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Texts -- Job 21:14-34 (NET)

Context
21:14 So they say to God , ‘Turn away from us! We do not want to know your ways . 21:15 Who is the Almighty , that we should serve him? What would we gain if we were to pray to him?’ 21:16 But their prosperity is not their own doing . The counsel of the wicked is far from me!
How Often Do the Wicked Suffer?
21:17 “How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished ? How often does their misfortune come upon them? How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger ? 21:18 How often are they like straw before the wind , and like chaff swept away by a whirlwind ? 21:19 You may say, ‘God stores up a man’s punishment for his children !’ Instead let him repay the man himself so that he may know it! 21:20 Let his own eyes see his destruction ; let him drink of the anger of the Almighty . 21:21 For what is his interest in his home after his death, when the number of his months has been broken off ? 21:22 Can anyone teach God knowledge , since he judges those that are on high ?
Death Levels Everything
21:23 “One man dies in his full vigor , completely secure and prosperous , 21:24 his body well nourished , and the marrow of his bones moist . 21:25 And another man dies in bitterness of soul , never having tasted anything good . 21:26 Together they lie down in the dust , and worms cover over them both.
Futile Words, Deceptive Answers
21:27 “Yes , I know what you are thinking , the schemes by which you would wrong me. 21:28 For you say , ‘Where now is the nobleman’s house , and where are the tents in which the wicked lived ?’ 21:29 Have you never questioned those who travel the roads ? Do you not recognize their accounts – 21:30 that the evil man is spared from the day of his misfortune , that he is delivered from the day of God’s wrath ? 21:31 No one denounces his conduct to his face ; no one repays him for what he has done . 21:32 And when he is carried to the tombs , and watch is kept over the funeral mound , 21:33 The clods of the torrent valley are sweet to him; behind him everybody follows in procession, and before him goes a countless throng. 21:34 So how can you console me with your futile words? Nothing is left of your answers but deception !”

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Job

    [nave] JOB 1. A man who dwelt in Uz, Job 1:1. Righteousness of, Job 1:1, 5, 8; 2:3; Ezek. 14:14, 20. Riches of, Job 1:3. Trial of, by affliction of Satan, Job 1:13-19; 2:7-10. Fortitude of, Job 1:20-22; 2:10; Jas. 5:11. Visite...

  • Wicked

    [nave] WICKED Compared with: Abominable branches, Isa. 14:19; ashes under the feet, Mal. 4:3; bad fishes, Matt. 13:48; beasts, Psa. 49:12; 2 Pet. 2:12; the blind, Zeph. 1:17; Matt. 15:14; bronze and iron, Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18; br...

  • Death

    [nave] DEATH. Called in some versions &ld;Giving Up the Ghost,&rd; Gen. 25:8; 35:29; Lam. 1:19; Acts 5:10. King of Terrors Job 18:14. A Change Job 14:14. Going to your Fathers Gen. 15:15; 25:8; 35:29. Putting Off This Tabe...

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • Self-righteousness

    [nave] SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS. Num. 16:3; Deut. 9:4-6; 1 Sam. 2:9; Job 6:13; Job 11:4-6; Job 12:2; Job 13:3, 13, 15, 19; Job 16:17, 18; Job 18:2-4; Job 21:27-29; Job 22:2, 3; Job 32:1, 2; Job 33:8, 9; Job 35:2, 7, 8; Psa. 10:5, 6; Pro...

  • Stubble

    [isbe] STUBBLE - stub'-'-l (qash (Ex 5:12, etc.); kalame (The Wisdom of Solomon 3:7; 1 Cor 3:12)): These Hebrew and Greek forms are used of the stalks of wheat, etc., left knee-high in the field by the reapers. tebhen (Job 21:18), ...
    [nave] STUBBLE. Figurative Of the wicked, Ex. 15:7; Job 21:18; Psa. 83:13; Isa. 5:24; 40:24; 41:2; 47:14; Jer. 13:24; Joel 2:5; Nah. 1:10; Mal. 4:1.

  • Amusements and Worldly Pleasures

    [nave] AMUSEMENTS AND WORLDLY PLEASURES Belong to the works of the flesh, Gal. 5:19, 21; are transitory, Job 21:12, 13; Heb. 11:25; vain, Eccl. 2:11; choke the word of God in the heart, Luke 8:14; formed a part of idolatrous worshi...

  • AGRICULTURE

    [ebd] Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession of the Promised Land, the...
    [smith] This was little cared for by the patriarchs. The pastoral life, however, was the means of keeping the sacred race, whilst yet a family, distinct from mixture and locally unattached, especially whilst in Egypt. When grown into...

  • Pride

    [nave] PRIDE. Ex. 18:10, 11; Lev. 26:19; Deut. 8:11-14, 17-20; Judg. 9:14, 15; 1 Sam. 2:3-5; 1 Kin. 20:11; 2 Kin. 14:9, 10 2 Chr. 25:18, 19. Job 11:12; Job 12:2, 3; Job 13:2, 5; Job 15:1-13; Job 18:3, 4; Job 21:31, 32; Job 32:9-13...

  • Infidelity

    [nave] INFIDELITY. Gen. 3:1 v. 4.; Ex. 5:2; Ex. 14:11 v. 12;; Ex. 16:3, 7; Num. 14:27-34; 16:41; 21:5. Ex. 17:7; Num. 15:30 v. 31.; Deut. 29:19, 20 v. 21.; Deut. 32:15; 1 Kin. 20:28; 1 Kin. 22:24; 2 Kin. 2:23 v. 24.; 2 Chr. 30:6, ...

