Job 15:33

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 15:33 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.
Job 15:33 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 15

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
33He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, etc.] Either the wicked man himself shall shake off or lose his substance; or God shall shake off from him all that was dear and valuable to him; or he shall be shaken by one providence or another, just as a vine is shaken by a violent wind and tempest, and its unripe grapes are battered off by an hailstorm, or plucked off by the hand, or drop off through rottenness; so it is signified by this metaphor, that a wicked man should be stripped of his wealth and riches in a sudden manner; or his children should be snatched from him in their youth, before they were well grown up to maturity, and so like the unripe grape; perhaps respect is had to…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Images of incompleteness. The loss of the unripe grapes is poetically made the vine tree's own act, in order to express more pointedly that the sinner's ruin is the fruit of his own conduct (Isa 3:11; Jer 6:19).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine - The idea here is, that the wicked man shall be like a vine that casts off its grapes while they are yet sour and green, and brings none to perfection; compare the notes at Isaiah 18:5. Scott renders this, “As when the vine her half-grown berries showers, Or poisoned olive her unfolding flowers.” It would seem from this passage that the vine might be so blasted by a hot wind or other cause, as to cast its unripe grapes to the earth. The employment of a figure of this kind to illustrate an idea supposes that such a case was familiar to those who were addressed. It is well known that in the East the grape and the olive might be blasted while in…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“shake off: Isa 33:9; Rev 6:13 and: Deu 28:39, Deu 28:40 Job 15:34”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification