Bible Strands
Job 31:18
though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job addresses God in a sworn oath cataloging his daily conduct. He presents himself as the primary protector of vulnerable household members and community outsiders.
The words — אַנְחֶֽ/נָּה ('an.Che./nah) renders literally as "I guided her," and כְ/אָ֑ב (khe./'Av) means "like a father." The Hebrew verbs describe sustained direction and upbringing rather than occasional aid.
The thread — The verse links directly to the fatherless in Job 31:17 and the naked in Job 31:19. The supplied context groups these figures as recipients of the speaker’s consistent material provision.
Why it lands — The text claims a lifelong pattern of proactive guardianship that began in youth. It asks the reader to measure the assertion against the speaker’s actual treatment of those lacking natural protectors.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)