Job 27:14 kjv
If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
Job 27:14 nkjv
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
Job 27:14 niv
However many his children, their fate is the sword; his offspring will never have enough to eat.
Job 27:14 esv
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his descendants have not enough bread.
Job 27:14 nlt
They may have many children,
but the children will die in war or starve to death.
Job 27 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 20:5 | ...I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the iniquity of the fathers to the third and fourth generations... | Divine justice affects generations. |
| Lev 26:16 | I will appoint terror over you, consumption and fever... so that you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it. | Enemies consume efforts/food. |
| Deut 28:32-33 | Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look and pine away... a people whom you have not known shall eat the produce... | Children taken captive; resources consumed. |
| Ps 37:28 | ...the wicked will be cut off. | Ultimate fate of the wicked. |
| Ps 37:34 | ...when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. | Witnessing the wicked's downfall. |
| Ps 109:12-13 | May there be no one to extend kindness to him, nor any to have pity on his orphans. May his posterity be cut off; in the next generation may their name be blotted out. | Wicked's line utterly abolished. |
| Prov 10:7 | The memory of the righteous is a blessing, But the name of the wicked will rot. | Legacy of wicked perishes. |
| Prov 11:21 | Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered. | Unpunished wicked's offspring. |
| Prov 13:22 | A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. | Wealth transferred from wicked. |
| Prov 28:8 | He who increases his wealth by interest and usury Gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor. | Unjust gain shifts to the righteous. |
| Isa 1:30 | For you will be like an oak whose leaf fades away, Or as a garden that has no water. | Wicked wither like a plant. |
| Jer 12:12-13 | On all the bare heights in the wilderness Destroyers have come... They will sow wheat but reap thorns; They have exhausted themselves but will gain nothing. | Futility, destruction by sword, no yield. |
| Nah 1:14 | ...The LORD has issued a command concerning you: "Your name will no longer be propagated. From the house of your gods I will cut off..." | No offspring, obliteration of identity. |
| Mal 4:1 | "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the LORD of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." | Total annihilation, no lineage. |
| Mt 24:19 | "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!" | Reference to extreme famine/distress impacting children. |
| Jas 5:1-3 | Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you... your riches have rotted... and your gold and your silver have rusted. | Perishable nature of ill-gotten wealth. |
| Ps 73:17-19 | Until I entered the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. | Recognizing the wicked's end. |
| Job 20:26 | Complete darkness awaits his treasures; And unfanned fire will devour him; It will go ill with him who is left in his tent. | Unexpected judgment on their prosperity. |
| Job 20:28 | The increase of his house will depart; His possessions will flow away in the day of His wrath. | Wealth dissipates quickly. |
| Job 15:30 | He will not escape from darkness; The flame will wither his sprouts, And by the breath of His mouth he will depart. | Descendants withered by divine wrath. |
| Job 20:10 | His sons will seek the favor of the poor, And his hands will give back his wealth. | Reversal of fortune; descendants suffer shame. |
Job 27 verses
Job 27 14 Meaning
Job 27:14 describes a consequence of the wicked person's apparent prosperity: despite a large progeny, their children face destruction and severe deprivation. It emphasizes that while the wicked may flourish temporarily or accumulate offspring, their legacy and future security are unstable and ultimately destined for ruin by divine judgment. Their children will meet a violent end, and subsequent generations will experience famine and destitution, symbolic of complete collapse and loss of provision.
Job 27 14 Context
Job 27:14 is part of Job’s final monologue (chapters 27-31) in which he defends his integrity and outlines his understanding of God's justice. Throughout the dialogue, Job's friends insisted that his suffering was direct punishment for sin. Job, however, consistently denied being guilty of the grave sins they imputed to him. In this particular speech, Job articulates a view that while the wicked may indeed prosper for a time, their ultimate fate and that of their descendants is one of ruin. He contrasts the temporary nature of the wicked's well-being with the secure, though sometimes afflicted, state of the righteous. This verse specifically describes how even the most celebrated aspect of prosperity in ancient societies—numerous offspring—becomes a source of affliction for the wicked, negating the traditional belief that a large family automatically signified divine blessing, particularly if the father's life was lived wickedly. This served as Job’s subtle polemic, affirming God's justice but in a manner more complex and less immediate than his friends portrayed.
