Job 24:21

Job 24:21

19 As drought and heat¹ consume the snow waters,
So¹ the grave consumes those who have sinned.

20 The womb should forget him,
The worm should feed sweetly on him;
^aHe should be remembered no more,
And wickedness should be broken like a tree.

21 For he¹ preys on the barren who do not bear,
And does no good for the widow.

22 “But God draws the mighty away with His power;
He rises up, but no man is sure of life.

23 He gives them security, and they rely on it;
Yet ^aHis eyes are on their ways.

24 They are¹ exalted for a little while,
Then they are gone.
They are brought low;
They are taken out of the way like all others;
They dry out like the heads of grain.

25 “Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar,
And make my speech worth nothing?”

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

<< Job 24:20

Job 24:22 >>

The reason given by the friends why the sinner deserves such a fate.

barren—without sons, who might have protected her.

widow—without a husband to support her.

Job 24:18-21

In these verses Job quotes the opinions of his adversaries ironically; he quoted them so before (Job 21:7-21). In Job 24:22-24, he states his own observation as the opposite. You say, "The sinner is swift, that is, swiftly passes away (as a thing floating) on the surface of the waters" (Ecclesiastes 11:1; Hosea 10:7).

is cursed—by those who witness their "swift" destruction.

beholdeth not—"turneth not to"; figuratively, for He cannot enjoy his pleasant possessions (Job 20:17; Job 15:33).

the way of the vineyards—including his fields, fertile as vineyards; opposite to "the way of the desert."

Job 24:2-24

Instances of the wicked doing the worst deeds with seeming impunity (Job 24:2-24).

Some—the wicked.

landmarks—boundaries between different pastures (Deuteronomy 19:14; Proverbs 22:28).

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Job 24:21:**

Job 27:11-23

<< Job 24:20

Job 24:22 >>

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