Job reaffirms that authentic compassion for hurting people does not shield him from personal pain, but draws him closer to God’s heart.
Job, who is believed by many scholars to have lived during the era of the patriarchs (around 2000-1800 BC), expresses his anguish in Job 30:25 as he looks back on his life of compassion. He sadly wonders why, despite showing mercy to others, his own suffering goes unrelieved. He says, “Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?” (v.25). By posing these questions, Job shows that he poured out genuine care—and tears—for people trapped in difficulty, indicating that he was neither indifferent nor complacent toward those in need.
This heartfelt empathy stands in stark contrast to the accusations of his companions, who insisted his suffering was proof he must have sinned. Elsewhere, God rebukes these friends for speaking wrongly about Him and overlooking Job’s sincere devotion (Job 42:7). Here, in Job’s lament, we catch a glimpse of a man who resembled the attitude Jesus would later display toward the hurting when He wept out of compassion (John 11:35). Job’s example reminds believers of the call to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), affirming that empathizing with needy people is a mark of genuine faith.
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Job 30:25 meaning
Job, who is believed by many scholars to have lived during the era of the patriarchs (around 2000-1800 BC), expresses his anguish in Job 30:25 as he looks back on his life of compassion. He sadly wonders why, despite showing mercy to others, his own suffering goes unrelieved. He says, “Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?” (v.25). By posing these questions, Job shows that he poured out genuine care—and tears—for people trapped in difficulty, indicating that he was neither indifferent nor complacent toward those in need.
This heartfelt empathy stands in stark contrast to the accusations of his companions, who insisted his suffering was proof he must have sinned. Elsewhere, God rebukes these friends for speaking wrongly about Him and overlooking Job’s sincere devotion (Job 42:7). Here, in Job’s lament, we catch a glimpse of a man who resembled the attitude Jesus would later display toward the hurting when He wept out of compassion (John 11:35). Job’s example reminds believers of the call to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15), affirming that empathizing with needy people is a mark of genuine faith.