Job 6:14

To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

Job 6:14 (KJV)

Context

Job speaks these words in his first reply to Eliphaz, after losing his wealth, children, and health. His friends came to comfort him, but their speeches turned into accusations. Job feels abandoned by those who should have stood beside him. The Hebrew word for “afflicted” describes someone melting, fainting, or overwhelmed. Such a person deserves loyal kindness, or hesed, from a friend. The second half of the verse is grammatically difficult. The KJV says the afflicted one “forsaketh the fear of the Almighty,” but many translations read it as a condition: even if he abandons reverence for God, a friend should still show pity. Another reading makes the withholding of kindness itself the sin: anyone who refuses compassion to a friend forsakes the fear of God.

Meaning

Job’s point is that a person in such a condition deserves loyal kindness from a friend. The afflicted person may be inwardly wounded, sensing God’s displeasure or even divine desertion. That makes the need for human compassion even more acute. The verse highlights the duty of friends to show compassion to the suffering, and it connects the failure to show such pity with a failure to honor God.

Biblical connections

Job’s friends failed this test. Instead of comfort, they assumed his suffering was punishment for sin and pressed him to repent. True fear of the Almighty is expressed through practical mercy toward the broken, not through harsh judgment. The verse serves as a rebuke to those who, like Job’s friends, withhold pity from the suffering.

Application

Believers are called to stand beside the suffering with empathy and steadfast loyalty. When someone’s faith falters under pain, that is the moment for compassion, not condemnation. By offering pity, we reflect the character of Christ, who consistently showed mercy to the afflicted. Genuine friendship in times of affliction requires empathy and steadfast loyalty, not judgment.

Reflection

Job 6:14 reminds us that genuine friendship in hardship requires faithful presence. May we be the kind of friend who brings comfort, and may our care for the vulnerable prove that we truly honor God.