Job 29:14

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(14) I put on righteousness.—Comp. Isaiah 61:10; Isaiah 28:5; Isaiah 62:3; 2Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1Peter 5:4; 1Thessalonians 2:19. His judgment, the result of his personal righteousness, was as a robe of honour and a crown of glory to him.

It clothed me.—Literally, it clothed itself with me. First, righteousness is the garment, and then he is the garment to righteousness. (Compare the expressions “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,” Romans 13:14, and 2Corinthians 5:2-4, and the Hebrew of Psalm 143:9, where “I flee unto thee to hide me” is, I have covered myself with thee, or, have hidden me with thee.) This is the Gospel truth of the interchange of sin and righteousness between Christ and the believer. He bears our sins; we are clothed with the robe of His righteousness.

Benson Commentary

Job 29:14. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me — As a garment covers the whole body, and is worn continually all the day long, so I was constantly just in the whole course of my administrations, public and private; and I never put off this clothing, out of partiality to myself, or respect to the persons of others, as the manner of many judges is. My judgment was as a robe and diadem — My judgments, or decrees, were so equal and righteous, that they never brought shame and reproach upon me, but rather honour and reputation; and I looked upon them as a greater ornament than the purple robe or the diadem.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

29:7-17 All sorts of people paid respect to Job, not only for the dignity of his rank, but for his personal merit, his prudence, integrity, and good management. Happy the men who are blessed with such gifts as these! They have great opportunities of honouring God and doing good, but have great need to watch against pride. Happy the people who are blessed with such men! it is a token for good to them. Here we see what Job valued himself by, in the day of his prosperity. It was by his usefulness. He valued himself by the check he gave to the violence of proud and evil men. Good magistrates must thus be a restraint to evil-doers, and protect the innocent; in order to this, they should arm themselves with zeal and resolution. Such men are public blessings, and resemble Him who rescues poor sinners from Satan. How many who were ready to perish, now are blessing Him! But who can show forth His praises? May we trust in His mercy, and seek to imitate His truth, justice, and love.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I put on righteousness - Or "justice" - as a magistrate, and in all his transactions with his fellow-men. It is common to compare moral conduct or traits of character with various articles of apparel; compare Isaiah 11:5, note; Isaiah 61:10, note.

And it clothed me - It was my covering; I was adorned with it. So we speak of being "clothed with humility;" and so, also, of the "garments of salvation."

My judgment - Or rather justice - particularly as a magistrate.

Was as a robe - The word "robe" (מעיל me‛ı̂yl) denotes the "mantle" or outer garment that is worn by an Oriental. It constitutes the most elegant part of his dress; Notes at Isaiah 6:1. The idea is, that his strict justice was to him what the full flowing robe was in apparel. It was that for which he was best known; that by which he was distinguished, as one would be by an elegant and costly robe.

And a diadem - Or, "turban". The word used here צניף tsânı̂yph - is from צנף tsânaph, to roll, or wind around, and is applied to the turban, because it was thus wound around the head. It is applied to the mitre of the high priest Zechariah 3:5, and may also be to a diadem or crown. It more properly here, however, denotes the "turban," which in the East is an essential part of dress. The idea is, that he was fully clad or adorned with justice.

Job 29:14.I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

My soul shall be joyful in my God;

For he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,

continued...

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

14. (Isa 61:10; 1Ch 12:18).

judgment—justice.

diadem—tiara. Rather, "turban," "head-dress." It and the full flowing outer mantle or "robe," are the prominent characteristics of an Oriental grandee's or high priest's dress (Zec 3:5). So Job's righteousness especially characterized him.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

It clothed me: as a garment covers the whole body, and is worn continually all the day long; so I was constantly just in the whole course of all my administrations, public and private, and never put off this garment out of a partial respect to myself, or to the persons of other men, as the manner of many judges is.

My judgment was as a robe and diadem; my judgments or decrees were so equal and righteous, that they never brought shame and reproach upon me, but always honour and great reputation.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me,.... Not the righteousness of his living Redeemer, the robe of righteousness and garment of salvation he had from him; though he had put on that by faith, and it was his clothing in the sight of God, which covered his person, and covered all his sins from the avenging eye of divine justice; and in which he was presented before God unblamable and irreprovable in his sight, and with which he was adorned and beautified, being made perfectly comely through it, and completely justified by it; but legal righteousness in the administration of his office as a magistrate; he put it on, that is, he exercised it, and he exercised it constantly from morning tonight, and day after day; as a man puts on his clothes in a morning, and keeps them on all the day, and which he is always repeating; and it was as visible in him, and to be seen and observed by all, as the clothes on his back; and it covered him all over as a garment does; no blemish was to be seen in him, or blame to be cast upon him, throughout the whole course of his administration; and this was a fence unto him against all calumny and reproach, as garments are against the inclemency of the weather; see 1 Samuel 12:3; so a godly conversation in the exercise of graces and virtues, and in the performance of duties both to God and man, is sometimes expressed by a putting them on, as garments are put on; see Ephesians 4:24; and these are an outward clothing to appear in before men, and should be shown forth with meekness and wisdom, so as to be beheld by men; and should be continually exercised and constantly performed; and then they are a covering with respect to men, and they appear harmless, blameless, and without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; and thus, by well doing, put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, and such to the blush, those who falsely accuse their good conversation: and this in every sense was Job's case:

