Job 22:29

29 To those who feel low you'll say, 'Chin up! Be brave!' and God will save them.

Job 22:29 Meaning and Commentary

Job 22:29

When [men] are cast down
Wicked men are brought down from a state of prosperity to a state of adversity, are in low circumstances, great straits and difficulties:

then thou shall say, [there is] lifting up;
that is, for himself and his; when others are in adversity, he should be in prosperity; when others are cast down into a very low estate and distressed condition, he should be exalted to a very high estate, and be in affluent circumstances, see ( Psalms 147:6 ) ; or else the sense is, when thou and thine, and what belong to thee, are humbled and brought low, then thou mayest promise thyself a restoration and change for the better; and boldly say, they will be lifted up, and raised up again, since God's usual method is to exalt the humble, and to abase the proud, ( Luke 14:11 ) ; or rather, this may respect the benefit and advantage that humble persons wound gain by Job, and his prayers for them, and may be rendered and interpreted thus: "when they have humbled" F17 themselves, and bowed themselves low at thy feet, and especially before God, "then thou shall say", pray unto God for them, that "there [may be a] lifting up", raising them up out of their low estate, and thou shall be heard:

and he shall save the humble person;
that is, "low of eyes" F18, humble in his eyes; who is so pressed with troubles and distress, that he hangs down his head, looks upon the ground, and will not lift up his eyes, but is of a dejected countenance; or that is low in his own eyes, has humble thoughts of himself, esteems others better than himself, and lies low before God under a sense of his sinfulness and unworthiness, and casts himself entirely upon the grace and mercy of God; such an one he saves, in a spiritual sense, out of his troubles and afflictions; he does not forget the cry of such humble ones, but remembers them, and grants their desires: and he saves the lowly and humble with a spiritual and eternal salvation; gives more grace unto them, and outfits them for glory, and at last gives glory itself; raises them on high to sit among princes, and to inherit the throne of glory; the meek shall inherit the earth, the new heavens and earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, ( James 4:6 ) ( Matthew 5:5 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F17 (wlypvh yk) "quum humiliaverint", Montanus, Cocceius, Michaelis.
F18 (Mynye xv) "demissum oculis", Montanus, Beza, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "humilem oculis", Vatablus.

Job 22:29 In-Context

27 You'll pray to him and he'll listen; he'll help you do what you've promised.
28 You'll decide what you want and it will happen; your life will be bathed in light.
29 To those who feel low you'll say, 'Chin up! Be brave!' and God will save them.
30 Yes, even the guilty will escape, escape through God's grace in your life."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.