Job 22:29

When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(29) There is lifting up.—This may be its meaning, but some understand it in a bad sense: “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, It was pride that caused their fall.”

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

22:21-30 The answer of Eliphaz wrongly implied that Job had hitherto not known God, and that prosperity in this life would follow his sincere conversion. The counsel Eliphaz here gives is good, though, as to Job, it was built upon a false supposition that he was a stranger and enemy to God. Let us beware of slandering our brethren; and if it be our lot to suffer in this manner, let us remember how Job was treated; yea, how Jesus was reviled, that we may be patient. Let us examine whether there may not be some colour for the slander, and walk watchfully, so as to be clear of all appearances of evil.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When men are cast down - The meaning of this is, probably, when people are usually cast down, or in the times of trial and calamity, which prostrate others, you shall find support. You shall then be enabled to say, "there is lifting up, or there is support." Or, more probably still, it may mean, "in times when others are cast down and afflicted, thou shalt be able to raise them up, or to aid them. Thou shalt be able to go to them and say, 'Be of good cheer. Do not be cast down. There is consolation.' And thou shalt be able to procure important blessings for them by thy counsels and prayers;" see the notes at Job 22:30.

And he shall save the humble person - That is, either, "Thou shalt save the humble person," by a change from the second person to the third, which is not uncommon in Hebrew; or, "thou shalt be able from thine own experience to say, "He," that is, "God," will save the humble person, or the one that is cast down." Margin, "him that hath low eyes." The Hebrew is like the margin. In affliction the eyes are cast upon the ground; and so, also, a casting the eyes to the ground is indicative of dejection, of humility, or of modesty. It refers here to one who experiences trials; and Eliphaz says that Job would be able to save such an one; that is, to support him in his afflictions, and furnish the helps necessary to restore him again to comfort.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

29. Rather, When (thy ways; from Job 22:28) are cast down (for a time), thou shalt (soon again have joyful cause to) say, There is lifting up (prosperity returns back to me) [Maurer].

he—God.

humble—Hebrew, "him that is of low eyes." Eliphaz implies that Job is not so now in his affliction; therefore it continues: with this he contrasts the blessed effect of being humble under it (Jas 4:6; 1Pe 5:5 probably quote this passage). Therefore it is better, I think, to take the first clause as referred to by "God resisteth the proud." When (men) are cast down, thou shalt say (behold the effects of) pride. Eliphaz hereby justifies himself for attributing Job's calamities to his pride. "Giveth grace to the humble," answers to the second clause.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

When men are cast down, Heb. When they (i.e. they who do this work. It is an indefinite and impersonal speech, which is very common in the Hebrew language) shall cast down or overthrow; either,

1. Proud and wicked men, as may be guessed by the opposition of the humble and innocent, who should be saved, whilst these were destroyed. So the sense is, When there shall come a general calamity, which shall sweep away all the wicked round about them. Or,

2. Thee, or thine; which pronoun is oft understood. So the sense is, When through God’s permission thou shalt be brought into some trouble, which God sees fit for thee.

Thou shalt say within thyself, with good assurance and confidence.

There is lifting up; or, There shall be lifting up, either,

1. For them; if they repent and humble themselves, they shall be preserved or restored. And this thou wilt assure them of from thy own experience. Or,

2. For thee and thine; God will deliver thee, when others are crushed and destroyed. And; or, for; this particle being oft put causally, as hath been formerly noted. So the following words contain a reason why he might confidently say, that there would be such a lifting up for a person so humbled.

He, i.e. God, unto whom only salvation belongeth, Psalm 3:8.

Shall save; either,

1. Eternally; or,

2. Temporally, to wit, from the evils here mentioned.

The humble person, Heb. him that hath low or cast-down eyes; which phrase may here note, either,

1. Humility and lowliness of mind and disposition, as pride is oft expressed by high or lofty looks, as Psalm 18:27 101:5 131:1 Proverbs 6:17. And so this is a tacit admonition and reproof for Job, whom for his confident justification of himself, and his contemptuous expressions and censures concerning them, they judged to Job guilty of intolerable pride of heart. Or,

2. Lowness of estate or condition, as Jam 1:10. So it notes him whose eyes and countenance are dejected by reason of his great troubles and miseries; as, on the contrary, prosperity makes persons lift up their eyes and faces.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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 Psalm 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" (q) 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" (r), 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.

(q) "quum humiliaverint", Montanus, Cocceius, Michaelis. (r) "demissum oculis", Montanus, Beza, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "humilem oculis", Vatablus.

Geneva Study Bible

{u} When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

(u) God will deliver his when the wicked are destroyed round about them, as in the flood and in Sodom.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

29. When men are cast down] The words must mean either: when they (i. e. thy ways, Job 22:28) go downwards, when decline or misfortune befalls thee; or, when men cast thee down.

there is lifting up] The word “lifting up” or simply, “Up!” is that which Job shall utter in prayer. The “humble person,” lit. him that is lowly of eyes, is of course Job himself.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 29.- When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; rather, when men cast down and thou shalt say, Let there be lifting up

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

השׁפּילוּ refers to דּרכיך; for if it is translated: in case they lower (Schlottm., Renan, and others), the suff. is wanting, and the thought is halting. As השׁפּיל signifies to make low, it can also signify to go down (Jeremiah 13:18), and said of ways, "to lead downwards" (Rosenm., Ew., Hahn). The old expositors go altogether astray in Job 22:29, because they did not discern the exclamative idea of גּוה. The noun גּוה - which is formed from the verb גּוה equals גּאה, as גּאהּ, arrogance, Proverbs 8:13; גּהה, healing, Proverbs 17:22; כּהה, mitigation, Nahum 3:19 (distinct from גּוה, the body, the fem. of גּו), without the necessity of regarding it as syncopated from גּאוה (Olsh. 154, b), as שׁלה, 1 Samuel 1:17, from שׁאלה - does not here signify pride or haughtiness, as in Job 33:17; Jeremiah 13:17, but signifies adverbially sursum (therefore synon. of סלה, which, being formed from סל, elevatio, with He of direction and Dag. forte implic., as פּדּנה, הרה equals paddannah, harrah, - perhaps, however, it is to be read directly סלּה, with He fem., - is accordingly a substantive made directly into an adverb, like גּוה): suppose that (כּי equals ἐάν, as אם equals εἰ) thy ways lead downwards, thou sayest: on high! i.e., thy will being mighty in God, thy confidence derived from the Almighty, will all at once give them another and more favourable direction: God will again place in a condition of prosperity and happiness, - which יושׁע (defectively written; lxx: σώσει; Jer. and Syr., however, reading יוּשׁע: salvabitur), according to its etymon, Arab. 'ws‛, signifies, - him who has downcast eyes (lxx κύφοντα ὀφθαλμοῖς).