Job 4:3

Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
instructed	יִסַּ֣רְתָּ yi.Sar.ta	H3256	to chastise · verb, piel perfect, 2nd person masculine singular
many	רַבִּ֑ים ra.Bim	H7227	abundant (in quantity · adjective, masculine plural absolute
strengthened	תְּחַזֵּֽק te.cha.Zek	H2388	to fasten upon · verb, piel imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
weak	רָפ֣וֹת ra.Fot	H7504	slack (in body or mind) · adjective, feminine plural absolute
hands	וְיָדַ֖יִם ve.ya.Da.yim	H3027	a hand (the open one (indicating power · conjunction + noun, common both genders dual absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Job 16:5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.
Proverbs 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Hebrews 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Deuteronomy 3:28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the la…
Luke 22:43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the h…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 4:1-6

In these verses, I. Eliphaz excuses the trouble he is now about to give to Job by his discourse (Job 4:2): "If we assay a word with thee, offer a word of reproof and counsel, wilt thou be grieved and take it ill?" We have reason to fear thou wilt; but there is no remedy: "Who can refrain from words?" Observe, 1. With what modesty he speaks of himself and his own attempt. He will not undertake the management of the cause alone, but very humbly joins his friends with him: "We will commune with thee." Those that plead God's cause must be glad of help, lest it suffer through their weakness. He will not promise much, but begs leave to assay or attempt, and try if he could propose any thing that m…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 4:3

weak hands-- Isa 35:3; Sa2 4:1.

John Gill on Job 4:3

Behold, thou hast instructed many,.... This is introduced with a "behold", either as a note of admiration, that such a man, who had instructed others, should act the part he now does; or as a note of attention to Job himself, and all others that should hear and read this, to observe it, and well consider it, and make the proper use of it; or as a note of asseveration, affirming it to be true and certain, notorious and unquestionable, as no doubt it was: Job was the instructor, a great man, and yet condescended to teach and instruct men in the best things, as did also Abraham, David, Solomon, and others; and a good man, and so fit to teach good things, as every good man is, and who, according…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Job 4:2-5

2 If one attempts a word with thee, will it grieve thee? And still to restrain himself from words, who is able? 3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, And the weak hands thou hast strengthened. 4 The stumbling turned to thy words, And the sinking knees thou hast strengthened. 5 But now it cometh to thee, thou art grieved; Now it toucheth thee, thou despondest. The question with which Eliphaz beings, is certainly one of those in which the tone of interrogation falls on the second of the paratactically connected sentences: Wilt thou, if we speak to thee, feel it unbearable? Similar examples are Job 4:21; Num 16:22; Jer 8:4; and with interrogative Wherefore? Isa 5:4; Isa 50:2 : comp. the similar…

The Church Fathers

"Who will sustain the weight of your words? Eliphaz thinks he is obliged to speak, because he can not endure Job's words.
— Augustine of Hippo, ANNOTATIONS ON THE BOOK OF JOB (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

"See, you have reproached many." Eliphaz shows Job that he has corrected many with his action and has brought them back to a fitting moderation with his advice and warnings. "And you have strengthened the weak hands," that is, since you exhorted others to endure with a strong soul the calamities that befell them, now it is fair that you exercise patience in your own afflictions.
— Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON JOB 4:3

"You have instructed many." The present facts battle with the former opinion. In fact, you supported others after they fell into despair and offered the aid of your hands to those lying down so that they might rise up. Why do you now not follow the stable footsteps of your constancy? Why are you unable to escape from your ruin? The things that you have often taught others should be sufficient for your consolation. These words are spoken either as a consolation through the search for a more virtuous life or as an ironical remark, not because Job had actually helped others but because he had simply believed he was doing so.
— Julian of Eclanum, EXPOSITION ON THE BOOK OF JOB 4:3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Antichrist · 13:6,21,22; — 13:6,21,22;
Doctrines · 13:9; — 13:9;
Doubting · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Unbelief · 5:12-14; — 5:12-14;

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Job 4:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 4:1-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 4:3

John Gill on Job 4:3

Keil & Delitzsch on Job 4:2-5

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Job 4:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 4:1-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 4:3

John Gill on Job 4:3

Keil & Delitzsch on Job 4:2-5

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Job 4:3-4

Rashi on Job 4:3