Job 21:23 kjv
One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet.
Job 21:23 nkjv
One dies in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and secure;
Job 21:23 niv
One person dies in full vigor, completely secure and at ease,
Job 21:23 esv
One dies in his full vigor, being wholly at ease and secure,
Job 21:23 nlt
One person dies in prosperity,
completely comfortable and secure,
Job 21 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Eccl 9:2 | All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked... | Common fate for all, regardless of character |
| Ps 73:3-5 | For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked... They have no struggles... | Wicked prosper without visible struggles |
| Ps 73:12 | Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in wealth. | Wicked are at ease, accumulate wealth |
| Job 9:22 | He destroys both the blameless and the wicked. | God's sovereignty is impartial in judgment |
| Ecc 3:2 | a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; | God determines appointed times for all things |
| Dt 32:39 | 'See now that I myself am He! There is no god beside Me. I put to death and I bring to life...' | God alone holds power over life and death |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. | God's absolute power over life and death |
| Isa 57:1-2 | The righteous perish... and no one understands that the righteous are taken away... they enter into peace... | Peaceful death, sometimes seen as divine rest |
| Rom 11:33 | Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments... | God's ways are beyond human comprehension |
| Jas 4:14 | You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. | Human life's brevity and unpredictability |
| Ps 49:10 | For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the senseless alike perish... | Death's indiscriminate nature for all people |
| Job 21:7 | Why do the wicked live on, growing old and becoming mighty in power? | Direct challenge: Wicked prosper (context) |
| Job 21:30 | that the evil man is spared from the day of disaster... | Wicked sometimes escape temporal judgment |
| Heb 9:27 | And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment... | Universal appointed death for humanity |
| Amos 5:19 | As if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him... | Unpredictability of calamity and death |
| Lk 12:20 | But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you...' | Sudden, unexpected death by divine decree |
| 1 Chr 29:28 | He died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor. | Example of a peaceful, prosperous death |
| Ps 10:4-6 | In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him... He thinks, "Nothing will shake me..." | Wicked presume security without God |
| Eccl 7:15 | In my meaningless life I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness. | Contrasting fates, challenging retribution |
| Eccl 8:14 | There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. | Injustices observed in life |
| Eccl 9:3 | ...Moreover, the hearts of sons of men are full of evil and madness is in their hearts... and afterward they go to the dead. | Evil persists until the grave |
| Jer 12:1-2 | Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? | Similar lament on wicked prosperity |
| Hab 1:4 | So the law is paralyzed... for the wicked surround the righteous... | Wicked's seeming success over righteous |
| Ps 55:23 | ...bloody and deceptive men will not live out half their days... | (Counter-example often asserted, but not universally true) |
Job 21 verses
Job 21 23 Meaning
Job 21:23 portrays a man who dies while still in the vigor of life, completely at peace, and undisturbed. This statement by Job directly challenges the conventional belief of his friends, who maintained that the wicked always suffer prolonged, agonizing deaths as a visible sign of divine judgment. Job here asserts that some wicked individuals live and die seemingly without consequence, thriving in their prosperity and experiencing a tranquil end, contradicting the neat scheme of immediate temporal retribution proposed by his friends.
Job 21 23 Context
Job chapter 21 is a powerful rebuttal from Job to Zophar’s final speech (Job 20). Zophar had emphatically declared that the prosperity of the wicked is short-lived and that their destruction is inevitable and terrible. Job directly counters this theological framework by presenting evidence from his own observation that, in reality, the wicked often prosper throughout their lives, enjoying peace and ease, and frequently die tranquil deaths, untouched by apparent divine punishment. Verse 23 is a critical component of Job's argument, emphasizing that not only do some wicked people prosper, but they also die peacefully and without struggle, completely contradicting the "retribution theology" that his friends steadfastly uphold. It underscores the mysterious and often seemingly unfair nature of life and death, highlighting the limits of human understanding concerning divine justice.
Job 21 23 Word analysis
- This one (זֶה - zeh): A demonstrative pronoun, meaning "this" or "this one." In context, it points to the type of individual Job has just described or is about to describe, specifically the wicked man mentioned in preceding verses who lives prosperously (Job 21:7). It emphasizes that this is not an isolated incident but a specific category of observed reality.
