the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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King James Version
Job 29:24
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- InternationalParallel Translations
When they were discouraged, I smiled at them. My look of approval was precious to them.
If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
I smiled at them when they doubted, and my approval was important to them.
If I smiled at them, they hardly believed it; and they did not cause the light of my face to darken.
[If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn't reject the light of my face.
"I smiled at them when they did not believe, And they did not diminish the light of my face.
I smiled on them when they had no confidence, and the light of my face they did not cast down.
If ony tyme Y leiyide to hem, thei bileueden not; and the liyt of my cheer felde not doun in to erthe.
If I smiled at them, they did not believe it; the light of my countenance was precious.
and the smile on my face renewed everyone's hopes.
I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down.
I was laughing at them when they had no hope, and the light of my face was never clouded by their fear.
When I joked with them, they couldn't believe it; and they never darkened the light on my face.
[If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not; and they troubled not the serenity of my countenance.
I smiled at them, and they could hardly believe it. My smile made them feel better.
If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
If I laughed on them, they beleeued it not, and the light of my countenance they cast not downe.
I looked at them with joy when they were not sure of themselves, and the light of my face gave them comfort.
I smiled on them when they had no confidence; and the light of my countenance they did not extinguish.
If I laughed on them, they beleeued it not: neither did they cause the light of my countenance to fall.
If I ridiculed them, they did not take offense; and they did not turn from the light of my countenance.
I smiled on them when they had lost confidence; my cheerful face encouraged them.
I laughed at them - they lost confidence, and, the light of my countenance, they suffered not to fail;
If at any time I laughed on them, they believed not, and the light of my countenance fell not on earth.
I smiled on them when they had no confidence; and the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
When I laughed, they beleued it not, & the light of my countenaunce would they not put out.
Were I to laugh on them, they would not believe it; and the light of my face has not failed.
If I smiled at them, they couldn’t believe it;they were thrilled at the light of my countenance.
I smiled on them when they had no confidence. They didn't reject the light of my face.
I smiled for them when they had no confidence in anything, and they did not extinguish the light of my face.
I laughed on those when they did not believe, and they did not make the light of my face to fall.
I laugh unto them -- they give no credence, And the light of my face cause not to fall.
When I laughed, they knew well it was not earnest: & this testimony of my coutenaunce pleased the nothinge at all.
"I smiled at them when they did not believe, And they did not look at my kindness ungraciously.
If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, And the light of my countenance they did not cast down.
"I smiled on them when they did not believe, And the light of my face they did not cast down.
I laughed with them as they could not believe it,And the light of my face they did not cast down.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
they believed: Genesis 45:26, Psalms 126:1, Luke 24:41
the light: Psalms 4:6, Psalms 89:15
Reciprocal: Job 9:16 - would I Job 39:24 - neither Proverbs 16:15 - the light Proverbs 19:6 - will
Cross-References
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men.
And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for she kept them.
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father.
These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
[If] I laughed on them, they believed [it] not,.... Not that he at any time laughed at them, by way of derision; but when in a cheerful frame of mind, or in a merry mood, he used freedom and familiarity, and jested with them; but they could not believe that he did jest, or was in jest, he being a man always of such gravity and seriousness, that they concluded the smile on his countenance, and the pleasant turn of his expression, had a serious meaning in them; or such familiarity with them was so pleasing to them, that they could scarcely for joy believe that he did condescend to indulge such an air of pleasantry: or as Mr. Broughton renders it, and so some others to the same sense, "they would not be bold" i; familiarity with them did not breed contempt, as it sometimes does; they did not presume upon it, and grow bold and insolent, and make him their equal, and jest with him again; but still there was an awe upon them, and they behaved with reverence to him; and to show how great it was is the design of the expression:
and the light of my countenance they cast not down; they did not ruffle his mind, or disturb the serenity of it; or cause him to change his countenance, through any bold and indecent behaviour towards him, encouraged by the freedom and pleasantry he used with them; they did not put him to shame, or provoke him to anger and displeasure by any unbecoming deportment; they kept their distance, they did not detract from his authority and majesty, or in the least lessen that, but behaved with the same reverence and regard to him they ever did; see Genesis 4:6.
i ×× ××××× × "non tamen sibi sumebant audaciam", Michaelis; "neque tam audaces fiunt", Reimar apud Schultens.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
If I laughed on them they believed it not - There is considerable variety in the interpretation of this member of the verse. Dr. Good renders it, âI smiled upon them, and they were gay.â Herder, If I laughed at them, they were not offended.â Coverdale,â When I laughed, they knew well it was not earnest.â Schultens, âI will laugh at them, they are not secure.â But Rosenmuller, Jun. et Trem., Noyes and Umbreit, accord with the sense given in our common translation. The Hebrew literally is, âShould I laugh upon them, they did not confide;â and, according to Rosenmuller, the meaning is, âSuch was the reverence for my gravity, that if at any time I relaxed in my severity of manner, they would scarcely believe it, nor did they omit any of their reverence toward me, as if familiarity with the great should produce contempt.â Grotius explains it to mean, âEven my jests, they thought, contained something serious.â The word used here, however (ש××ק sÌaÌchaq), means not only to laugh or smile upon, but; to laugh at, or deride; Psalms 52:6; Job 30:1; compare Job 5:22; Job 39:7; Job 22:19. It seems to me, that the sense is that so great was his influence, that he was able to control them even with a smile, without saying a word; that if, when a measure was proposed in debate, he should even smile, though he said nothing, they would have no confidence in it, but would at once abandon it as unwise. No higher influence than this can be well conceived, and this exposition accords with the general course of remark, where Job traces along the various degrees of his influence until he comes to this, the highest of them all.
And the light of my countenance they cast not down - His smile of favor on an undertaking, or his smile at the weakness or lack of wisdom of any thing proposed, they could not resist. It settled the matter. They had not power by their arguments or moral courage to resist him even if he did not say a word, or even to change the aspect of his countenance. A look, a token of approbation or disapprobation from him, was enough.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 29:24. I laughed on them, they believed it not — Similar to that expression in the Gospel, Luke 24:41: And while they believed not for joy, and wondered, he said __. Our version is sufficiently perspicuous, and gives the true sense of the original, only it should be read in the indicative and not in the subjunctive mood: I laughed on them - they believed it not. We have a similar phrase: The news was too good to be true.
The light of my countenance — This evidence of my benevolence and regard. A smile is, metaphorically, the light of the countenance.
They cast not down. — They gave me no occasion to change my sentiments or feelings towards them. I could still smile upon them, and they were then worthy of my approbation. Their change he refers to in the beginning of the next chapter.
