Job 27:8 kjv
For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
Job 27:8 nkjv
For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life?
Job 27:8 niv
For what hope have the godless when they are cut off, when God takes away their life?
Job 27:8 esv
For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?
Job 27:8 nlt
For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off
and takes away their life?
Job 27 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 10:28 | The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. | Righteous hope vs. wicked's perishability. |
| Prov 11:7 | When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish; the hope of the unjust perishes. | Death brings the end of wicked's hope. |
| Prov 14:32 | The wicked is banished in his wickedness, but the righteous has a refuge in his death. | Wicked have no refuge in death. |
| Job 8:13-15 | So are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish… | Echoes Bildad's earlier statement about the hypocrite. |
| Job 20:5 | ...that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? | Temporary nature of wicked prosperity. |
| Psa 37:35-36 | I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away… | Wicked's brief flourishing and demise. |
| Psa 73:18-20 | Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction… terror… they are utterly consumed with terrors! | Sudden destruction of the wicked. |
| Luke 12:20 | But God said to him, ‘You fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will these things be which you have provided?’ | God requires life; earthly gain worthless. |
| Eccl 12:7 | Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. | Soul/spirit returns to God upon death. |
| Jas 4:14 | whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. | Life's brevity and transient nature. |
| Heb 9:27 | And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, | Death is appointed, followed by judgment. |
| Deut 32:39 | Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive… | God's absolute sovereignty over life/death. |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. | God controls life, death, and resurrection. |
| Gen 2:7 | And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. | Source of life from God. |
| Eze 18:4 | Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. | God's ownership of all life. |
| Matt 16:26 | For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? | Worldly gain vs. the value of the soul. |
| Rom 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. | Consequence of sin is death. |
| Psa 49:6-9 | ...who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches… Nor can he give to God a ransom for him… that he should continue to live forever… | Wealth cannot ransom a soul from death. |
| Job 18:14 | From the protection of his tent he is torn, and they march him to the king of terrors. | The terror of the wicked's ultimate end. |
| Psa 52:5-7 | God shall likewise destroy you forever… But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God… | God's judgment on the wicked. |
| Matt 23:27-28 | Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. | NT understanding of outward pretense and inner corruption. |
| Isa 33:14 | The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites… | Hypocrites face fear and judgment. |
| Gal 6:7 | Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. | Reaping the consequences of actions. |
Job 27 verses
Job 27 8 Meaning
Job 27:8 conveys a profound rhetorical question posed by Job, asserting that the godless or hypocritical person, despite any temporal gain or material success achieved, possesses no true and lasting hope when God ultimately takes away their life. It underscores God's sovereignty over life and death, emphasizing the ultimate futility and lack of eternal security for those who live impiously.
Job 27 8 Context
Job 27 forms part of Job's final and lengthy defense in his discourse with his three friends. Throughout this chapter, Job firmly reasserts his own integrity, vowing to maintain it until his death, and explicitly denies any guilt that would justify his suffering. In this section (27:7-23), Job contrasts his own enduring faith with the bleak future of the wicked, outlining their inevitable downfall despite any temporary prosperity. He confirms his belief in God's justice, even if the timing and manner of its display are mysterious to him concerning his own circumstances. Verse 8, specifically, highlights that no earthly gain can secure the wicked from God's ultimate prerogative over life, which brings their false hopes to an abrupt end. The historical and cultural context reflects the ancient Near Eastern wisdom tradition, which often grappled with the problem of evil and suffering, particularly concerning the prosperity of the wicked. Job’s discourse challenges the simplistic cause-and-effect theology that good fortune is solely a sign of righteousness and suffering of sin.
Job 27 8 Word analysis
- For (כִּי, ki): An assertive particle, indicating "surely," "indeed," or "because." Here it introduces a strong declaration or a rhetorical question.
