Job 21 13

Job 21:13 kjv

They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

Job 21:13 nkjv

They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave.

Job 21:13 niv

They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.

Job 21:13 esv

They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.

Job 21:13 nlt

They spend their days in prosperity,
then go down to the grave in peace.

Job 21 verses

Job 21 13 Meaning

Job 21:13 conveys Job's observation that the wicked often live their entire lives in complete prosperity and well-being, reaching their natural end and dying swiftly and peacefully without prolonged suffering or evident divine judgment. This starkly contrasts with the rigid retribution theology promoted by his friends, which asserted that the wicked always suffer justly and immediately.

Job 21 13 Context

Chapter 21 is Job's direct, fervent response to Zophar's previous speech (Job 20), which vigorously asserted that the wicked always suffer swift and severe divine judgment. Job challenges this rigid theological formula with a profound, empirically driven counter-argument. He urges his friends to listen carefully (Job 21:2-3) as he presents compelling evidence that often, the wicked live long, prosperous lives, thrive in security, and pass away peacefully, even with their families prospering after them. This verse specifically articulates that the wicked's undisturbed existence extends to their death, contrasting with the friends' insistence on calamitous ends for them. The chapter highlights the pervasive mystery of suffering and apparent injustice in God's providence, which transcends human rational frameworks.

Job 21 13 Word analysis

• They: Refers directly to the "wicked" (rasha'im - רְשָׁעִים), whom Job has extensively described in the preceding verses (Job 21:7-12) as enjoying unhindered success and privilege.
• spend their days: Hebrew: yevallu yemêhem (יבלו ימיהם). Yevallu (from balah) means "they wear out," "they consume," or "they complete." It emphasizes that these wicked individuals live out their full appointed span of life, unlike the friends' claims that God shortens their days.
• in prosperity: Hebrew: baṭṭôv (בַּטּוֹב). Ṭôv signifies "good," "well-being," "welfare," "abundance," "pleasure." It implies a state of comprehensive blessing and comfort, extending beyond mere material wealth to an absence of trouble or affliction, directly opposing the suffering predicted for them by Job's friends.
• and in a moment: Hebrew: uva-rega (וּבְרָגַע). Rega literally means "a wink," "an instant," "suddenly." This powerful adverb highlights the quickness and unexpected ease of their transition from life to death. It denotes no protracted illness, no drawn-out agony, nor any public display of divine retribution, as Job's friends would anticipate for the ungodly.
• go down: Hebrew: yeḥatu (יֵחָתוּ). This verb means "they descend" or "they go down." It's a common, neutral term for entering the realm of the dead.
• to the grave: Hebrew: sh'ol (שְׁאוֹל). Sheol is the universal abode of the dead in the Old Testament, the shadowy underworld to which all souls, both righteous and wicked, depart. Job points out that even the wicked enter this common destination, seemingly without special torment or a different entry than anyone else.

Words-group analysis:

• "They spend their days in prosperity": This phrase paints a complete picture of an unmarred and satisfying existence. It highlights that the wicked often enjoy a full and extensive measure of life's good things, fundamentally challenging the assumption that their lives would be cut short or be miserable.
• "and in a moment go down to the grave": This stark contrast underscores the surprising peacefulness and suddenness of their end. There is no lingering torment, no public spectacle of divine wrath; their death is quick and uneventful, further eroding the friends' simplistic theological framework that demands dramatic earthly judgment for the wicked.

Job 21 13 Bonus section

This verse significantly contributes to the broader biblical discourse on the problem of evil and the justice of God. Job's keen observation is not a denial of God's justice but a critique of a limited human understanding of it. It pushes against the idea that prosperity automatically signifies divine favor or that suffering is always a sign of divine wrath, introducing a critical nuance to Old Testament wisdom literature. The book of Job, particularly this chapter, forces the audience to grapple with a delayed or unseen justice, foreshadowing the fuller revelation of an ultimate judgment and an eternal state where all wrongs will be set right (e.g., in the New Testament). It instructs believers to avoid rigid, simplistic theological frameworks that fail to account for the complex realities of life as observed in God's world.

Job 21 13 Commentary

Job 21:13 stands as a pivotal assertion within the book of Job, representing a core challenge to the conventional wisdom of his era regarding divine justice. Job meticulously observes and declares that, contrary to the dogmatic pronouncements of his companions, wicked individuals frequently live out their full lives, characterized by comfort, ease, and unhindered prosperity. Furthermore, their demise is not marked by the agonizing suffering or visible divine judgment that the friends anticipate, but by a sudden and seemingly peaceful transition into Sheol, the common fate of all humanity. This empirical declaration by Job effectively dismantles the friends' simplistic cause-and-effect theology that dictates immediate earthly retribution for all evil. The verse introduces a profound tension between theological expectations and lived reality, prompting a deeper contemplation of God's complex and often mysterious governance of the world, reminding believers that ultimate justice may not always manifest within the confines of temporal existence.