They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together.

JOB 24:4KJV
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Job 24:4 (KJV)

What does Job 24:4 mean?

Job 24:4 describes how vulnerable people are pushed aside and mistreated, so that the poor are forced to hide together for safety. The verse shows that injustice causes those with little power or resources to withdraw from society out of fear or necessity.

In this part of the book of Job, Job is speaking to his friends, describing the unfairness he sees in the world. He points out that the needy and poor are not just ignored but actively driven away ("turn the needy out of the way"), and as a result, they must band together and hide. Job is highlighting how the powerful often oppress the weak, and that this reality seems to go unpunished.

The Hebrew behind Job 24:4

  • "turn" (נָטָה, natah): This word often means to bend, turn aside, or push away. Here, it emphasizes that the needy are not just overlooked but are deliberately forced out of their rightful place.
  • "needy" (אֶבְיוֹן, ’evyon): This word refers to someone who is destitute or lacking basic necessities. The focus is on people who are especially vulnerable.
  • "hide" (חָבָא, chava): This word means to conceal oneself. It shows that the poor are not just scattered but feel the need to hide together, suggesting fear or danger.
  • "together" (יַחַד, yachad): This word means "together" or "in company." It highlights that the poor, driven out, seek safety in numbers, emphasizing their isolation from the rest of society.

Why Job 24:4 matters

  • Job 24:4 clarifies that the suffering of the poor is not accidental but caused by the actions of others who push them aside, making the injustice more direct and personal.
  • The verse connects to Job’s larger argument that evil often goes unpunished, challenging his friends’ belief that suffering is always a result of personal wrongdoing.
  • The language of hiding "together" shows the social impact of injustice, as the poor are not only deprived but also forced into isolation, deepening their hardship.

Where else these words appear

“poor” Hebrew H6035 · used in 24 verses

  • Numbers 12:3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
  • Psalms 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
  • Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

“hide” Hebrew H2244 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
  • 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait,(for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
  • 2 Chronicles 18:24 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.

“needy” Hebrew H34 · used in 58 verses

  • Exodus 23:6 Thou shalt not wrest the judgment of thy poor in his cause.
  • Psalms 49:2 Both low and high, rich and poor, together.
  • Proverbs 31:9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

“poor” Hebrew H6041 · used in 78 verses

  • Exodus 22:25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
  • Psalms 35:10 All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
  • Ecclesiastes 6:8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?