Job 5:11
To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
Original Language Analysis
לָשׂ֣וּם
To set up
H7760
לָשׂ֣וּם
To set up
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
1 of 6
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
לְמָר֑וֹם
on high
H4791
לְמָר֑וֹם
on high
Strong's:
H4791
Word #:
3 of 6
altitude, i.e., concretely (an elevated place), abstractly (elevation, figuratively (elation), or adverbially (aloft)
וְ֝קֹֽדְרִ֗ים
that those which mourn
H6937
וְ֝קֹֽדְרִ֗ים
that those which mourn
Strong's:
H6937
Word #:
4 of 6
to be ashy, i.e., dark-colored; by implication, to mourn (in sackcloth or sordid garments)
Cross References
Psalms 107:41Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.Psalms 113:7He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;Deuteronomy 33:27The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.Luke 6:21Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.Ezekiel 17:24And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.1 Peter 5:10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
Historical Context
The reversal of fortunes—exalting the lowly—is a common theme in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature and appears throughout Scripture (1 Samuel 2:7-8, Luke 1:52).
Questions for Reflection
- How do you maintain faith in God's pattern of exalting the humble when exaltation is delayed?
- What does God's timing in deliverance teach us about the relationship between faith and immediate results?
Analysis & Commentary
Eliphaz declares God 'setteth up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.' The Hebrew 'rum' (set high/exalt) and 'yesha' (safety/salvation) describe God's pattern of lifting the humble. This is true—God does exalt the humble (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:6). But Eliphaz wrongly implies that Job's continued low estate proves he's not truly humble, and that genuine humility would have already brought restoration. This ignores that God's timing differs from human expectations.