King James Version
Job 31:16 in the King James Version says “If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;” — study this verse from Job chapter 31 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.
“If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;”
Job 31:16 · KJV
What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? did not one: or, did he not fashion us in one womb?
If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;
Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb;) her: that is, the widow
KJV Study — Public Domain
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
“from their desire”
H2656pleasure; hence (abstractly) desire; concretely, a valuable thing; hence (by extension) a matter (as something in mind)
“or have caused the eyes”
H5869an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
“to fail”
H3615to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)
This verse is found in the book of Job. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Job 31:16 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Verses related to Job 31:16 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge