Job's comforter

Someone who makes a person feel worse about a situation when trying to offer sympathy. A reference to the Biblical story of Job, who showed great faith amid difficult circumstances. Larry is a real Job's comforter. I know he was just trying to offer comforting words, but he made Maggie feel worse about her financial situation.

a Job's comforter

a person who aggravates distress under the guise of giving comfort.

In the Bible, Job was a prosperous man whose patience and piety was tested by a series of undeserved misfortunes. The attempts of his friends to comfort him only add to his sense of despair and he tells them: ‘miserable comforters are ye all’ (Job 16:2). Despite his ordeals, he remains confident of the goodness and justice of God and in the end he is restored to his former situation.

a ˌJob’s ˈcomforter

(old-fashioned) a person who is sympathetic but says things which make you feel even more unhappy than you are already: Ann came to see me when I was in hospital. She was a real Job’s comforter! She told me about somebody who had the same operation as me, and then died a month later.Job is a character in the Bible. His friends pretended to comfort him but were actually criticizing him.