“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him

  • KJV King James Version

    If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or exulted when evil found him —

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Cross-references (8)

Passages linked to Job 31:29 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Proverbs 24:17-18 Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls. Don’t let your heart be glad when he is overthrown, lest Yahweh see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
  • Proverbs 17:5 Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
  • Psalms 35:13-14 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting. My prayer returned into my own bosom. I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother. I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.
  • Obadiah 1:12 But don’t look down on your brother in the day of his disaster, and don’t rejoice over the children of Judah in the day of their destruction. Don’t speak proudly in the day of distress.
  • Psalms 35:25-26 Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!” Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.
  • 2 Samuel 1:12 They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they had fallen by the sword.
  • 2 Samuel 4:10-11 when someone told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ thinking that he brought good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed, should I not now require his blood from your hand, and rid the earth of you?”
  • 2 Samuel 16:5-8 When king David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of Saul’s house came out, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out and cursed as he came. He cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow! Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!”

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

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Explain this verse (15 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Job 31:29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of…

Job 31:29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:

Ver. 29. If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me] If I rejoiced at his ruin or fed my thoughts with his fall. Flesh and blood would have taught him so to do; there being nothing more natural to us than revenge; as we see in little ones. Heathens commended it for manhood (Arist. Rhet. c. i. lib. 9), and held it out as sweeter than life itself.

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At vindicta bonum vita iucundius ipsa.

Howbeit some heathens professed against it, as Seneca, Immane verbum est ultio, saith he; Revenge is unmanly, both word and thing. And, Qui ulciscitur excusatius peccat He that avengeth himself sinneth, though he hath some colour for his sin. Socrates is famous for forgiving of injuries; and Julius Caesar, when he had Pompey’s head presented to him, wept, and said, I sought not revenge, but victory, Non mihi placet vindicta, sed victoria. Both law and gospel forbids revenge; and Job, who lived before both, obeyed both; as here appeareth. Enemies he had, but he hated them not. That of Solomon was his practice, "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth," &c., Pro 24:17-18. {See Trapp on "Pro 24:17"} {See Trapp on "Pro 24:18"}

Or lifted up myself when evil found him] Sin will find men out, sooner or later; Nemesis semper a tergo; and they called her Aδραστεια, because unavoidable. Men may shuffle from side to side, as Balaam’s ass did; but there is no escaping this punishing angel. God will pursue wicked men to destroy them, till such time as they throw the traitor’s head over the wall. Now, good Job had put over his enemies to God, that he might order them (which also he did), and therein did himself no disservice. But how did Job deport himself toward them in this case? Did he lift up himself and insult? Did he bestir himself, as Broughton here elegantly translateth, and was he well paid? Nothing less.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain I was so far from malice and revenging myself…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain If the men of my tabernacle,.... Either his friends,…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Lift up - Hebrew. stirred up myself to rejoice…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 29. If I rejoiced] I did not avenge…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Job 31:29-30. If I rejoiced, &c. — I was…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Rejoiced. Hebrew, "lifted up myself." Septuagint, "said in my…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain lifted up myself--in malicious triumph (Pro 17:5; Pro 24:17;…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 29. Rejoiced at the destruction, etc. — Rejoicing in…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 29. at the destruction] Or, at the misfortune, ch.…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (29) If I rejoiced at the destruction.—He now proceeds…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that…
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 31:29-30 rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies: See Prov…

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