  • Prayerlessness

    [nave] PRAYERLESSNESS. Job 15:4; Job 21:14, 15; Job 27:10; Psa. 14:4 Psa. 53:4. Psa. 79:6; Isa. 43:22; Isa. 64:7; Jer. 10:21, 25; Dan. 9:13; Hos. 7:7; Jonah 1:6; Zeph. 1:6

  • Rich, The

    [nave] RICH, THE: Neh. 5:1-13; Job 21:7-15; Job 27:13-23; Job 31:24, 25, 28; Psa. 49:16-18; Psa. 52:1-7; Psa. 73:3-22; Prov. 14:20; Prov. 18:11, 23; Prov. 28:11; Eccl. 5:13, 14, 19, 20; Jer. 5:7-9, 27-29; Jer. 9:23; Jer. 17:11; Je...

  • WORM

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. sas (Isa. 51:8), denotes the caterpillar of the clothes-moth. (2.) The manna bred worms (tola'im), but on the Sabbath there was not any worm (rimmah) therein (Ex. 16:20, 24). Here these words refer to caterpillars ...
    [smith] the representative in the Authorized Version of several Hebrew words. Sas , which occurs in (Isaiah 51:18) probably denotes some particular species of moth, whose larva is injurious to wool. Rimmah , (Exodus 16:20) points evi...

  • Worldliness

    [nave] WORLDLINESS. 1 Sam. 8:19, 20; Job 20:4-29; Job 21:11-15; Psa. 49:16-18; Psa. 73:2-22; Prov. 14:12, 13; Prov. 15:21; Prov. 21:17; Prov. 23:20, 21; Prov. 27:1, 7; Eccl. 1:8; Eccl. 2:1-12; Eccl. 6:11, 12; Eccl. 8:15-17; Eccl. ...

  • Scoffing

    [nave] SCOFFING: 2 Chr. 30:6-10; 2 Chr. 36:16; Job 21:14, 15; Job 34:7; Psa. 1:1; Psa. 42:3 v. 10.; Psa. 73:11; Psa. 78:19, 20; Psa. 107:11, 12; Prov. 1:22, 25; Prov. 3:34; Prov. 9:12; Prov. 13:1; Prov. 14:6, 9; Prov. 19:29; Prov....

  • Chaff

    [isbe] CHAFF - chaf: Four different words have been translated "chaff" in the Old Testament: (1) mots, is found in Job 21:18; Ps 1:4; 35:5; Isa 17:13; 29:5; 41:15; Hos 13:3; Zeph 2:2. (2) chashash, occurs in two verses (Isa 5:24 an...
    [nave] CHAFF, Figurative Job 21:18; Psa. 1:4; 35:5; Isa. 17:13; Dan. 2:35; Hos. 13:3; Matt. 3:12; Luke 3:17.

  • Prayer

    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • Destruction

    [nave] DESTRUCTION Physical Decomposition Lev. 22:25. After death, Gen. 3:19; Job 17:14; 21:26; 34:15; Psa. 16:10; 49:9; 104:29; Eccl. 3:20; 12:7; Jonah 2:6; Acts 2:27, 31; 13:34-37; 1 Cor. 15:42, 50. Figurative Of sin, Isa. 38...

  • Children

    [nave] CHILDREN In answer to prayer: To Abraham, Gen. 15:2-5, with Gen. 21:1, 2; Isaac, Gen. 25:21; Leah, Gen. 30:17-22; Rachel, Gen. 30:22-24; Haah, 1 Sam. 1:9-20; Zacharias, Luke 1:13. Treatment of, at birth, Ezek. 16:4-6; Luke ...

  • Vanity

    [nave] VANITY A consequence of the fall, Rom. 8:20. Every one is, Psa. 39:11. Every state of mankind is, Psa. 62:9. Mankind in his best estate is, Psa. 39:5. Mankind is like to, Psa. 144:4. The thoughts of mankind are, Psa. 94...
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Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • The two soliloquies of Job (chs. 3 and 29-31) enclose three cycles of dialogue between Job and his three friends. Each cycle consists of speeches by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in that order interspersed with Job's reply to e...
  • "But it is just here, when everything is blackest, that his faith . . . like the rainbow in the cloud . . . shines with a marvelous splendor."89This short section contains probably the best known verses in the book (vv. 23-27...
  • Job's friends had been selective in their observations regarding wicked people. They had pointed out only the cases in which God judged them on earth. Job now presented the other side of the story. There were many wicked who ...
  • Job claimed that the wicked die for the same reason the righteous die. They are sinners. They do not inevitably die early because they are wicked sinners. Furthermore God does not punish the children of the wicked who die lat...
  • By urging them to ask travelers (v. 29) Job was accusing his friends of holding a provincial viewpoint, one formed out of limited exposure to life. Though some writers have taken verse 31 as a quotation of the view of Job's f...
  • Eliphaz proceeded next to judge Job's motives. He assumed Job had concluded that because God was far away in heaven he would get away with sin on earth. However, Job had affirmed God's omniscience (21:22). Perhaps Eliphaz had...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
  • 11:2 A proud person refuses to accept instruction from God, which, if he or she would follow it, would result in his or her receiving honor. The humble take God's advice, and that is their wisdom.10211:4 Riches do not profit ...
  • That another oracle is in view is clear from the question and answer format that begins this pericope, as it does the others. Verse 17 contains the question and answer, and the discussion follows in 3:1-6. The Israelites' cha...
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