The Meaning of Job 21:13 Explained

Job 21:13

KJV: They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.

YLT: They wear out in good their days, And in a moment to Sheol go down.

Darby: They spend their days in prosperity, and in a moment go down to Sheol.

ASV: They spend their days in prosperity, And in a moment they go down to Sheol.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They spend  {08675;01086:08762} their days  in wealth,  and in a moment  go down  {08676;05181:08799} to the grave. 

What does Job 21:13 Mean?

Study Notes

grave
Heb. "Sheol,"
hell
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Context Summary

Job 21:1-34 - "shall Any Teach God?"
After a brief introduction, in which he claims the right to reply, Job 21:1-6, Job brings forward a new argument. He affirms that his friends are wrong in assuming that the connection between sin and suffering is invariable. On the contrary, he urges that wicked men often spend their lives in prosperity, on the farm, in the fold, and in the home, Job 21:10-11. Sounds of joy issue from their dwellings, Job 21:12. They die without prolonged torture, Job 21:13. From the contention of his friends, Job turns to the passer-by for confirmation of his words. Surely, he says, it is a matter of common observation that some wicked men do prosper and die in peace, Job 21:29.
With Job's answer the second colloquy ends. His friends have gained nothing by their arguments, but Job has learned much by his afflictions. On the dark background of his night the Morning Star has actually begun to shine. He appeals to God with greater confidence and even finds refuge in Him; but so far, though arguing his case, he has preserved a humble and reverent attitude. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 21

1  Job shows that even in the judgment of man he has reason to be grieved
7  Sometimes the wicked prosper, though they despise God
16  Sometimes their destruction is manifest
21  The happy and unhappy are alike in death
27  The judgment of the wicked is in another world

What do the individual words in Job 21:13 mean?

- They spend in wealth their days and in a moment to the grave go down
[יבלו] (יְכַלּ֣וּ) בַטּ֣וֹב יְמֵיהֶ֑ם וּ֝בְרֶ֗גַע שְׁא֣וֹל יֵחָֽתּוּ

[יבלו]  - 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָבְדָן  
Sense: destruction.
(יְכַלּ֣וּ)  They  spend 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּלָה  
Sense: to wear out, become old.
בַטּ֣וֹב  in  wealth 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
יְמֵיהֶ֑ם  their  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וּ֝בְרֶ֗גַע  and  in  a  moment 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֶגַע  
Sense: a moment adv.
שְׁא֣וֹל  to  the  grave 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
יֵחָֽתּוּ  go  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָחַת  
Sense: to go down, descend.

What are the major concepts related to Job 21:13?

Loading Information...