Job 27 17

Job 27:17 kjv

He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.

Job 27:17 nkjv

He may pile it up, but the just will wear it, And the innocent will divide the silver.

Job 27:17 niv

what he lays up the righteous will wear, and the innocent will divide his silver.

Job 27:17 esv

he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.

Job 27:17 nlt

But the righteous will wear that clothing,
and the innocent will divide that money.

Job 27 verses

Job 27 17 Meaning

Job 27:17 declares the ultimate futility of the wealth and possessions accumulated by the wicked. Though the unrighteous may exert effort to prepare or hoard material goods like fine garments and silver, divine justice ensures that these very things will ultimately be enjoyed or distributed by the righteous and innocent. The verse underscores God's sovereignty over earthly fortunes, demonstrating that ill-gotten gain will not secure lasting benefit for the wicked but will rather serve the purposes of the just.

Job 27 17 Context

Job chapter 27 marks a significant turn in Job's dialogue. After his friends' final, ineffective responses, Job delivers an extensive speech that reaffirms his integrity and conviction in God's justice, though he continues to wrestle with the timing and methods of that justice. Verses 1-6 contain Job's solemn oath to maintain his righteousness. He then shifts to describe the fate of the wicked, outlining their inevitable downfall despite their apparent success (verses 7-23). Job 27:17 specifically stands within this description of the wicked's destiny, asserting that their amassed wealth ultimately provides them no lasting security or enjoyment, but is destined to transfer to the righteous. This verse represents Job's profound belief in a morally ordered universe under God, challenging the simple retribution theology proposed by his friends, yet also affirming that the wicked will indeed face consequence.

Job 27 17 Word analysis

• He may prepare it:

  • "He": Refers to the wicked person previously discussed in the context (Job 27:7-16), a general figure of the unjust or godless.
  • "prepare": Hebrew יָכִין (yakhin), from the root כון (kun), meaning "to be firm, establish, set up, make ready, provide." It carries connotations of active accumulation, storing up, establishing possession, or even building a future with this wealth. It signifies effort and deliberate action on the part of the wicked.
  • Significance: Highlights the wicked's painstaking efforts to acquire and secure their wealth, often through unrighteous means, believing it for their own lasting benefit.

• but the righteous will wear it:

  • "righteous": Hebrew צַדִּיק (tzaddiq), meaning "just, righteous, innocent, ethically correct." It refers to those who are in right standing with God, often characterized by integrity and godliness, embodying true piety.
  • "wear": Hebrew יִלְבָּשׁ (yilbash), from לבשׁ (lavash), "to put on, wear clothes." Garments, especially fine ones, in ancient contexts were significant markers of status, wealth, and blessing.
  • Significance: This verb denotes not just possession, but active enjoyment and utilization. The hard-earned, perhaps ill-gotten, gains of the wicked ultimately clothe and dignify the righteous. It symbolizes God's redirection of blessings and resources.

• and the innocent will divide the silver:

  • "innocent": Often synonymous with "righteous" in biblical wisdom literature, referring to those free from guilt or malicious intent, frequently vulnerable but blameless.
  • "divide": Hebrew יְחַלֵּק (yəḥalleq), from חלק (chalaq), meaning "to divide, share, allot, distribute." This implies active distribution and sharing, often in community or for beneficial purposes.
  • "silver": Hebrew כֶּסֶף (kesef), signifying money, precious metal, or general wealth. It was a primary medium of exchange and a measure of affluence in the ancient world.
  • Significance: Reinforces the idea of active and equitable distribution of the wicked's former wealth among those who are pure and deserving. It suggests not just passive inheritance, but an active, just reallocation for proper use.

• Word-Group Analysis:

  • "He may prepare it, but the righteous will wear it": This phrase highlights a fundamental contrast in biblical theology: the disparity between effort in accumulation and ultimate enjoyment/benefit. The labor of the wicked serves a purpose far beyond their own intentions. It also points to the transience of ungodly gain and the enduring favor shown to the righteous.
  • "the righteous will wear it; and the innocent will divide the silver": These two clauses serve as powerful parallel affirmations. "Wearing" a garment implies personal benefit, status, and comfort. "Dividing silver" implies resource allocation, possibly for collective benefit, or fair distribution of substantial wealth. Together, they demonstrate comprehensive divine oversight where every aspect of the wicked's unjust accumulation is eventually redirected for the blessing and use of the deserving. It represents God's corrective justice operating on the material plane.

Job 27 17 Bonus section

This verse implicitly affirms God's moral governance of the world, even when immediate circumstances (like Job's suffering) might seem to contradict it. It also demonstrates a profound belief in divine retribution, not merely as punishment, but as the cosmic redistribution of resources. It functions as a counter-argument to the cynical observation that the wicked often prosper in this life, suggesting their prosperity is a fleeting illusion. Job's assertion here isn't just about the destruction of the wicked's wealth but its transfer and beneficial repurposing, showcasing God's creative justice rather than just destructive judgment. It reveals an eschatological hope within Job's present struggle, anticipating a future reversal of fortunes that vindicates the righteous.

Job 27 17 Commentary

Job 27:17 serves as Job's confident declaration of a bedrock principle of divine justice: the ultimate futility of ill-gotten wealth for the wicked and its inevitable redirection towards the righteous. Despite their diligent efforts to accumulate and secure their possessions, the wicked are shown to have no lasting tenure over their riches. This verse directly refutes the cynical notion that wickedness ensures perpetual prosperity. Instead, God's sovereign hand intervenes, transferring the very symbols of power and wealth—fine garments and precious silver—from the hands of the unjust to those of the upright. It underscores that God's justice extends not only to punishment for the wicked but also to the reordering of material resources, ensuring that blessings find their true beneficiaries. The wicked toil for the righteous, though unwittingly.Example: A corrupt official amasses a fortune through bribery, building luxurious homes. After their downfall, their assets are confiscated and repurposed, perhaps funding schools or hospitals benefiting the community, thus being "divided by the innocent."