Job 27 14 Word analysis
- If (כִּי - ki): While often meaning "surely" or "because," here it introduces a hypothetical scenario, a premise from which a conclusion follows, setting up a common ANE perception of prosperity that Job then subverts.
- his children (בָּנָיו - banaiv): Refers specifically to male offspring or direct descendants. In the ancient world, sons were vital for lineage, inheritance, and social status. Their multitude was the ultimate blessing. This highlights the profundity of the impending judgment.
- are multiplied (יִרְבּוּ - yirbu): From the root רבה (rabah), meaning "to be or become numerous, many, great." It implies a thriving lineage, seemingly blessed and indicative of a powerful, successful paterfamilias, which makes the subsequent destruction all the more striking.
- it is for the sword (לַחֶרֶב - lakherev): The preposition "for" (לְ - le) indicates purpose or destination. "Sword" (חֶרֶב - cherev) universally symbolizes violent death, war, execution, or destructive judgment. This starkly contrasts the expectation of a prosperous future for multiplied children.
- And his offspring (צֶאֱצָאָיו - tse'etza'aiv): A broader term than banaiv, referring to all his progeny, that which "issues forth" (from יָצָא - yatsa). This signifies a pervasive curse affecting the entire legacy, not just sons.
- will not be satisfied (לֹא יִשְׂבְּעוּ - lo yisbe'u): "Not" (לֹא - lo) provides absolute negation. "Satisfied" (שָׂבַע - saba) means to be filled or sated, particularly with food. It implies never having enough, a constant state of unfulfilled desire or hunger.
- with bread (לָחֶם - lakhem): Represents basic sustenance, food, or general provision. To "not be satisfied with bread" means absolute destitution, famine, or persistent poverty, undermining their very existence and survival.
Words-Group analysis:
- "If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword": This phrase dramatically inverts an ancient understanding of blessing. What seems like divine favor (many children) is precisely what leads to their demise by violence, revealing God's hand of judgment on the wicked's entire future, rather than an immediate and visible personal calamity.
- "And his offspring will not be satisfied with bread": This expands the scope of judgment beyond violent death. It speaks to a future of profound lack, starvation, and a lack of the most basic necessities, symbolizing the utter collapse of the wicked's legacy and resources, illustrating total and sustained suffering.
Job 27 14 Bonus section
It is significant that Job, in presenting this scenario, doesn't claim it as universal or immediate, but rather as one way God exercises justice. This nuanced perspective contrasts sharply with his friends' rigid doctrine, allowing for the possibility that the wicked might indeed thrive for a period. This statement emphasizes the futility of an ill-gotten legacy; even if numerous, the children born into wickedness often face calamitous ends. The ultimate destruction of the wicked, though perhaps deferred, is not escaped, impacting what they value most: their name, line, and future prosperity. This verse speaks to the precariousness of unrighteous wealth and heritage.
Job 27 14 Commentary
Job 27:14 is Job’s counter-argument to the simplistic theology of his friends, which linked immediate prosperity with righteousness and suffering with sin. Job affirms that God indeed judges the wicked, but often this judgment manifests not in their immediate personal downfall, but in the demise of their descendants and the utter ruin of their legacy. The two forms of judgment, "sword" and "famine," represent comprehensive disaster: violent extermination of one's lineage and severe, prolonged deprivation. This signifies a reversal of all that was considered a blessing in ancient Near Eastern society—a large family and abundant provision—becoming sources of grief and destitution for the wicked's house. It highlights God’s justice as both delayed and encompassing, impacting future generations rather than always being an instant retribution on the individual sinner.