Job 21 19

Job 21:19 kjv

God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.

Job 21:19 nkjv

They say, 'God lays up one's iniquity for his children'; Let Him recompense him, that he may know it.

Job 21:19 niv

It is said, 'God stores up the punishment of the wicked for their children.' Let him repay the wicked, so that they themselves will experience it!

Job 21:19 esv

You say, 'God stores up their iniquity for their children.' Let him pay it out to them, that they may know it.

Job 21:19 nlt

"'Well,' you say, 'at least God will punish their children!'
But I say he should punish the ones who sin,
so that they understand his judgment.

Job 21 verses

Job 21 19 Meaning

Job 21:19 is part of Job’s sustained response to his friends' rigid doctrine of divine retribution. In this verse, Job first quotes a common theological belief held by his friends and often expressed in wisdom literature, which states that God delays punishing the wicked and instead "stores up" their iniquity or the consequences of their sin for their children. Immediately following this popular belief, Job vehemently counters it, asserting his own challenge: "Let Him repay him," demanding that God should exact punishment directly upon the wicked person in their lifetime, so that the individual who committed the sin "may know it" – meaning, they should directly experience and understand the consequences of their own actions. This verse encapsulates a core tension in the Book of Job: the challenge to a simplistic application of justice where the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper, particularly questioning the idea of deferred judgment onto innocent offspring.

Job 21 19 Context

Job 21:19 is embedded within Job's third response (Job 21) to his three friends, particularly addressing Zophar's recent pronouncement of the wicked's swift destruction (Job 20). The friends, following traditional wisdom theology, maintain that God inevitably punishes the wicked, if not immediately, then certainly within their lifetime, or that their descendants will bear the consequences. Job, throughout chapter 21, presents his empirical observations which directly contradict this simplistic model. He argues that often the wicked live long, prosper, enjoy peace, and die comfortably (Job 21:7-13). It is within this observation that Job anticipates and addresses a common retort: if the wicked escape immediate personal judgment, then their punishment must be deferred to their children. Job's indignant demand "Let Him repay him, that he may know it!" reveals his frustration with a theology that delays justice or displaces it onto innocent parties. He yearns for a visible, personal retribution that vindicates God's justice to the offender himself, rather than an abstract or postponed consequence on their lineage.

Job 21 19 Word analysis

• "God stores up": Hebrew Elohim ṣāphan (אֱלֹוהַּ יִצְפֹּן).
  • Elohim (אֱלֹוהַּ): A general Hebrew term for God, often used when referring to God's universal sovereignty or power.
  • ṣāphan (צָפַן): "to hide, to treasure up, to lay up, to reserve." The root implies preserving something, often with an intention for future use or revelation. In this context, it suggests that the punishment for sin is not cancelled but held in reserve, implying delayed justice. It also hints at a hidden or concealed divine process, something Job finds unsatisfactory.
• "a man's iniquity": Hebrew ʾawōnnô (עֲוֹנוֹ).
  • ʾawon (עָוֹן): "iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity." This term encompasses both the sin itself (perversity, depravity) and its consequences or punishment. The ambiguity underscores the friends' view that either the moral failing or its resulting penalty is being reserved.
• "for his children": Hebrew ləvānāyw (לְבָנָיו).
  • ləvānāyw: Literally "to his sons/children." This is the core element of the traditional, corporate retribution theology that Job challenges. It points to a transfer of consequences from the guilty parent to their innocent offspring. The "children" refers to descendants, implying a generational curse or legacy of sin's punishment.
• "Let Him repay him": Hebrew yəšallēm lô (יְשַׁלֵּם לֽוֹ).
  • yəšallēm: From šālam (שׁלם), "to pay back, repay, restore, compensate, complete." This jussive form expresses a strong wish, demand, or challenge from Job. It implies the expectation of a just compensation for deeds, whether good or evil.
  • lô: "to him, for him." The dative suffix clearly indicates the specific person, the individual who committed the iniquity. This highlights Job's desire for personal accountability and immediate, direct retribution, as opposed to generational suffering.
• "that he may know it": Hebrew vəyēdaʿ (וְיֵדַע).
  • vəyēdaʿ: "and he may know, perceive, understand, experience." This verb speaks to direct personal experience and realization. Job's point is that the offender himself should face the consequences so that he directly understands or feels the divine retribution. It implies that true justice involves the guilty party experiencing their just deserts, rather than them prospering while others suffer for their actions. This challenges the friends' idea of God's wisdom in administering justice from a distance.

Words-group analysis

• "God stores up a man's iniquity for his children": This phrase articulates the very doctrine of corporate responsibility and delayed justice that Job is directly opposing in his discourse. It presents God's perceived method of judgment according to the prevailing retribution theology that Job and his friends debate. It reflects a traditional view found in the Pentateuch, emphasizing that the consequences of sin could extend across generations.
• "Let Him repay him, that he may know it": This is Job’s counter-demand and a radical theological assertion in his time. Instead of God allowing the wicked to flourish while punishing their descendants (a form of injustice from Job’s perspective), Job demands that God should personally and visibly execute justice on the sinner himself. This insistence on direct and individual retribution "that he may know it" speaks to Job’s profound yearning for transparent and immediately comprehensible divine justice on earth, especially given the perceived prosperity of the wicked.

Job 21 19 Bonus section

The concept of God "storing up" punishment for children (generational punishment) was a legitimate, albeit nuanced, aspect of early Israelite covenant theology (Ex 20:5; Num 14:18). However, later prophets like Jeremiah (Jer 31:29-30) and Ezekiel (Ezek 18) vehemently challenged and reinterpreted this concept, emphasizing individual accountability above all else ("the soul who sins shall die"). Job's protest in 21:19 is a remarkably early, proto-prophetic challenge to the limitations of a rigid corporate retribution doctrine, anticipating the later prophetic push towards individual moral responsibility. Job's lament exposes the inadequacy of a justice system that always allows the perpetrator to escape immediate consequences, questioning the ethical implications for innocent generations. This struggle over individual versus corporate responsibility is a significant theological theme explored throughout the Old Testament.

Job 21 19 Commentary

Job 21:19 captures a pivotal theological tension within the book. It encapsulates the orthodox, but often oversimplified, retribution theology that Job’s friends championed: sin is punished, if not directly to the perpetrator, then certainly to their descendants. Job directly quotes this idea—"God stores up a man's iniquity for his children"—as a potential explanation for the wicked's observed prosperity. His immediate and vehement retort—"Let Him repay him, that he may know it"—is a bold challenge to this deferred justice. Job argues against the notion that an individual should escape consequences in their lifetime while their innocent children suffer. He seeks immediate, visible, and personal justice for the guilty party, not just because he desires punishment, but because he believes it is the only way for the justice of God to be clearly demonstrated and for the sinner himself to truly "know" and comprehend the consequence of his actions. This demonstrates Job's frustration with God's perceived hiddenness and the moral ambiguity of life, where divine justice is not always clear or immediate. Job’s demand implicitly argues for a morally intelligible universe, where the scales of justice are balanced in real time and for the responsible party. For example, if a criminal accumulates wealth through crime and lives comfortably, dying peacefully while his family struggles, Job would argue this is a fundamental failure of discernible justice. He craves a clear divine intervention that corrects such apparent moral disorder, making divine righteousness evident to all.