John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 31:21
If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless ,.... Either in a menacing way, threatening what he would do to them; which, from a man of wealth and authority, a civil magistrate, a judge, is very terrible to the poor and fatherless; or in order to strike him, which would be to smite with the fist of wickedness; or give a signal to others, by lifting up the hand to smite, as Ananias gave orders to smite the Apostle Paul; or thereby to give his vote against the fatherless wrongly,... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 31:16-23
Eliphaz had particularly charged Job with unmercifulness to the poor (Job 22:6-9): Thou hast withholden bread from the hungry, stripped the naked of their clothing, and sent widows away empty. One would think he could not have been so very positive and express in his charge unless there had been some truth in it, some ground, for it; and yet it appears, by Job's protestation, that it was utterly false and groundless; he was never guilty of any such thing. See here, I. The testimony which Job's... read more