particle ו (v) here is used in an adversative sense, meaning that while it was an obvious dictate of piety to show kindness to a friend, Eliphaz had forgotten this obligation, and had indulged himself in a strain of remark which could not have been prompted by true religion. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Have I no help This is an expression of wonder. Will this too come upon me, that I have no help? Those friends that I had to help me are not helping me.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לַמָּ֣ס | lamas | [belongs] to <the> despairing [person] | H4523 → | |
| מֵרֵעֵ֣הוּ | mereehu | from friend his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| חָ֑סֶד | chased | loyalty | H2617 → | 247 times |
| וְיִרְאַ֖ת | veyirat | and [the] fear of | H3374 → | 45 times |
| שַׁדַּ֣י | shadai | [the] Almighty | H7706 → | 48 times |
| יַעֲזֽוֹב׃ | yaazov | he will forsake | H5800 → | 215 times |
לַמָּ֣ס[belongs] to <the> despairing [person]
lamasH4523 →
מֵרֵעֵ֣הוּfrom friend his
mereehuH7453 →188 times
חָ֑סֶדloyalty
chasedH2617 →247 times
וְיִרְאַ֖תand [the] fear of
veyiratH3374 →45 times
שַׁדַּ֣י[the] Almighty
shadaiH7706 →48 times
יַעֲזֽוֹב׃he will forsake
yaazovH5800 →215 times
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
Galatians 6:2Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
it leads to
- Romans 15:1
We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14
And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
- John 13:34
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.
- 1 John 4:21
And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.
- John 15:12
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
- Romans 15:1
Through
Romans 12:15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 12:26
If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
- Hebrews 13:3
Remember those in prison as if you were bound with them, and those who are mistreated as if you were suffering with them.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 12:26
Through
Proverbs 17:17A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
it leads to
- Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
- Proverbs 18:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Job
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 VII; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.