Job 8 13

Job 8:13 kjv

So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:

Job 8:13 nkjv

So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,

Job 8:13 niv

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.

Job 8:13 esv

Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish.

Job 8:13 nlt

The same happens to all who forget God.
The hopes of the godless evaporate.

Job 8 verses

Job 8 13 Meaning

Job 8:13, spoken by Bildad the Shuhite, presents a traditional perspective on divine retribution. It asserts that the ultimate fate of those who disregard God (those described as "godless") is destruction. Their self-reliance and false confidence, which they consider as "hope," will ultimately collapse and vanish. This statement links the present suffering (alluded to in previous verses through the imagery of rapidly withering plants) directly to a state of spiritual negligence and unrighteousness, implying that misfortune is a clear sign of having forgotten God.

Job 8 13 Context

Job 8:13 is part of Bildad's first speech in response to Job's lament. Job had questioned God's justice and expressed despair, insisting on his own innocence. Bildad, adhering to traditional wisdom, defends God's absolute justice by arguing for a direct correlation between sin and suffering. In this chapter, he draws an analogy to water plants (reeds and papyrus) that thrive only if sustained by water, implying that the wicked, lacking a true root in God, will wither and perish just as these plants do without moisture (Job 8:11-12). Verse 13 is the explicit application of this analogy, declaring that the transient nature of the plants directly mirrors the transient and doomed "paths" and "hope" of those who forget God. Historically and culturally, this reflects a widely held ancient Near Eastern belief system where prosperity indicated divine favor and misfortune signified divine judgment for sin, often emphasizing communal retribution. Bildad’s statement also indirectly polemicizes against any notion of arbitrary suffering or the possibility of God being unjust, which Job implicitly suggests. It reaffirms the direct punitive actions of the God of Israel against those who transgress.

Job 8 13 Word analysis

• Such: Refers back to the fragile, temporary prosperity described in Job 8:11-12 (reeds and papyrus perishing without water). It emphasizes the inevitability and nature of the outcome.
• are the paths: (Hebrew: 'orachot, אֳרָחוֹת). 'Orach means 'way', 'road', 'course of life', or 'manner of conduct'. It implies not just a physical route, but the entire moral trajectory and ultimate destiny of a person's life. This signifies the predetermined consequences of one's chosen lifestyle.
• of all who forget God: (Hebrew: shokhechei-'El, שֹׁכְחֵי־אֵֽל).
  • Shokhechei (from shakhekh, שָׁכַח): To forget, neglect, ignore, disregard, abandon. It implies a willful turning away or active disengagement, not merely a lapse of memory. It signifies a profound spiritual indifference or rebellion against God.
  • El (אֵל): A common Semitic term for 'God,' often used to refer to the singular God of Israel. Bildad implicitly links Job's suffering to this specific divine principle of retribution.
  • This phrase acts as a polemic against the idea that one can live disconnected from God without consequences. It asserts that forgetting the true God, in terms of allegiance and conduct, leads to ruin.
• the hope: (Hebrew: tikvah, תִּקְוָה). Means 'expectation,' 'confidence,' 'something to cling to,' or 'cord/line' (figuratively a lifeline). Here, it signifies the source of a person's security, expectation for the future, and confidence in life. For the wicked, this hope is falsely placed in transient things or self-sufficiency.
• of the godless: (Hebrew: chaneph, חָנֵף). Means 'profane,' 'ungodly,' 'impious,' 'hypocritical,' 'defiled.' This term carries a strong moral and religious condemnation, describing someone whose actions are contrary to God's will, characterized by impurity and wickedness. It indicates an active state of impiety, not merely an absence of belief. Bildad, through this strong label, is implicitly condemning Job without directly naming him.
• shall perish: (Hebrew: ya'abhad, יֹאבֵֽד). From 'abad (אָבַד): to perish, vanish, be destroyed, waste away, be lost. This is a very strong verb indicating utter destruction and non-existence or loss of all efficacy. It speaks of the complete failure and demise of the "godless" person's security and future expectations.

Words-Group by Words-Group Analysis:

• "Such are the paths of all who forget God": This clause asserts a universal principle linking one's spiritual condition ("forget God") to their ultimate destiny or way of life ("paths"). It sets up a deterministic outcome for those who disregard divine authority and relationship. This aligns with ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature's emphasis on consequence.
• "the hope of the godless shall perish": This second clause amplifies and specifies the outcome, highlighting the futility and transience of any confidence or expectation that is not rooted in true piety and relationship with God. The contrast between "hope" (often a positive term) and "perish" starkly emphasizes the ultimate disillusionment of the impious.

Job 8 13 Bonus section

• The use of chanef ("godless") throughout Job, especially by the friends, highlights a persistent theme: is Job truly chanef, or is the term being misapplied? This forms a significant part of the book's debate on the nature of righteousness and suffering.
• The parallelism of "paths" and "hope" emphasizes that a person's life course and their ultimate confidence are intricately linked, both dependent on their relationship with God.
• Bildad's argument, like Eliphaz's, is largely based on observation of general patterns, but he makes the error of applying general principles as absolute, immediate divine judgments on specific individuals, failing to grasp the complexity of God's interaction with humanity.

Job 8 13 Commentary

Job 8:13 is Bildad’s blunt assertion that suffering directly correlates with sin, a common yet flawed interpretation of divine justice in his time. He proclaims that the "paths" or lives of those who "forget God" ultimately lead to destruction, and their "hope" – their self-assured future prospects or confidence – will inevitably "perish." This verse serves as a crucial expression of rigid retribution theology: live righteously and prosper; forget God, and your hope vanishes, leading to ruin. While the general principle that a life lived apart from God eventually leads to negative consequences is true (Ps 1:4), Bildad's application is faulty and hurtful in Job's context. He applies this as an absolute, immediate cause-and-effect rule, disregarding divine testing (Job 1:8-12), the sovereignty of God's ways (Isa 55:8-9), and the fact that the righteous may also suffer (Heb 11:35-38). The verse's true timeless warning is against the profound danger of spiritual apathy or rebellion; ultimately, true hope and security can only be found in relationship with God, not in self-reliance or worldly endeavors which will inevitably fail.

Examples:

• Futility of misplaced hope: A person building an empire solely on greed and deceit (e.g., in ancient times, by exploiting the poor), might feel secure for a time, but this verse implies that such a foundation is unstable and will eventually collapse.
• Spiritual neglect leading to emptiness: An individual who never acknowledges God or considers spiritual matters may pursue transient pleasures, but their inner "hope" or peace often becomes void as life's true challenges emerge, because their foundation is superficial.