Job — Chapter 27
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1Job continued his discourse:
2“As surely as God lives, who has deprived me of justice—the Almighty, who has embittered my soul—
3as long as my breath is still within me and the breath of God remains in my nostrils,
4my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die.
6I will cling to my righteousness and never let go. As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me.
7May my enemy be like the wicked and my opponent like the unjust.
8For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
9Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him?
10Will he delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?
11I will instruct you in the power of God. I will not conceal the ways of the Almighty.
12Surely all of you have seen it for yourselves. Why then do you keep up this empty talk?
13This is the wicked man’s portion from God—the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
14Though his sons are many, they are destined for the sword; and his offspring will never have enough food.
15His survivors will be buried by the plague, and their widows will not weep for them.
16Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay,
17what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.
18The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon, like a hut set up by a watchman.
19He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
20Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest sweeps him away in the night.
21The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
22It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power.
23It claps its hands at him and hisses him out of his place.
1Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
8For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
9Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
10Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
11I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?
13This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
16Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
17He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
19The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.
22For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
1And Job again took up his parable, and said,
2As God liveth, who hath taken away my right, And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul:
3(For my life is yet whole in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
4Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, Neither shall my tongue utter deceit.
5Far be it from me that I should justify you: Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me.
6My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall not reproach [me] so long as I live.
7Let mine enemy be as the wicked, And let him that riseth up against me be as the unrighteous.
8For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain, When God taketh away his soul?
9Will God hear his cry, When trouble cometh upon him?
10Will he delight himself in the Almighty, And call upon God at all times?
11I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; Why then are ye become altogether vain?
13This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty:
14If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15Those that remain of him shall be buried in death, And his widows shall make no lamentation.
16Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare raiment as the clay;
17He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, And the innocent shall divide the silver.
18He buildeth his house as the moth, And as a booth which the keeper maketh.
19He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered [to his fathers]; He openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20Terrors overtake him like waters; A tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth; And it sweepeth him out of his place.
22For [God] shall hurl at him, and not spare: He would fain flee out of his hand.
23Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.
1And Job took up his discourse again:
2“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made my life bitter—
3for while my spirit is still in me, and the breath from God is in my nostrils,
4my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will whisper no deceit.
5I will never declare that you three are in the right; until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!
6I will maintain my righteousness and never let it go; my conscience will not reproach me for as long as I live.
7“May my enemy be like the wicked, my adversary like the unrighteous.
8For what hope does the godless have when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
9Does God listen to his cry when distress overtakes him?
10Will he find delight in the Almighty? Will he call out to God at all times?
11I will teach you about the power of God; what is on the Almighty’s mind I will not conceal.
12If you yourselves have all seen this, Why in the world do you continue this meaningless talk?
13This is the portion of the wicked man allotted by God, the inheritance that evildoers receive from the Almighty.
14If his children increase—it is for the sword! His offspring never have enough to eat.
15Those who survive him are buried by the plague, and their widows do not mourn for them.
16If he piles up silver like dust and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,
17what he stores up a righteous man will wear, and an innocent man will inherit his silver.
18The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon, like a hut that a watchman has made.
19He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more. When he opens his eyes, it is all gone.
20Terrors overwhelm him like a flood; at night a whirlwind carries him off.
21The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
22It hurls itself against him without pity as he flees headlong from its power.
23It claps its hands at him in derision and hisses him away from his place.
1Job again took up his parable, and said,
2“As God lives, who has taken away my right, the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter
3(for the length of my life is still in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
4surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, neither shall my tongue utter deceit.
5Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7“Let my enemy be as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
9Will God hear his cry when trouble comes on him?
10Will he delight himself in the Almighty, and call on God at all times?
11I will teach you about the hand of God. That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain?
13“This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty.
14If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15Those who remain of him shall be buried in death. His widows shall make no lamentation.
16Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;
17he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18He builds his house as the moth, as a booth which the watchman makes.
19He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.
20Terrors overtake him like waters. A storm steals him away in the night.
21The east wind carries him away, and he departs. It sweeps him out of his place.
22For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.
23Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
Summary
Job resumes his speech, swearing by God — who he says has denied him justice — that he will never speak wickedness or concede that his friends are right; he will hold to his integrity until he dies (vv. 2-6). He wishes his enemy's fate to match that of the wicked, since the godless have no real hope when God cuts their life short (vv. 7-10). Job then turns to describe that fate in detail: the wicked man's children die by the sword or hunger, his stored-up wealth passes to the righteous, his fragile house collapses, and terror sweeps him away suddenly like a flood or whirlwind (vv. 11-23).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that Job's oath in vv.2-6 is one of the most remarkable declarations of personal integrity in Scripture. Job swears by God — acknowledging God's reality and sovereignty — while simultaneously charging God with injustice. This is not contradiction but honest faith. Guzik also notes that vv.13-23 deliberately echo the friends' language, turning their own arguments into evidence for Job's innocence.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the speech from the whirlwind, and why it answers Job the way it does.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Job -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Wrestling With God Without Walking Away (v.2) — Job swears by the very God he feels has wronged him, refusing to abandon the relationship even as he argues with Him. Can you bring your hardest complaints to God rather than avoiding Him?
- Integrity That Refuses a Shortcut (v.5) — Job could end his suffering by falsely confessing sins he didn't commit, but he refuses to trade his integrity for relief. Where might you be tempted to compromise your integrity just to make a painful situation easier?
- A Clear Conscience as Its Own Defense (v.6) — Job says his heart will not reproach him as long as he lives, resting in the clarity of his own conscience rather than others' opinions. Whose approval are you chasing that you should instead seek from your own conscience before God?
- The Certain, if Delayed, Fall of the Wicked (vv.13-23) — Job agrees that the wicked ultimately lose everything, even while insisting his own suffering proves nothing about his guilt. Are you able to trust God's justice even when its timing doesn't match your own?