Job 27 21

Job 27:21 kjv

The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.

Job 27:21 nkjv

The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; It sweeps him out of his place.

Job 27:21 niv

The east wind carries him off, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.

Job 27:21 esv

The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.

Job 27:21 nlt

The east wind carries them away, and they are gone.
It sweeps them away.

Job 27 verses

Job 27 21 Meaning

Job 27:21 describes the swift and devastating end of the wicked, likening their removal to the destructive force of a powerful east wind. This wind, a potent symbol of divine judgment, violently lifts and expels them from their perceived places of security and influence, resulting in their complete and irrecoverable disappearance. It signifies a sudden, irreversible, and comprehensive obliteration of the wicked from the face of the earth and memory, executed by God's irresistible power.

Job 27 21 Context

Job 27:21 is part of Job’s concluding monologue, spanning chapters 27-31. Following the discourse with his three friends, Job takes center stage to reaffirm his unwavering integrity before God. Specifically, in Job 27:7-23, Job asserts his strong belief in divine retribution, emphasizing that though the wicked may seem to prosper for a time, they will ultimately face God’s severe judgment. This stance ironically mirrors some of his friends' earlier arguments (though they applied it wrongly to Job), but Job's delivery is not to condemn himself but to maintain his belief in God's justice, even as he struggles to reconcile it with his own suffering. He contends that God’s justice is inscrutable but ultimately undeniable. The verse captures the abrupt, irresistible nature of divine punishment on the wicked, reinforcing that their temporary success is fleeting compared to God's ultimate justice. Historically and culturally, the east wind (Hebrew: qadim) was well-understood as a strong, often hot, destructive wind originating from the desert regions to the east, capable of causing drought, destroying crops, and bringing pestilence. It was a terrifying natural force, frequently employed in biblical texts as a metaphor for God’s swift and devastating judgment against His adversaries.

Job 27 21 Word analysis

• The east wind (קָדִים, qāḏîm):
  • Word Level: Refers to a hot, dry, often destructive wind coming from the eastern deserts.
  • Significance: In the Bible, qadim is not merely a weather phenomenon but a powerful symbol of divine instrument for judgment, desolation, and destruction. It frequently brings drought (Gen 41:6,23), destroys crops (Eze 17:10, 19:12), shatters ships (Ps 48:7), or scatters people (Jer 18:17). It represents the direct, powerful, and often unseen hand of God in executing His purposes, particularly His wrath.
• carries him away (יִשָּׂאֵהוּ, yiśśā’ēhû):
  • Word Level: Derived from the root nasa, meaning "to lift," "to carry," "to bear." Here in the Hiphil imperfect, implying an active, causative action.
  • Significance: It conveys an irresistible force taking someone against their will, without control. The wicked individual is powerless against this divine expulsion, much like a leaf or dust caught in a mighty gale. There's no resisting or bargaining, only a passive surrender to the overwhelming power.
• and he is gone (וְאֵינֶנּוּ, wə’ênennû):
  • Word Level: This phrase emphasizes immediate, total, and irreversible absence. Literally, "and he is not."
  • Significance: It denotes the finality of their removal. Like someone who has simply vanished without a trace, the wicked cease to exist in their former state of prosperity or influence. This speaks to a complete nullification, echoing descriptions of the wicked's ultimate oblivion in contrast to the righteous's enduring presence (Ps 37:10).
• it sweeps him out (וּתְשָׂעֵרֵהוּ, ûṯəśā‘ērēhû):
  • Word Level: From the root sa'ar, meaning "to storm," "to rage," "to be stormy," or "to cause to rage/storm." Here in the Piel imperfect.
  • Significance: This is a very strong, violent verb, conjuring the image of a whirlwind or a violent tempest literally "tearing out" or "expelling with great force." It suggests a thorough, root-and-branch removal, leaving no residue or remnant. The judgment is not partial; it is utterly comprehensive, forcefully casting them out.
• of his place (מִמְּקֹמוֹ, mimməqōmô):
  • Word Level: mimməqom means "from his place," with the suffix denoting "his." Māqōm means "place," "station," "position."
  • Significance: "Place" in ancient Near Eastern thought signifies stability, security, social standing, prosperity, inheritance, and identity. For the wicked to be swept out "of his place" means the loss of everything they possessed—their security, their status, their wealth, their perceived control, and any legacy they might have hoped for. Their foundation, built on unrighteousness, collapses completely, and they lose their very standing in the world.

Job 27 21 Bonus section

The concept of the "east wind" as an agent of divine judgment appears multiple times throughout the Old Testament, creating a consistent theological motif. For instance, God uses an east wind to bring the locusts as a plague upon Egypt (Exod 10:13, 19), to dry up the Red Sea, creating a path for Israel (Exod 14:21), and as an agent of drought or destruction in the prophets (Eze 17:10; Jer 4:11; Hos 13:15). This persistent biblical imagery solidifies the east wind not just as a meteorological event but as a specific, terrible manifestation of God's direct intervention in human affairs, especially to bring about judgment or severe discipline. The wicked being "swept out of his place" resonates deeply with the instability and rootlessness associated with those who defy God's order, as opposed to the righteous who are likened to a firmly planted tree (Ps 1).

Job 27 21 Commentary

Job 27:21 is a powerful assertion by Job concerning the fate of the wicked. Despite his own incomprehensible suffering, Job steadfastly holds to the principle of divine justice, vehemently maintaining that the wicked will ultimately receive their just deserts. The imagery of the "east wind" (qāḏîm) is crucial; it symbolizes not merely natural calamity but the very breath of God's righteous wrath. This is a force that no human can withstand or escape. The "carrying away" (yiśśā’ēhû) and "sweeping out" (ûṯəśā‘ērēhû) illustrate the sudden, overwhelming, and unsparing nature of God’s judgment. The phrase "he is gone" and "out of his place" underscores the finality and totality of their removal; there is no recovery, no return, and no lasting memorial. This verse assures the listener that God, in His sovereign timing, will uproot and completely obliterate the unrighteous, demonstrating His ultimate authority and ensuring that true wickedness cannot endure forever in the security it might temporarily enjoy. It contrasts the fleeting prosperity of the wicked with the eternal permanence of God’s decree.