Texts in Conversation
Deuteronomy and Job both stress the duty to protect orphans and other vulnerable people. Deuteronomy describes this as an expression of God’s character, and Job defends himself by saying he follows this principle. Together they show that justice for the poor is a key moral teaching in the Hebrew Bible.
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Deuteronomy 10:18
Hebrew Bible
15 However, only to your ancestors did he show his loving favor, and he chose you, their descendants, from all peoples—as is apparent today. 16 Therefore, circumcise your hearts and stop being so stubborn! 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who is unbiased and takes no bribe, 18 who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing. 19 So you must love the resident foreigner because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Job 31:18
Hebrew Bible
15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us in the womb? 16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17 if I ate my morsel of bread myself, and did not share any of it with orphans— 18 but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow— 19 if I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without a coat, 20 whose heart did not bless me as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Job and Deuteronomy have major agreement concerning their understanding of the poor and marginalized members of society. Job uses the example of abusing the orphan as a form of great depravity (Job 6:27). Eliphaz concurs on this point and accuses Job of severe mistreatment of orphans (Job 22:9), which is one of the few specific accusations the friends make against Job.32 Job does not immediately claim innocence of this crime, but explicitly does so later (Job 29:12). Job uses orphans as evidence in his argument that God does not punish the wicked for their actions (Job 24:1–12). In Job’s summary defense of his actions (Job 31), Job claims to have upheld the cause of the orphan (Job 31:17–18) and implies that failure to do this would have been condemnable ..."
Swinney, James Kipp
Intertextual Discourse and the Problem of God: The Intersection of the Speeches of Job and Deuteronomy
(p. 69) Abiline Christian University, 2016
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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