- dies (יָמוּת - yamût): From the Hebrew root מות (mûṯ), meaning "to die." It signifies the inevitable end of physical life. The emphasis is on the fact of death itself, particularly how it occurs in this instance, devoid of the suffering anticipated by his friends.
- in his full strength (בְּעֶצֶם תֻּמּוֹ - bᵊʻeṣem tummô): This phrase is nuanced.
- בְּעֶצֶם (bᵊʻeṣem): ʻEṣem typically means "bone" or "substance" or "very essence/strength." Here, in construction with the following word, it denotes the peak or essence of a condition.
- תֻּמּוֹ (tummô): From tōm, meaning "perfection," "completeness," "integrity," "soundness." It often describes a state of moral rectitude (as in "blameless and upright" concerning Job himself, tām wᵊyāšār in Job 1:1), but here it's clearly used in a physical sense.
- Meaning: The phrase together points to dying "in his very perfection" or "at his very prime," "in the fullness of his vigor" or "in his perfect health." This is a stark contrast to the friends’ insistence that the wicked perish slowly in sickness and pain. It refers to a sudden, healthy death.
- being wholly at ease (שָׁלֵם שַׁאֲנָן - šālēm šaʼănān):
- שָׁלֵם (šālēm): Meaning "complete," "whole," "sound," "intact." It denotes a state of soundness or peace. Here it implies wholeness in body and mind.
- שַׁאֲנָן (šaʼănān): Meaning "at ease," "tranquil," "secure," "undisturbed." This word describes a state of comfort, freedom from anxiety, and a feeling of safety, often implying complacency.
- Meaning: Together, "wholly at ease" or "completely tranquil and secure." It suggests a peaceful, undisturbed life right up until the point of death, with no visible signs of internal turmoil or external distress as divine judgment.
- and quiet (וְשָׁקֵט - wᵊšāqēṭ): From the root שָׁקַט (šāqaṭ), meaning "to be quiet," "to be at rest," "to be undisturbed." This reinforces šaʼănān, further emphasizing a peaceful, untroubled demise. There is no struggle, no long agony, no turmoil.
- "This one dies in his full strength": This phrase challenges the notion of retributive justice where the wicked are expected to suffer prolonged illness and decay as a divine punishment. Job presents the observed reality of some individuals who enjoy robust health and strength up to their moment of death.
- "being wholly at ease and quiet": This emphasizes not just physical health, but mental and emotional tranquility. There is no visible sign of internal guilt, terror, or external struggle. The death is calm and undisturbed, further disproving the friends’ contention that divine wrath invariably brings visible agony to the wicked in their final moments. This serene departure stands in direct opposition to the violent and tormented deaths that Job's friends had prescribed for the unrighteous.
Job 21 23 Bonus section
This verse, like much of Job, introduces the "problem of evil and suffering," particularly the "problem of the prosperity of the wicked." It serves as an early biblical voice wrestling with realities that defy human theological categories. Job does not deny ultimate divine justice, but he challenges its visible manifestation in this life. This discussion prefigures the similar theological tension explored more thoroughly in Psalms 37 and 73, and especially in the book of Ecclesiastes, which often observes the seeming inequities of earthly life where righteousness doesn't always lead to prosperity, and wickedness doesn't always lead to immediate downfall. The New Testament eventually clarifies the full scope of justice, pointing to an eschatological judgment and God's patience, rather than relying solely on immediate temporal retribution.
Job 21 23 Commentary
Job 21:23 stands as a pivotal line in Job's sustained argument against the simplistic, dogmatic retribution theology held by his friends. He directly refutes their assertion that all suffering (and specifically a painful death) is a direct consequence of sin. By illustrating a wicked man dying in peak health, completely undisturbed and at peace, Job offers a blunt counter-narrative to their rigid system of divine justice. This verse underlines Job's point that observed human experience does not always align with neat theological frameworks, especially regarding immediate temporal rewards and punishments. It forces a confrontation with the often-perplexing reality of prosperity for the wicked and challenges the limited scope of human understanding concerning God's methods and timings of judgment, implicitly pointing towards a broader, perhaps ultimate, form of justice.