Job 15 29

Job 15:29 kjv

He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.

Job 15:29 nkjv

He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.

Job 15:29 niv

He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land.

Job 15:29 esv

he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth;

Job 15:29 nlt

Their riches will not last,
and their wealth will not endure.
Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.

Job 15 verses

Job 15 29 Meaning

Eliphaz proclaims that the wicked person will experience a complete failure regarding wealth. Their accumulated riches will not truly increase, their present prosperity will not last, and their possessions or influence will not expand or firmly establish themselves across the land. It asserts a divine certainty that the wicked’s material endeavors are destined for impermanence and futility.

Job 15 29 Context

Job 15:29 is part of Eliphaz's second speech (Job 15:1-35). Having accused Job indirectly in his first speech, Eliphaz now becomes more confrontational. He vehemently criticizes Job for questioning divine wisdom and for speaking words that negate fear of God. Eliphaz, representative of the traditional wisdom of his day, holds an inflexible belief in the retribution principle: the righteous prosper, and the wicked suffer. He meticulously describes the certain and inevitable downfall of the wicked (Job 15:20-35) to indirectly imply Job's guilt. For Eliphaz and his friends, lasting wealth and enduring legacy are unquestionable signs of divine blessing, and conversely, the lack of such things or their sudden disappearance, as with Job, is proof of underlying wickedness. The entire speech, and particularly this verse, serves as Eliphaz's misguided attempt to convince Job that his suffering is deserved punishment.

Job 15 29 Word analysis

• לֹא יַעֲשִׁיר (lo' ya'ashir): "He will not grow rich."

  • lo': Negation, "not."
  • ya'ashir (from ʿashar): To become wealthy, to accumulate riches, to grow in prosperity.
  • Significance: This implies that the wicked person's attempts to accumulate wealth will be futile from the outset, or their initial gains will not multiply into substantial riches. It speaks to a fundamental inability to attain genuine or lasting affluence, directly countering any visible prosperity they might temporarily possess.

• וְלֹא יָקוּם חֵילֹו (welo' yaqum cheilo): "nor will his wealth endure."

  • welo': Conjunction "and" + negation "not."
  • yaqum (from qum): To stand, to arise, to be established, to endure, to last.
  • cheilo (from chayil): His strength, ability, wealth, possessions, power, valor, substance. It encompasses not just money but overall effective might or capacity that wealth provides.
  • Significance: This goes beyond simple financial loss; it implies that whatever strength or prosperity the wicked possess, it lacks stability and permanence. It will not "stand" or hold up under scrutiny or the test of time, destined for collapse. It contrasts sharply with the steadfastness implied by divine blessing (e.g., a tree firmly planted).

• וְלֹא יֵט יִצְבּוּלָם אָרְצָה (welo' yet yitsbullam 'artsah): "his possessions will not spread over the land."

  • welo': Conjunction "and" + negation "not."
  • yet (from natah): To stretch out, extend, spread, bend.
  • yitsbullam (from zebul related to zbl): His habitation, magnificent house, noble dwelling, produce, accumulations. It speaks of something established or built up. Some interpretations relate it to the "perfection" or accumulation of his goods, implying his accumulated produce or buildings or legacy. It refers to what one builds or establishes for the future, whether material possessions or a dynasty.
  • 'artsah: To the earth, on the ground, over the land. This indicates physical expansion, influence, or enduring establishment within a territory.
  • Significance: This phrase points to a complete lack of lasting influence, secure establishment, or a perpetuating legacy. The wicked will not put down deep roots, their "built" prosperity will not extend widely or hold firmly, nor will it be successfully inherited or perpetuated across generations in the land. It’s about a failure to leave a permanent mark or consolidate power through their material gains, indicating that their 'domain' or sphere of influence remains shallow and fragile.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "He will not grow rich, nor will his wealth endure; his possessions will not spread over the land."
  • This triple negative (lo' ya'ashir, welo' yaqum, welo' yet) presents a comprehensive and emphatic statement of failure concerning material gain. It progresses from initial accumulation (grow rich) to continued preservation (endure) to long-term establishment and influence (spread over the land).
  • Eliphaz is detailing a complete reversal of the normal signs of prosperity and permanence in the ancient Near East, which included accumulating wealth, securing it, and expanding one's family/domain. This entire verse paints a picture of ultimate futility and non-existence for the wicked's material world.
  • It stands as a sweeping denouncement, portraying a divine certainty of their ruin, directly challenging any notion that the wicked could maintain any lasting hold on earthly prosperity or power.

Job 15 29 Bonus section

This particular declaration by Eliphaz (that the wicked will not grow rich, their wealth will not endure, and their possessions will not spread) stands in direct contradiction to the initial description of Job's prosperity in Job 1:3. There, Job is described as "the greatest of all the people of the East" due to his immense wealth – seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred donkeys, besides a very large household. By Eliphaz's rigid theology, if Job were wicked, he could not have attained and sustained such great riches and a flourishing estate. Thus, Eliphaz's statement, meant to condemn Job, ironically reinforces the central paradox of the book: an unquestionably righteous man (as attested by God in Job 1:8) is suffering exactly the kind of losses that, in Eliphaz's framework, are reserved only for the wicked. This underscores the theological bankruptcy of the friends' arguments in the face of Job's inexplicable trials.

Job 15 29 Commentary

Job 15:29 succinctly captures Eliphaz's unwavering theological conviction regarding the destiny of the wicked. For him, a person's material condition directly reflects their moral standing before God. He proclaims that the wicked, by divine decree, will experience utter failure in their pursuits of wealth and lasting establishment. Their attempts to accumulate riches (not grow rich) will be fundamentally fruitless. Whatever wealth they may seemingly gather (his wealth), it will inherently lack permanence and stability, failing to endure the tests of time or judgment. Furthermore, their possessions and the influence or legacy they hope to build (not spread over the land) will fail to gain deep roots or wide, enduring recognition.

This verse exemplifies the friends' flawed "retribution theology," which posits a simplistic cause-and-effect relationship between righteousness/wickedness and immediate material blessings/suffering. While the principle that true prosperity and legacy stem from God and wickedness leads to downfall is echoed in other biblical wisdom literature, Eliphaz's error lies in applying this general truth as an absolute, all-explaining dogma for all instances of suffering, particularly Job's. He uses it as an accusatory premise, implicitly telling Job that his suffering must mean he is among the wicked described, ignoring the complexities of God's ways and the possibility of suffering for purposes other than direct punishment for sin. This verse highlights the core tension in the book of Job, where simplistic human wisdom clashes with the mysterious and sovereign ways of the Creator.