- what hope (מַה־תִּקְוַת, mah-tiqwat): Mah means "what?" and tiqwah signifies "hope," "expectation," "a cord," or "a lifeline." This rhetorical question powerfully implies "no hope" or "no lifeline." The hope (
tiqwah) here is not just a wish but a firm basis for security and a future expectation. - hath the hypocrite (חָנֵף, chanef): The term chanef primarily means "profane," "ungodly," or "impious." It can also carry the connotation of dissimulation or someone who defiles or acts with corrupt intention before God, hence "hypocrite" in some English translations, especially reflecting their inward state of irreverence despite outward appearances or worldly success.
- though he hath gained (כִּי יִבְצַע, ki yivtsa): Yivtsa is derived from the root batsa, meaning "to cut off," "to gain profit," often implying unjust or illicit gain, greed, or even plundering. This phrase acknowledges the temporary acquisition of material wealth or advantage by the wicked.
- when God (כִּי־יֵשֶׁל אֱלֽוֹהַּ, ki-yeshel Eloah):
- Yeshel comes from the root nashal, meaning "to draw out," "to pull off," "to take away," "to shake off." It suggests a definitive and complete removal, such as stripping off clothes or pulling out an object.
- Eloah is a singular Hebrew name for God, emphasizing His divine power and authority, used frequently in the book of Job.
- taketh away his soul (נַפְשֽׁוֹ, nafsho): Nafsho is from nefesh, which encompasses "soul," "life," "breath," "person," or "self." In this context, for God to
nashal(yeshel) thenefeshmeans to take away life, to cause death, or to withdraw the very vital principle of existence from a person.
Words-group Analysis:
- "For what hope hath the hypocrite": This phrase challenges the notion that outward prosperity provides any true security or lasting future for the impious, indicating their ultimate spiritual emptiness and impending doom.
- "though he hath gained": This acknowledges the often-observed reality of temporary, material success for the ungodly, but immediately dismisses its eternal significance. Their earthly acquisitions are ultimately irrelevant.
- "when God taketh away his soul?": This highlights God's absolute sovereignty over life and death. The act of God removing
nafesh(life/soul) is the ultimate end, against which all temporary gains are powerless and futile for thechanef.
Job 27 8 Bonus section
While Job 27:8 reflects Job's own belief in divine justice, it notably echoes similar sentiments expressed earlier by his friends, particularly Bildad in Job 8:13-15. This illustrates that Job agreed with the theological principle of the wicked's ultimate ruin, though he consistently argued against its immediate or simplistic application to his own suffering. His distinction here lies in emphasizing the moment of death as the definitive end of the wicked's hope, rather than an automatic and continuous state of suffering throughout their earthly life, which was often the friends' implication for Job himself. The profound implication of God "drawing out" (yeshel) the nafesh is not just a natural expiration but a deliberate divine act, reinforcing God's supreme authority over every individual's life span and destiny, stripping away all earthly facades and perceived gains. This highlights that external appearance (whether pious or prosperous) ultimately holds no sway before the sovereign God.
Job 27 8 Commentary
Job 27:8 is a pivotal statement in Job's defense, firmly reiterating a fundamental truth about divine justice that both Job and his friends hold, but apply differently. Job uses a powerful rhetorical question to assert that any transient prosperity or worldly accumulation (yivtsa) by the godless (chanef) is meaningless when God (Eloah) definitively reclaims their very life (nafsho). This verse distinguishes true hope—a spiritual confidence rooted in God—from the fleeting "hope" of worldly gain, which vanishes upon death. It serves as Job's testament to the inevitable end of the wicked, affirming God's ultimate dominion over all human life and its termination. The verse underpins the biblical principle that genuine security and future are not found in material wealth or deceptive practices, but only in a right relationship with God, as life itself is a divine prerogative that can be withdrawn at any moment. For instance, a person who sacrifices integrity for quick wealth might achieve financial success, but their entire existence rests precariously on the will of God, and their accumulated riches offer no salvation or peace when life ends.