KJV ORIGINAL
But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should asswage your grief.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
But I would encourage you with my words, and my speech would ease your pain.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
Job is saying that if he were in his friends' position, he would use his words to comfort and strengthen them rather than add to their suffering.
📚 Historical Context
Job is responding to his three friends who came to comfort him but instead accused him of wrongdoing to explain his suffering. In the ancient Near East, friends were expected to provide comfort during times of crisis, but Job's friends had become his accusers. Job contrasts what he would do as a true friend with how his friends have actually treated him.
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