my judgment was as a robe and diadem; such as the high priest among the Jews wore in the execution of his office, which made him look grand and majestic; and it was usual in Job's time, as it is in ours, and has been the custom in all ages and countries, for judges and civil magistrates to be clothed in a different manner from others, as it is proper they should, to command an awe and reverence of them among the common people, and make them respectable to them: but Job did not so much regard his purple robe he was clad in, or the distinguishing turban he wore on his head, or whatever it was, and which might bear some resemblance to a mitre or a diadem; as it was his great concern to administer justice, which he reckoned his greatest honour, and was more ornamental to him than all the showy ensigns of his office; and it was this which gave him honour and esteem among all sorts of men, high and low: and his regard to the poor, before observed, did not arise from a foolish commiseration of them as poor men, and in order to get himself a name for his pity to them, but proceeded upon a principle of justice and equity, which he made the rule of his administration; he did not countenance the poor in his cause right or wrong; not the quality of the person, but the righteousness of his cause, was what he attended to; and he took his part not merely because he was a poor man, but seeing his cause was just.

Geneva Study Bible

I put on {l} righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

(l) I delighted to do justice, as others did to wear costly apparel.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14. and it clothed me] Rather, and it clothed itself in me. Job clothed himself with righteousness, so that as a man he was lost in the justice that clothed him; and justice clothed itself in him—he on the other hand was justice become a person.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 14. - I put on righteousness, and it clothed me (comp. Isaiah 61:10; Psalm 132:9, etc.). Job "put on righteousness;" i.e. made it as the garment wherewith he clothed himself withal (Psalm 109:18, 19), covered up with it all his own natural imperfections, and made it part and parcel of his being. It was a beautiful covering, and, when once he had put it on, it clung to him, and could not be removed. It "clothed him," or rather, if we translate the Hebrew literally, "clothed itself with him." putting him on, as he had put it on. It was not merely external; it was internal, a habit of his soul and spirit. My judgment was as a robe and a diadem; rather, my justice (see the Revised Version). My "justice," or "righteousness" (for the words are synonymous), was at once my robe and my crown, my necessary clothing and my ornament (comp. Isaiah 61:10, "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels"). Job 29:14

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The blessing (בּרכּת with closely closed penult.) of those who stood on the brink of destruction (אובד, interiturus, as Job 31:19; Proverbs 31:6), and owed their rescue to him, came upon him; and the heart of the widow to whom he gave assistance, compensating for the assistance of her lost husband, he filled with gladness (הרנין causative, as Psalm 65:9). For the primary attribute, the fundamental character of his way of thinking and acting, was צדק, a holding fast to the will of God, which before everything else calls for sympathizing love (root צדק, Arab. ṣdq, to be hard, firm, stiff, e.g., rumh-un sadq-un, according to the Kamus: a hard, firm, straight spear), and משׁפּט, judgment and decision in favour of right and equity against wrong and injustice. Righteousness is here called the garment which he put on (as Psalm 132:9, comp. Isaiah 11:5; Isaiah 59:17), and right is the robe and turban with which he adorns himself (comp. Isaiah 61:10); as by Arabian poets noble attributes are also called garments, which God puts on any one, or which any one puts on himself (albasa).

(Note: In Beidhwi, if I remember rightly, this expression occurs once, Arab. 'l-tdrr‛ blbls 'l-tqwy, i.e., "clothing one's self in the armour of the fear of God.")

Righteousness is compared to the לבושׁ (corresponding to the thob, i.e., garment, indusium, of the nomads) which is worn on the naked body, justice to the צניף, a magnificent turban (corresponding to the kefije, consisting of a thick cotton cloth, and fastened with a cord made of camel's hair), and the magnificent robe (corresponding to the second principal article of clothing, the ‛abâ). The lxx, Jer., Syr., and Arab. wrongly refer ויּלבּשׁני to משׁפטי of the second half of the verse, while, on the contrary, it is said of צדק, per antanaclasin, that Job put this on, and this in turn put Job on, induit; for וילבשׁני, as the usage of the language, as we have it, elsewhere shows, does not signify: it (righteousness) clothed me well (Umbr.), or: adorned me (Ew., Vaih.), also not: it dressed me out (Schlottm.), but only: it put me on as a garment, i.e., it made me so its own, that my whole appearance was the representation of itself, as in Judges 6:34 and twice in the Chronicles, of the Spirit of Jehovah it is said that He puts on any one, induit, when He makes any one the organ of His own manifestation.