Job 29:16

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

אָ֣ב אָ֭נֹכִֽי לָֽאֶבְיוֹנִ֑ים וְרִ֖ב לֹא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶחְקְרֵֽהוּ

Transliteration

ʾāb ʾānōkî lā-ʾebyônîm wə-rîb lōʾ-yādaʿtî ʾeḥqərēhû

Grammar Details

*ʾāb*: noun, masculine singular - father
*ʾānōkî*: pronoun, 1st person singular - I
*lā-ʾebyônîm*: preposition + definite article + noun, masculine plural - to the needy
*wə-rîb*: conjunction + noun, masculine singular - and case/dispute
*lōʾ-yādaʿtî*: negative particle + Qal perfect, 1st person singular - I did not know
*ʾeḥqərēhû*: Qal imperfect, 1st person singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - I searched it out/investigated it

Word Meanings

*ʾāb*: father/protector/provider
*ʾebyônîm*: needy/poor/destitute people
*rîb*: case/dispute/legal cause/controversy
*yādaʿtî*: I knew/was acquainted with
*ʾeḥqərēhû*: I investigated it/searched it out/examined it

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Prov 29:7 : 7 The righteous taketh knowledge of the cause of the poor; The wicked hath not understanding to know [it].
Esth 2:7 : 7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.
Job 31:18 : 18 (Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And her have I guided from my mother's womb);
Ps 68:5 : 5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, Is God in his holy habitation.
Prov 25:2 : 2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Job 24:4 : 4 They turn the needy out of the way: The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
Exod 18:26 : 26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Deut 13:14 : 14 then shall you inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is worked in the middle of you,
Deut 17:8-9 : 8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose; 9 and thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days: and thou shalt inquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment. 10 And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence which they shall show thee from that place which Jehovah shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee:
1 Kgs 3:16-28 : 16 Then there came two women that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17 And the one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18 And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also; and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19 And this woman's child died in the night, because she lay upon it. 20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thy handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead; but when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, whom I did bear. 22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king. 23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. 24 And the king said, Fetch me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. 26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor thine; divide it. 27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.
Eph 5:1 : 1 Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
Jas 1:27 : 27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Job 29:11-15
5 verses
84%
11For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; And when the eye saw [me], it gave witness unto me:
12Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him.
13The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
15I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame.
Job 29:17
78%
17And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth.
Jer 22:16
78%
16He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah.
Job 30:25-26
2 verses
76%
25Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
26When I looked for good, then evil came; And when I waited for light, there came darkness.
Job 31:16-19
4 verses
74%
16If I have withheld the poor from [their] desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof
18(Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And her have I guided from my mother's womb);
19If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering;
Job 31:21
74%
21If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, Because I saw my help in the gate:
Prov 31:8-9
2 verses
73%
8Open thy mouth for the dumb, In the cause of all such as are left desolate.
9Open thy mouth, judge righteously, And minister justice to the poor and needy.
Prov 29:7
72%
7The righteous taketh knowledge of the cause of the poor; The wicked hath not understanding to know [it].
Ps 82:3-4
2 verses
72%
3Judge the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4Rescue the poor and needy: Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
Prov 4:3
70%
3For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Ps 10:14
70%
14Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: The helpless committeth [himself] unto thee; Thou hast been the helper of the fatherless.
Job 22:9
70%
9Thou hast sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Job 3:16
70%
16Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, As infants that never saw light.
Ps 140:12
70%
12I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the needy.
Prov 29:13-14
2 verses
69%
13The poor man and the oppressor meet together; Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both.
14The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, His throne shall be established for ever.
Isa 10:2
69%
2to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!
Ps 109:22
69%
22For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
Job 42:3
69%
3Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
Job 24:9
68%
9There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge of the poor;
Job 36:15
68%
15He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression.
Job 29:7
68%
7When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street,
Job 29:4
68%
4As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent;
Job 19:7
68%
7Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry for help, but there is no justice.
Eccl 7:25
68%
25I turned about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.
Matt 25:35
68%
35for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in;
Isa 1:17
68%
17learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Prov 28:11
68%
11The rich man is wise in his own conceit; But the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.
Eccl 9:16
67%
16Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
Ps 41:1
67%
1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: Jehovah will deliver him in the day of evil.
Ps 73:16
67%
16When I thought how I might know this, It was too painful for me;
Job 5:8
67%
8But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause;
Job 23:17
67%
17Because I was not cut off before the darkness, Neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.
Ps 31:22
67%
22As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications When I cried unto thee.
Job 31:29
67%
29If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, Or lifted up myself when evil found him;
Ps 109:16
67%
16Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay [them].
Prov 22:16
67%
16He that oppresseth the poor to increase his [gain], [And] he that giveth to the rich, [shall come] only to want.
Ps 38:14
67%
14Yea, I am as a man that heareth not, And in whose mouth are no reproofs.
Job 6:27
67%
27Yea, ye would cast [lots] upon the fatherless, And make merchandise of your friend.
Gen 31:39
67%
39That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.