Job 24:22 kjv
He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
Job 24:22 nkjv
"But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life.
Job 24:22 niv
But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life.
Job 24:22 esv
Yet God prolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life.
Job 24:22 nlt
"God, in his power, drags away the rich.
They may rise high, but they have no assurance of life.
Job 24 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 21:7 | "Why do the wicked still live, grow old, and become... prosper in power?" | Job's core argument on wicked prosperity. |
| Jer 12:1-2 | "Why does the way of the wicked prosper?..." | Prophet's similar struggle with justice. |
| Ps 73:3 | "...I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." | Asaph's confession of stumbling over injustice. |
| Mal 3:15 | "So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness..." | Similar complaint about apparent prosperity. |
| Ecc 7:15 | "There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing." | Directly echoes the sentiment of Job 24:22. |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | "The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up." | God's absolute power over life and death. |
| Deut 32:39 | "...I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal..." | God's supreme authority over outcomes. |
| Ps 115:3 | "Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." | God's absolute sovereignty and power. |
| Job 42:2 | "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." | Job's ultimate admission of God's omnipotence. |
| Rom 2:4 | "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience..." | God's patience allows time for repentance. |
| Ecc 8:11 | "Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts..." | Explains human presumption due to delayed judgment. |
| 2 Pet 3:9 | "The Lord is not slow about His promise... but is patient toward you..." | God's patience, not slackness. |
| Rom 2:5-6 | "...storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath... God, who will render to each person..." | Assured future judgment for the wicked. |
| Ps 37:10 | "Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more..." | Future end of the wicked, though not immediate. |
| Ps 92:7 | "When the wicked sprout up like grass and all who do iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever." | The purpose of temporary flourishing. |
| Heb 9:27 | "And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this judgment..." | Ultimate reckoning after death. |
| Matt 25:46 | "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." | Final separation and ultimate justice. |
| Job 9:24 | "The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covers the faces of its judges..." | Job's earlier complaint about apparent injustice. |
| Job 12:6 | "The tents of plunderers prosper, and those who provoke God are secure..." | Further similar observation by Job. |
| Isa 55:8-9 | "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD." | Highlights the inscrutability of God's ways. |
| Rom 11:33 | "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable..." | Acknowledges God's incomprehensible wisdom. |
| Hab 1:2-3 | "How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You..." | Another prophet questioning God's inaction. |
Job 24 verses
Job 24 22 Meaning
Job 24:22 expresses Job's observation that powerful wicked individuals are not always immediately punished; rather, by God's own power, their lives appear to be prolonged, and they recover even from near-death experiences. This stands in stark contrast to the theological position of his friends, who rigidly believed that only the righteous prosper and the wicked suffer. Job points to a reality where divine justice seems to delay or manifest differently than expected by human observers.
Job 24 22 Context
Job 24:22 is part of Job's sustained argument against the simplified retribution theology put forth by his friends (chapters 21-27). Throughout these chapters, Job directly challenges their assertion that suffering is always a direct result of sin, and prosperity is a sign of righteousness. Job, drawing on his own observations of the world, asserts that wicked individuals often flourish, live long lives, remain wealthy, and die in peace, sometimes escaping immediate divine judgment. Chapter 24, specifically, outlines numerous acts of wickedness by the powerful and oppressed, questioning why God seems to remain silent or inactive. This verse serves to reinforce his bitter observation that God's power (as mentioned "by His power") seems paradoxically used to sustain the wicked, rather than destroy them. It underscores Job's profound struggle to reconcile God's justice with his lived reality.
Job 24 22 Word analysis
- But: This conjunctive adverb signals a strong contrast or opposition. Here, it contrasts Job's real-world observations with the theological framework of his friends, implying a challenge to their premise.
- God: Refers to Elohim/El (אֵל), the ultimate, all-powerful Deity. Job acknowledges that the power in action is divine, even if the outcome puzzles him. This highlights his wrestling with God Himself.
- prolongs the life: From the Hebrew root ימשך (yimshoch). While this root can mean "to drag away" (which leads to alternative translations for this verse, implying destruction), in this translation it means "to draw out" or "extend." This interpretation emphasizes the unexpected leniency or extended lifespan granted to the wicked, fueling Job's complaint that divine justice is not swiftly or universally applied as he expects.
- of the mighty: From אדירים (addirīm), meaning the powerful, princely, noble ones. In this context, it refers to the wicked, oppressive, and wealthy individuals who exploit others, further highlighting the injustice Job perceives. These are not merely common criminals but figures of authority.
- by His power: בכחו (b'kocho), literally "in His strength/might." This emphasizes that the duration of their life, even for the wicked, is under God's direct sovereign control. It's not a mere coincidence or human feat, but an act of divine allowance or enabling, which confounds Job.
- they rise up: יקום (yaqum), meaning to stand, arise, or recover. This suggests a recovery from a state of weakness or peril.
- when they despaired of life: From the Hebrew ולא יאמין בחייה (v'lo ya'amin b'chaiyaih), literally "and not believe in his life." This idiom conveys a state of near-death, hopelessness, or imminent demise. The phrase means they were at death's door, believed their life was over, yet surprisingly recovered and continued to live. This exacerbates Job's perception of injustice: the wicked are not only spared but are miraculously revived from fatal situations, by God's own power.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "But God prolongs the life of the mighty by His power": This phrase encapsulates Job's central paradox. The one true God, who is just and powerful, appears to extend the lives of wicked oppressors using His divine might. This directly contradicts the expected immediate retribution against the wicked.
- "they rise up when they despaired of life": This adds a layer of miraculous intervention to the longevity of the wicked. It's not just that they live long; they also overcome crises that would typically lead to death, further demonstrating God's inexplicable sustaining hand on them in Job's view. This points to divine sovereignty even in situations that puzzle human understanding.
Job 24 22 Bonus section
The significant interpretive challenge within this verse revolves around the verb ימשך (yimshoch), which can mean both "to prolong" or "to drag away/snatch." The choice of translation critically alters the meaning of Job's argument. If it means "drags away," Job would be saying God destroys the mighty, fitting a more traditional understanding of divine judgment (though Job elsewhere contends this isn't consistently true). However, when translated as "prolongs," as in the verse provided for analysis, it emphasizes Job's desperate struggle with apparent divine inaction and injustice. This ambiguity highlights the depth of Job's complex relationship with God and his refusal to settle for easy theological answers, driving the reader to look beyond human frameworks to God's ultimate revelation. The book of Job invites believers to endure perplexing realities without abandoning their faith, trusting in God's ultimate goodness and justice even when His immediate actions are incomprehensible.
Job 24 22 Commentary
Job 24:22 encapsulates Job's profound anguish and confusion regarding God's apparent inactivity in the face of rampant evil and injustice. His friends maintain a simple theological framework: the righteous prosper, and the wicked are swiftly punished. However, Job's own experiences and observations lead him to a different conclusion: wicked, powerful individuals ("the mighty") often live long, successful lives, seemingly untouched by immediate divine retribution. What deeply puzzles Job is that this sustained prosperity of the wicked is not random; it appears to occur "by His power," suggesting divine allowance or even direct action. Furthermore, these wicked individuals are portrayed as recovering from situations where they were at the brink of death, illustrating what Job perceives as an unfair and paradoxical divine intervention. This verse underscores the book's challenge to simplistic views of divine justice, prompting believers to consider that God's ways are higher than human understanding, and His justice, while certain, may unfold on a timeline and through means beyond human immediate comprehension. This struggle remains relevant for believers today when facing persistent injustice.