Job 18:20 kjv
They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.
Job 18:20 nkjv
Those in the west are astonished at his day, As those in the east are frightened.
Job 18:20 niv
People of the west are appalled at his fate; those of the east are seized with horror.
Job 18:20 esv
They of the west are appalled at his day, and horror seizes them of the east.
Job 18:20 nlt
People in the west are appalled at their fate;
people in the east are horrified.
Job 18 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference ||--------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|| Ps 37:35-36 | I have seen a wicked, ruthless man... but he vanished... | Wicked's sudden disappearance, a warning. || Ps 73:17-19 | till I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end... | The wicked's sudden, terrifying end. || Prov 10:24 | What the wicked dreads will come upon him... | Their deserved fear becomes reality. || Isa 3:11 | Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have done. | Clear declaration of deserved retribution. || Mal 4:1 | "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace..." | The great and dreadful "day" of judgment. || Rom 2:5-6 | you are storing up wrath for yourself... God will render to each according. | Storing up wrath for a future "day." || 2 Thess 1:8-9| inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God... eternal destruction. | Direct judgment brings ruin and horror. || Heb 10:26-27 | no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judg. | Fear of the coming judgment for persistent sin.|| Rev 19:20 | The beast was captured... thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.| Ultimate, public fate of rebellion. || Ezek 28:19 | all who know you among the peoples are appalled at you. | People appalled by the judgment of the arrogant.|| Ezek 32:10 | Many peoples will be appalled at you... | Nations shocked by a great nation's downfall.|| Zeph 1:14-16 | The great day of the Lord is near... a day of wrath, a day of distress. | Descriptions of a terrible, appalling day. || Jer 2:12 | Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate. | Heavens appalled at Israel's spiritual sin. || Job 21:30 | the wicked man is reserved for the day of calamity... | The wicked's fate is appointed for a specific "day."|| Ps 37:13 | the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. | God knows and decrees the day of reckoning. || Isa 13:9-10 | Behold, the day of the Lord comes... to make the land a desolation. | A prophetic day of widespread judgment and ruin.|| Ezek 7:7, 10 | The time has come, the day is here... Behold, the day! | Repeated emphasis on the immediacy of judgment's "day."|| Joel 1:15 | Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near... devastation. | Lament over the devastating "day of the Lord." || 1 Thess 5:2-3| for you yourselves know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief. | The suddenness of the Lord's terrifying day. || 2 Pet 3:10 | But the day of the Lord will come like a thief... | The destructive arrival of the Lord's day. || Num 16:34 | all Israel fled at their outcry... fear that the earth might swallow them.| Direct historical example of overwhelming terror at divine judgment.|| Deut 29:22-28| all the nations will say, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this land?’ | Future nations appalled by observed judgment.|| Rev 15:3-4 | Great and amazing are your deeds... All nations will come and worship. | Nations respond in awe and worship to God's judgments.|
Job 18 verses
Job 18 20 Meaning
Job 18:20 speaks to the profound and lasting impact of the wicked person's downfall. Bildad declares that future generations will be utterly appalled by the severity of his judgment, just as those who lived before experienced overwhelming terror when confronted with such divine retribution. This highlights the public and universally understood nature of God's justice against ungodliness.
Job 18 20 Context
Job 18:20 is part of Bildad's second speech to Job (Job 18:1-21). Throughout his speech, Bildad relentlessly argues for the direct and visible correlation between wickedness and suffering, aiming to convince Job that his calamities must be a result of his own sin. Bildad describes in vivid detail the terrifying, all-encompassing destruction that awaits the wicked: their light goes out (v. 5-6), they are ensnared (v. 7-10), terror strikes them (v. 11-12), and their lineage perishes (v. 16-19). Verse 20 specifically elaborates on the effect of this downfall on those who observe it, whether from the past or the future, underscoring the universal, undeniable witness to God's uncompromising justice. Historically, such retribution theology was common in the Ancient Near East, connecting divine favor with prosperity and disfavor with suffering, thus providing a framework for understanding calamities. Bildad's words are a direct polemic against Job's assertion of innocent suffering.
Job 18 20 Word analysis
- Those who come after (Hebrew: אֲחֹרִים, ʾăḥōrîm): Refers to future generations, posterity, those who will live in subsequent times. This indicates the lasting nature of the impression made by the wicked's demise.
- will be appalled (Hebrew: יִשְׁתּוֹמּוּ, yištōmmû): From the root shamem, meaning to be desolate, astonished, horrified. It denotes a deep, unsettling sense of shock, dismay, or bewilderment, indicating the overwhelming severity of the judgment.
- at his day (Hebrew: עַל־יוֹמוֹ, ʿal-yômô): "His day" is a Hebraism referring not to a literal 24-hour period but to the appointed time of his calamity, judgment, or downfall. It signifies the climax of his just retribution.
- as those who went before (Hebrew: כַּאֲשֶׁר קַדְמֹנִים, kaʾăšer qaḏmōnîm): Refers to past generations or predecessors. This emphasizes that such events are not new; they have always elicited the same profound reactions from witnesses throughout history, reinforcing the timelessness of God's justice.
- were seized with terror (Hebrew: אֲחָזָם פַּלָּצֽוּת, ʾaḥazam pallāṣûṯ): Literally, "terror seized them." ʾaḥazam means "grasped them," signifying an involuntary, overpowering grip. pallāṣûṯ is a strong word for extreme horror, shuddering, or trembling, suggesting a visceral, overwhelming dread inspired by the spectacle of divine wrath.
Words-group analysis:
- "Those who come after... as those who went before": This parallel structure highlights the universal and unchanging human reaction to divine judgment. God's justice is consistently recognized across all ages. It emphasizes that the consequences for the wicked are so profound they become a permanent, trans-generational lesson.
- "will be appalled... were seized with terror": The use of two powerful terms for horror and fear underlines the intense and traumatic impact of witnessing the wicked's downfall. It signifies a public, undeniable manifestation of divine wrath that provokes deep fear and astonishment, not just a casual observation.
Job 18 20 Bonus section
Bildad's forceful language underscores the pedagogical purpose of suffering and judgment in his theological framework. The terror that seizes both past and future observers of a wicked person's downfall serves as a public sermon on divine justice, reinforcing societal norms and moral accountability. This fear is not merely psychological but a response to the clear hand of God working in the world. The imagery suggests a deep visceral reaction, ensuring the lesson's profundity and permanence in human collective memory.
Job 18 20 Commentary
Bildad's statement in Job 18:20 encapsulates a key tenet of traditional wisdom literature concerning divine justice: the ultimate fate of the wicked is not merely their personal destruction, but also a public spectacle that serves as a powerful, enduring warning to humanity. The horror inspired by their downfall is so great that it elicits deep awe and fear across generations, from those who preceded them and witnessed similar judgments, to those who will follow and learn from the consequences. This verse articulates the conviction that God's judgments are not arbitrary or hidden but are visible manifestations of cosmic order and moral retribution, serving both as a just recompense for sin and a potent deterrent against future ungodliness. It emphasizes the unwavering consistency and solemn impact of divine justice in the eyes of all observers.