Job 18:19 kjv
He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.
Job 18:19 nkjv
He has neither son nor posterity among his people, Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
Job 18:19 niv
He has no offspring or descendants among his people, no survivor where once he lived.
Job 18:19 esv
He has no posterity or progeny among his people, and no survivor where he used to live.
Job 18:19 nlt
They will have neither children nor grandchildren,
nor any survivor in the place where they lived.
Job 18 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 34:16 | The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them... | Divine judgment; cutting off memory of wicked. |
| Psa 37:28 | ...but the offspring of the wicked shall be cut off. | The wicked's offspring cut off. |
| Psa 37:34-36 | Wait for the Lord...for the wicked will be cut off...Though I have seen a wicked man...cut down... | The wicked will be cut off, disappear. |
| Psa 109:13 | May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation. | Specific curse against progeny; name blotted out. |
| Prov 2:22 | But the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted from it. | Wicked removed from their place. |
| Prov 10:7 | The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. | Contrast between righteous/wicked legacy. |
| Isa 14:20 | For you will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have slain your people. The offspring of evildoers will never be named. | No legacy/name for evildoers. |
| Jer 35:19 | Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.' | Blessing of a continuous lineage (contrast). |
| Mal 4:1 | ...for them the day is coming...which will leave them neither root nor branch. | Utter destruction; no offspring or remnant. |
| Num 24:20 | Then Balaam looked on Amalek and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations, but its end will be utter destruction." | Prophecy of total destruction. |
| Deu 29:20 | The Lord will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the Lord and his jealousy...to blot out his name. | Blurring of name due to covenant breaking. |
| 1 Sam 2:30 | "I declare that your house and the house of your father shall walk before me forever." But now the Lord declares: "Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. | Conditional blessing; priestly line threatened. |
| 1 Sam 2:31-33 | Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength...so that no old man will be in your house. | Specific cutting off of Eli's priestly lineage. |
| Job 42:12-16 | And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had fourteen thousand sheep...And he also had seven sons and three daughters. | Job's blessed restoration with many offspring. |
| Psa 21:10 | You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among the children of man. | Destruction of offspring from the earth. |
| Isa 10:21-22 | A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob...for a full end, decreed, will overflow with righteousness. | Concept of a "survivor" or "remnant" (positive context, divine purpose). |
| Amos 9:10 | All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, 'Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.' | Death of the unrepentant. |
| Rom 9:27-29 | Isaiah cries concerning Israel: "Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved..." | The idea of a preserved "remnant" (in contrast to utter loss). |
| Gal 6:7-8 | Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. | Principle of sowing and reaping (negative consequences for unrighteousness). |
| Pro 22:22-23 | Do not rob the poor...for the Lord will plead their cause and pluck out the life of those who pluck them. | The Lord punishes those who harm others. |
| Pro 24:20 | For there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out. | The wicked have no future/hope. |
| Lam 5:2-3 | Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners...we have become orphans. | Loss of inheritance, home, lineage (as a consequence). |
Job 18 verses
Job 18 19 Meaning
Job 18:19 describes the perceived ultimate fate of the wicked according to Bildad's traditional wisdom: a complete and utter annihilation of their lineage and legacy. It asserts that such a person will have no future generations to carry on their name, nor any individual remaining to bear witness to their existence in their former dwelling places. This portrays a complete erasure from both familial history and physical memory within their community, signifying the most severe form of divine judgment in ancient thought.
Job 18 19 Context
Job 18:19 is part of Bildad the Shuhite's second speech to Job, found in Job chapter 18. This speech is characterized by Bildad's unwavering adherence to the traditional wisdom doctrine of divine retribution, which posits a direct correlation between a person's conduct and their fortune or suffering. Bildad is certain that Job's immense suffering can only be a consequence of his hidden sin, therefore, he describes the comprehensive fate of the wicked. His intention is not only to explain what he believes is happening to Job, but also to subtly coerce Job into admitting his alleged transgression. This verse particularly emphasizes the ultimate and devastating judgment awaiting the wicked, focusing on the obliteration of their lineage and any trace of their physical presence. It stands in stark contrast to Job's experience of later restoration (Job 42:12-16), revealing the limitations and flawed assumptions of the friends' theology.
