Job - 29:17



17 I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the prey out of his teeth.

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Job 29:17.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.
I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey.
And I broke the jaws of the unrighteous, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
And I broke the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
And I break the jaw-teeth of the perverse, And from his teeth I cast away prey.
By me the great teeth of the evil-doer were broken, and I made him give up what he had violently taken away.
I crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teeth.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

And I brake the jaws of the wicked - Margin, "jaw-teeth, or, grinders." The Hebrew word מתלעה methalle‛âh, the same, with the letters transposed, as מתלעות, is from לתע, to "bite" - and means "the biters," the grinders, the teeth. It is not used to denote the jaw. The image here is taken from wild beasts, with whom Job compares the wicked, and says that he rescued the helpless from their grasp, as he would a lamb from a lion or wolf.
And plucked - Margin, "cast." The margin is a literal translation, but the idea is, that he violently seized the spoil or prey which the wicked had taken, and by force tore it from him.

I brake the jaws of the wicked - A metaphor taken from hunting. A beast of prey had entered into the fold, and carried off a sheep. "The huntsman comes, assails the wicked beast, breaks his jaws, and delivers the spoil out of his teeth. See the case 1-Samuel 17:34-37 (note).

And I brake the jaws of the wicked,.... Their jaw teeth, or grinders, alluding to beasts of prey, who have such teeth, very large; the meaning may be, that Job confuted the arguments which wicked men made use of in their own defence, and against the poor, exposed the weakness of them, and made them ineffectual to answer their purposes; disabled tyrants and cruel oppressors from doing any further hurt and damage to the fatherless and helpless; was an instrument in the hand of God of breaking the power, and weakening the hands of such persons, and hindering them from doing the mischief they otherwise would; see Proverbs 30:14;
and plucked the spoil out of his teeth; as David took the lamb out of the mouth of the bear and lion that came into his father's flock, and carried it off: thus Job delivered the poor out of the hands of such monsters in nature, comparable to beasts of prey, and saved them from being utterly ruined by them, and obliged them to restore unto them what they had in an unrighteous manner taken from them.

Image from combating with wild beasts (Job 4:11; Psalm 3:7). So compassionate was Job to the oppressed, so terrible to the oppressor!
jaws--Job broke his power, so that he could do no more hurt, and tore from him the spoil, which he had torn from others.

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