he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that God's actions aren't just about physical provision like rain, but about a profound reordering of society. He specifically lifts up the humble and brings safety to those grieving, showing that God's power actively reverses the world's usual hierarchies and offers solace to the brokenhearted.
he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job's friends are arguing that his suffering is a direct result of his sin, but Eliphaz, in this passage, is shifting the perspective to God's righteous character. He's using the example of God bringing rain to revitalize the land as a metaphor for God's actions in the lives of people. Eliphaz points out that God doesn't just punish; He also lifts up the humble and provides safety for those in distress, suggesting Job should consider this aspect of God's nature as he faces his own calamities.
Ever notice how a good rain can transform a parched landscape? God's actions in nature aren't just about weather; they're a divine strategy.
This verse connects God's provision of rain to a deeper purpose: lifting up the humble and bringing safety to those who mourn.
Nature as a Mirror
Think about it: rain is essential for life, for growth, for sustenance. When it comes after a drought, it's a tangible blessing. This passage suggests that God orchestrates these natural events not just for the land, but for the people living on it.
Blessing the Lowly and Mourning
God uses even the physical blessings of the earth to accomplish His moral and redemptive purposes, showing His care for the vulnerable.
Grief and hardship can feel like a dark cloud that never lifts. But what if that very mourning is a pathway to safety?
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The verse presents a powerful contrast: the state of mourning is transformed into a state of safety. This isn't just about a change in circumstances; it's a profound shift orchestrated by God.
The Comfort of God's Intervention
When people are mourning, they are often vulnerable, feeling exposed and without hope. God's action, described as 'lifting' or 'exalting to safety,' means He intervenes to rescue them from their distress.
This can be seen in:
God's nature is to turn sorrow into solace and danger into deliverance.
Understand the original words
shaphal · Hebrew Adjective
Refers to those in a low or humble state, often describing the oppressed, poor, or those who recognize their dependence upon God. In Scripture, God frequently reverses the fortunes of the lowly, exalting those whom the world overlooks.
abal · Hebrew Verb
A state of profound grief or lamentation, often associated with repentance or deep distress. Biblically, it can be a response to sin or suffering, with the promise that God will ultimately comfort and restore those who mourn.
This passage directly echoes Job 5:11, showing God's power to bring down the proud and lift up the humble, the poor, and the weak from the dust and the dunghill.
Psalm 75:6-7This psalm highlights the same theme of divine reversal, stating that exaltation and abasement come from God alone, providing comfort to those in low situations.
Luke 1:52-53Mary's Magnificat is a beautiful testament to God's character as described in Job 5:11, showing how He fills the hungry with good things and lifts up the lowly, while sending the rich away empty.
Psalm 113:7-8This psalm provides another strong parallel, emphasizing God's compassion for the poor and needy, lifting them from the garbage heap to sit with princes.
clarkeJob 5:11: "To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety."
To set up on high those that be low - He so distributes his providential blessings without partiality, that the land of the poor man is as well sunned and watered as that of the rich; so that he is thus set upon a level with the lords of the soil.
pulpitJob 5:11: "To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety."
Verse 11. - To set up on high those that be low. God's physical blessings are intended to subserve moral ends. He gives his rain, both the former and the latter, to raise up men from despair, to enable them to see in him a God of mercy as well as a God of vengeance; and with the same object, after withholding it from us for a while, he pours into our parched hearts the dew of his Holy Spirit. That…
The verse highlights that God's actions aren't just about physical provision like rain, but about a profound reordering of society. He specifically lifts up the humble and brings safety to those grieving, showing that God's power actively reverses the world's usual hierarchies and offers solace to the brokenhearted.
Job's friends are arguing that his suffering is a direct result of his sin, but Eliphaz, in this passage, is shifting the perspective to God's righteous character. He's using the example of God bringing rain to revitalize the land as a metaphor for God's actions in the lives of people. Eliphaz points out that God doesn't just punish; He also lifts up the humble and provides safety for those in distress, suggesting Job should consider this aspect of God's nature as he faces his own calamities.
Job's friends are arguing that his suffering is a direct result of his sin, but Eliphaz, in this passage, is shifting the perspective to God's righteous character. He's using the example of God bringing rain to revitalize the land as a metaphor for God's actions in the lives of people. Eliphaz points out that God doesn't just punish; He also lifts up the humble and provides safety for those in distress, suggesting Job should consider this aspect of God's nature as he faces his own calamities.
"he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety." — The verse highlights that God's actions aren't just about physical provision like rain, but about a profound reordering of society. He specifically lifts up the humble and brings safety to those grie…
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Last reviewed October 2026