Job 29:17 (KJV)

What does Job 29:17 mean?

Job 29:17 describes Job stepping in against a wicked person who had taken something from another. Job presents himself as someone who confronted wrongdoing and recovered what the wrongdoer had seized.

Job pictures the wicked person as a dangerous animal, holding its prey in its teeth. The image follows Job’s description of investigating the case of a stranger in verse 16.

The Hebrew behind Job 29:17

• “jaws” — מְתַלְּעוֹת (metalleʿot): This word refers to the jawbones or the teeth used for biting. Along with “teeth” later in the verse, it gives the wrongdoer the features of a predator.
• “spoil” — טֶרֶף (teref): This word can mean prey or something seized. It fits the image of a creature gripping what it has caught, while the KJV’s “spoil” conveys something taken by force.

Why Job 29:17 matters

• Job is speaking about his own past conduct. In the surrounding passage, he remembers a time when people respected him and he had a place in public affairs.
• The verse places Job’s defense of others within his account of fair dealing. After saying that he examined the cause of someone he did not know (verse 16), he describes acting against the wicked person.
• Job’s memory carries weight in the larger conversation because his friends have accused him of wrongdoing. In chapter 29, Job gives his own account of how he treated others.