Job – Chapter 29

Old Testament25 Verses

Chapter Summary

Job 29 opens with the words: "Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:" Job stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 25 verses, two threads run through the text: justice and care for the poor and faith and trust in God. Taken as a whole, the chapter forms one movement in the account, preparing what follows and completing what came before.

1Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:

2Who will grant me, that I might be according to the months past, according to the days in which God kept me?

3When his lamp shined over my head, and I walked by his light in darkness?

4As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle?

5When the Almighty was with me: and my servants round about me?

6When I washed my feet with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil?

7When I went out to the gate of the city, and in the street they prepared me a chair?

8The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the old men rose up and stood.

9The princes ceased to speak, and laid the finger on their mouth.

10The rulers held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to their throat.

11The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me:

12Because I had delivered the poor man that cried out; and the fatherless, that had no helper.

13The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me, and I comforted the heart of the widow.

14I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem.

15I was an eye to the blind, and a foot to the lame.

16I was the father of the poor: and the cause which I knew not, I searched out most diligently.

17I broke the jaws of the wicked man, and out of his teeth I took away the prey.

18And I said: I shall die in my nest, and as a palm tree shall multiply my days.

19My root is opened beside the waters, and dew shall continue in my harvest.

20My glory shall always be renewed, and my bow in my hand shall be repaired.

21They that heard me, waited for my sentence, and being attentive held their peace at my counsel.

22To my words they durst add nothing, and my speech dropped upon them.

23They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for a latter shower.

24If at any time I laughed on them, they believed not, and the light of my countenance fell not on earth.

25If I had a mind to go to them, I sat first, and when I sat as a king, with his army standing about him, yet I was a comforter of them that mourned.

Important Verses in Job 29

Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:

Job 29:1

As I was in the days of my youth, when God was secretly in my tabernacle?

Job 29:4

The ear that heard me blessed me, and the eye that saw me gave witness to me:

Job 29:11

I was clad with justice: and I clothed myself with my judgment, as with a robe and a diadem.

Job 29:14

Historical Context

Job addresses all who wrestle with the mystery of suffering and God's justice within the broader story of God's covenant people. Chapter 29 of 42 moves toward the climax of the book as earlier promises and conflicts converge. It is a wisdom instruction on how to live before God in ordinary circumstances with 25 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. The chapter focuses on Job, whose actions and words drive the passage forward. The passage starts with these words: "Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:" It concludes: "If I had a mind to go to them, I sat first, and when I sat as a king, with his army standing about him, yet I was a…" Read against its original backdrop, Job confronts the deepest human question: why do the innocent suffer? Scholarly and ecclesial tradition places the composition of Job around Uncertain; commonly dated between the 7th and 4th centuries BC.

Who Wrote It

Unknown inspired poet of Israel

When It Was Written

Uncertain; commonly dated between the 7th and 4th centuries BC

Catholic Commentary

The literal sense presents maxims, observations, or arguments meant to form character and discernment. A pivotal line is verse 1: "Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:" The passage repeatedly touches on justice and care for the poor.

The Church teaches that every passage of Scripture must be read in light of Christ and the Magisterium (CIC 721). Here, the Church sees Job as prefiguring Christ in innocent suffering (CIC 1502). The spiritual sense invites believers to recognize justice and care for the poor as part of God's pedagogy of salvation.

For Christians today, the chapter's lesson is clear: God defends the poor and the oppressed, and calls His people to act with justice.. The Church invites us to receive this word not as antiquarian information but as living Scripture proclaimed at Mass and prayed in lectio divina.

Main Teachings

  • God defends the poor and the oppressed, and calls His people to act with justice.
  • Faith is a gift and a decision: entrusting ourselves entirely to God and to His promises.
  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.

People in This Chapter

Job1 mention

Reflection for Today

The late section of Job—Chapter 29 of 42—opens a particular moment in the story of suffering, faith, and divine mystery.

According to Catholic teaching, the Church sees Job as prefiguring Christ in innocent suffering (CIC 1502). This chapter especially highlights the role of the sacraments in sanctification, a theme the Catechism develops in relation to the whole of revelation (CIC 2683).

Consider praying with this chapter again at day's end, offering God gratitude for one insight received. The Church encourages daily contact with Scripture (CIC 113) so that Christ's mind may be formed in us.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Job Chapter 29 about?

Job 29 contains 25 verses. It opens with "Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:" and closes with "If I had a mind to go to them, I sat first, and when I sat as a king, with his army standing about him, yet I was a…". The book as a whole is wisdom literature in poetic dialogue.

What is a key verse in Job 29?

One of the most significant verses is verse 1: "Job also added, taking up his parable, and said:" It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in Job Chapter 29?

This chapter mentions Job.

Who wrote Job and when?

Unknown inspired poet of Israel. Uncertain; commonly dated between the 7th and 4th centuries BC.

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