The Meaning of Job 15:24 Explained

Job 15:24

KJV: Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

YLT: Terrify him do adversity and distress, They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.

Darby: Distress and anguish make him afraid; they prevail against him, as a king ready for the battle.

ASV: Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Trouble  and anguish  shall make him afraid;  they shall prevail  against him, as a king  ready  to the battle. 

What does Job 15:24 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 15:1-35 - "the Heavens Are Not Clean"
The second colloquy, like the first, is commenced by Eliphaz. He begins by rebuking Job, Job 15:1-16. He complains that the words of Job proved him to be unwise, Job 15:2-3, and even impious, Job 15:4. His very speech testified to his iniquity, Job 15:5-6. With something of irony Eliphaz asks upon what Job's claim to superior wisdom rests. Was he the first man? Job 15:7. Or had he access to the secret counsel of God? Job 15:8. In refusing the counsel of his friends, Job 15:9-10, and the consolations of God they had offered, Job 15:11, r.v., had he not proved his want of wisdom? He had even proved his folly and his impiety, by attempting to assert his innocence before God, Job 15:12-14, in whose presence even the heavens were unclean, Job 15:15-16. It is clear that Eliphaz and his friends did not believe the sincerity of Job's protestations of innocence.
Eliphaz then attempts to instruct Job, Job 15:17-35. His theme is almost the same as that of his former speech. It is the righteousness of God as specially manifested in the punishment of the wicked. He claims that his doctrine is that of the wise men, Job 15:17-19; then proceeds to describe the wicked man as troubled in conscience and full of fear, Job 15:20-24; attributes this to his bold impiety, Job 15:25-28; and predicts his fearful doom, Job 15:29-35. The application of such teaching to Job must have been very painful. He insinuated that Job's terrible afflictions were God's testimony against his sin. We know better from John 11:4-5. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 15

1  Eliphaz reproves Job for impiety in justifying himself
17  He proves by tradition the restlessness of wicked men

What do the individual words in Job 15:24 mean?

Make him afraid Trouble and anguish they overpower him like a king ready for battle
יְֽ֭בַעֲתֻהוּ צַ֣ר וּמְצוּקָ֑ה תִּ֝תְקְפֵ֗הוּ כְּמֶ֤לֶךְ ׀ עָתִ֬יד לַכִּידֽוֹר

יְֽ֭בַעֲתֻהוּ  Make  him  afraid 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּעַת  
Sense: to terrify, startle, fall upon, dismay, be overtaken by sudden terror.
צַ֣ר  Trouble 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַר 
Sense: narrow, tight.
וּמְצוּקָ֑ה  and  anguish 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְצוּקָה  
Sense: straitness, distress, straits, stress.
תִּ֝תְקְפֵ֗הוּ  they  overpower  him 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: תָּקַף  
Sense: (Qal) to prevail over or against, overcome, overpower.
כְּמֶ֤לֶךְ ׀  like  a  king 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
עָתִ֬יד  ready 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָתִיד  
Sense: ready, prepared.
לַכִּידֽוֹר  for  battle 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּידֹור  
Sense: attack, onslaught, onset.