Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Job 16:5

"I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Speaking;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflicted, Duty toward the;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Assuage;   Eliphaz (2);   Job, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Instead, I would encourage you with my mouth,and the consolation from my lips would bring relief.
Hebrew Names Version
But I would strengthen you with my mouth. The solace of my lips would relieve you.
King James Version
But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.
English Standard Version
I could strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.
New Century Version
But, instead, I would encourage you, and my words would bring you relief.
New English Translation
But I would strengthen you with my words; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
Amplified Bible
"[But instead] I could strengthen and encourage you with [the words of] my mouth, And the consolation and solace of my lips would soothe your suffering and lessen your anguish.
New American Standard Bible
"Or I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the condolence of my lips could lessen your pain.
World English Bible
But I would strengthen you with my mouth. The solace of my lips would relieve you.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But I woulde strengthen you with my mouth, and the comfort of my lips should asswage your sorowe.
Legacy Standard Bible
I could encourage you with my mouth,And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.
Berean Standard Bible
But I would encourage you with my mouth, and the consolation of my lips would bring relief.
Contemporary English Version
But I would offer hope and comfort instead.
Complete Jewish Bible
I could ‘strengthen' you with my mouth, with lip service I could ‘ease your grief.'
Darby Translation
[But] I would encourage you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips should assuage [your pain].
Easy-to-Read Version
But I would say things to encourage you and give you hope.
George Lamsa Translation
I would prove you with your own words, and the words of my lips would not spare you.
Good News Translation
I could strengthen you with advice and keep talking to comfort you.
Lexham English Bible
I could encourage you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would ease the pain.
Literal Translation
I might make you strong with my mouth, and the moving of my lips could spare you.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I shulde comforte you with my mouth, and release youre payne with ye talkinge of my lyppes.
American Standard Version
But I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips would assuage your grief.
Bible in Basic English
I might give you strength with my mouth, and not keep back the comfort of my lips.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips would assuage your grief.
King James Version (1611)
But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the mouing of my lips should asswage your griefe.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I shoulde comfort you with my mouth, & releasse your paine with the talking of my lippes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
then would I insult you with words, and I would shake my head at you.
English Revised Version
But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips should assuage your grief.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y wolde make you stronge bi my mouth, and Y wolde moue lippis as sparynge you.
Update Bible Version
[But] I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips would assuage [your grief].
Webster's Bible Translation
[But] I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should assuage [your grief].
New King James Version
But I would strengthen you with my mouth, And the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief.
New Living Translation
But if it were me, I would encourage you. I would try to take away your grief.
New Life Bible
I could give you strength with my mouth. I could speak words of comfort and make your pain less.
New Revised Standard
I could encourage you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I could make you determined, by my mouth, and then my lip-solace should restrain you.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(16-6) I would strengthen you with my mouth, and would move my lips, as sparing you.
Revised Standard Version
I could strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain.
Young's Literal Translation
I might harden you with my mouth, And the moving of my lips might be sparing.

Contextual Overview

1 Then Job answered, 2 "I have heard many such things; Sorry comforters are you all. 3 "Is there no limit to windy words? Or what plagues you that you answer? 4 "I too could speak like you, If I were in your place. I could compose words against you And shake my head at you. 5 "I could strengthen you with my mouth, And the solace of my lips could lessen your pain.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

But I would: Job 4:3, Job 4:4, Job 6:14, Job 29:25, Psalms 27:14, Proverbs 27:9, Proverbs 27:17, Isaiah 35:3, Isaiah 35:4, Galatians 6:1

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 23:16 - strengthened Job 6:25 - forcible Job 26:2 - helped Job 36:17 - fulfilled Job 42:11 - they bemoaned Ecclesiastes 10:12 - words Daniel 10:18 - he Revelation 3:2 - strengthen

Cross-References

Genesis 16:12
"He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers."
Genesis 16:15
So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
Genesis 31:53
"The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." So Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.
Exodus 5:21
They said to them, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh's sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."
2 Chronicles 24:22
Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!"
Psalms 7:8
The Lord judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O Lord , according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
Psalms 35:23
Stir up Yourself, and awake to my right And to my cause, my God and my Lord.
Psalms 43:1
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[But] I would strengthen you with my mouth,.... Comfort them with the words of his mouth; so God strengthens his people with strength in their souls, when he answers them with good and comfortable words; an angel strengthened Christ as man when in an agony, comforting him, suggesting comfortable things to him; so one saint may strengthen and comfort another when in distress, whether of soul or body; see

Psalms 138:3; and thus Job had strengthened and comforted others, with his words in former times, as Eliphaz himself owns, Job 4:3 and so he would again, were there a change in his circumstances, and objects presented:

and the moving of my lips should assuage [your grief]: words uttered by him, which are done by the moving of the lips, should be such as would have a tendency to allay grief, to stop, restrain, forbid, and lessen sorrow; at least that it might not break out in an extravagant way, and exceed bounds, and that his friends might not be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

(But I would strengthen you with my mouth With that which proceeds from the mouth - words.

And the moving of my lips - My speaking - implying that it would have been done in a mild, gentle, kind manner - so that the lips would appear just to move. Others, however, have given a different interpretation. Thus, Dr. Good renders it:

“With my own mouth will I overpower you,

Till the quivering of my lips shall fall.”

But the common interpretation is to be preferred. The word rendered “moving” ניד nı̂yd is from נוּד nûd - “to move,” “agitate,” and hence, denotes “motion.” It denotes here the motion of the lips when we speak. Gesenius renders it, “consolation,” “comfort” - because this is expressed by a motion of the head.

Should assuage your grief - The word used here (יחשׂך yachâśak) means properly “to hold back,” “to restrain;” Job 7:11. Here it is correctly rendered, meaning that he would hold back, or check their sorrows. In other words, he would sustain them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 16:5. I would strengthen you with my mouth — Mr. Good translates thus: -

"With my own mouth will I overpower you,

Till the quivering of my lips shall fail;"


for which rendering he contends in his learned notes. This translation is countenanced by the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions.


 
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