he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss is that God's lifting up of the lowly and comforting of mourners isn't just a random act of kindness, but a deliberate reversal of circumstances. The verse highlights that this divine intervention is often what raises those who are in distress to a place of secure well-being, overturning their difficult situations. It’s about God actively restoring those who are down and out, providing them with safety they couldn't find on their own.
he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In this section of Job, Eliphaz has just described God's powerful and unsearchable works in nature, like sending rain and making the ground fruitful. This verse continues that thought, explaining that God's purpose in these actions is to lift up those who are humble and bring comfort and security to those in distress. It's a promise that God intervenes on behalf of the lowly and grieving, directly countering Job's current state of despair.
Ever feel like life's rigged, with some people always on top and others stuck at the bottom? Job's friends are talking about God's power, and it touches on this exact feeling.
The passage here highlights God's active role in redistributing fortunes. It's not just about natural blessings like rain, but about a divine reordering.
The Downward Pull
Life often pushes people down. Economic hardship, personal loss, or societal injustice can leave individuals feeling forgotten and insignificant.
God's Counter-Move
But Job 5:11 declares God 'sets on high those who are lowly.' This is a powerful statement of divine intervention. He doesn't just let people stay down; He actively lifts them. This isn't about karma or earning favor, but about God's sovereign choice to elevate the overlooked and downtrodden.
What happens when deep sadness meets God's power? This verse offers a picture of hope beyond despair.
The second part of the verse speaks directly to those who are grieving: 'those who mourn are lifted to safety.' This isn't just about a change of mood, but a fundamental shift from vulnerability to security.
The Weight of Sorrow
Mourning signifies deep loss, pain, and often a sense of helplessness. For Job, surrounded by his own suffering and the harsh words of his friends, this state would be all too familiar.
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God's Embrace of Safety
God's response to this mourning is not to simply offer comfort, but to 'lift them to safety.' This implies moving them out of harm's way, away from the dangers that caused their grief or threatened their well-being. It's a rescue, an elevation from a place of risk to a place of security, orchestrated by God Himself.
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.
parar · Hebrew Verb
Refers to the act of thwarting or breaking the plans of others. It implies God's sovereignty in rendering the wicked designs of humans ineffective.
arum · Hebrew Adjective
Often used in a negative sense in wisdom literature, describing those who rely on human intelligence and deceit rather than divine wisdom. It implies a sense of cunning or shrewdness that lacks integrity.
This passage echoes Job 5:11's theme of God lifting the humble, as Hannah's prayer beautifully illustrates God raising the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap.
Psalm 75:7This verse directly supports the idea of divine elevation and humbling, stating that God 'puts down one, and sets up another,' mirroring the movement of the lowly being set high in Job.
Luke 1:52This verse from the Magnificat speaks to God's reversal of fortunes, where He 'has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate,' a powerful New Testament parallel to Job's ancient observation.
Psalm 113:7This psalm highlights God's care for the marginalized, stating that He 'raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap,' which aligns perfectly with the uplifting of the lowly and mourning mentioned in Job.
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…
What's easy to miss is that God's lifting up of the lowly and comforting of mourners isn't just a random act of kindness, but a deliberate reversal of circumstances. The verse highlights that this divine intervention is often what raises those who are in distress to a place of secure well-being, overturning their difficult situations. It’s about God actively restoring those who are down and out, providing them with safety they couldn't find on their own.
In this section of Job, Eliphaz has just described God's powerful and unsearchable works in nature, like sending rain and making the ground fruitful. This verse continues that thought, explaining that God's purpose in these actions is to lift up those who are humble and bring comfort and security to those in distress. It's a promise that God intervenes on behalf of the lowly and grieving, directly countering Job's current state of despair.
In this section of Job, Eliphaz has just described God's powerful and unsearchable works in nature, like sending rain and making the ground fruitful. This verse continues that thought, explaining that God's purpose in these actions is to lift up those who are humble and bring comfort and security to those in distress. It's a promise that God intervenes on behalf of the lowly and grieving, directly countering Job's current state of despair.
"he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success." — What's easy to miss is that God's lifting up of the lowly and comforting of mourners isn't just a random act of kindness, but a deliberate reversal of circumstances. The verse highlights that this di…
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Last reviewed October 2026