Job 18 19 Word analysis
- He: Refers to the "wicked man" (Job 18:5-7) being described by Bildad. Bildad applies universal principles of justice, but his underlying assumption is that Job is such a man.
- will have no: The Hebrew לֹא-יִוָּן (lo'-yiw-wan), is a strong negation. The verb נָוָה (navah), in the Niph'al stem, implies a state of being settled or enduring, so "will not endure" or "will not continue." This sets an absolute and unchangeable declaration of non-existence.
- offspring / descendant: The Hebrew נֵכֶד (neḵeḏ), literally "grandson" or "progeny." This term specifically points to the next generation, highlighting the complete cutting off of the family line. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, the continuation of the family name through descendants was paramount, ensuring one's memory and legacy persisted. To have no neḵeḏ was considered a most severe curse and a sign of divine displeasure.
- among his people: This signifies a social and communal erasure. Not only is the personal lineage ended, but any presence or remembrance within their broader community or clan is extinguished. It speaks to a loss of identity and connection within the very fabric of society.
- nor any: The Hebrew וְלֹא (wə-lō), "and not," reinforces the absolute negation. It adds another layer of completeness to the described annihilation, emphasizing that no part or aspect of the person will be spared.
- survivor: The Hebrew שָׂרִיד (śā-rîḏ), refers to a remnant or one who has escaped or been left alive after a disaster or destruction. Bildad stresses that absolutely no one, not even a single individual, will be left to bear the person's name or memory.
- where he once lived: The Hebrew מִשְּׁכֻנֹתָיו (miš-šə-ḵu-nōṯāw), "from his dwelling places" or "habitations." This refers to the physical locale and home territory associated with the person. It signifies an erasure from the physical landscape; their former dwelling will contain no sign or memory of them, symbolizing the ultimate blotting out of presence and legacy from the land itself.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "He will have no offspring or descendant among his people": This phrase focuses on the biological and social eradication of the individual's future and collective identity. The family name ceases, and their societal memory among their kin vanishes.
- "nor any survivor where he once lived": This complements the first part by emphasizing the complete obliteration of their physical and personal legacy. Not even a single person remains connected to their dwelling or a witness to their existence, underscoring a holistic wiping away from both genealogical and geographical records.
Job 18 19 Bonus section
- Bildad's harsh declaration is meant to inflict psychological pressure on Job, forcing him to confess alleged hidden sins.
- The Hebrew parallelism in the verse—offspring/descendant corresponding to survivor, and "among his people" corresponding to "where he once lived"—emphasizes the thoroughness of the anticipated judgment from all aspects: genetic, social, and physical.
- The belief in the wiping out of the wicked’s lineage and memory (e.g., Psa 34:16; 109:13; Prov 10:7) was a deeply ingrained aspect of Israelite wisdom, but Job's story challenges the simplistic application of this principle.
Job 18 19 Commentary
Job 18:19 powerfully encapsulates Bildad’s rigid understanding of God’s justice, which dictated that the wicked would inevitably suffer utter ruin, especially through the eradication of their family line and historical presence. In an ancient world where identity was deeply tied to family and land, the threat of having no descendant or survivor, no one to remember you or your home, represented the most extreme form of punishment. This reflects a widely held view that divine blessings included progeny and longevity, while curses meant the cutting off of both. Bildad applies this traditional tenet implicitly to Job, asserting that his plight can only be the result of severe sin that warrants such a dire fate.
The irony lies in the fact that Job, though suffering, eventually receives restoration, including many descendants (Job 42). This demonstrates that God's justice is far more nuanced than Bildad and his friends comprehended. It reveals that human suffering is not always a direct consequence of specific sin, nor is divine justice always immediately visible or perfectly aligned with conventional human expectations of retribution.