Job Chapter 24

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry 25 Verses

What is Job 24 about?

The suffering of a righteous man and the profound questions it raises about God's justice, sovereignty, and human understanding. The complete chapter text below provides the immediate literary context for study.

Text — American Standard Version (1901)

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. For original Hebrew/Greek interlinear text, open in BibleWord.ai.
1Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why do not they that know him see his days?
2There are that remove the landmarks; They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
3They drive away the ass of the fatherless; They take the widow`s ox for a pledge.
4They turn the needy out of the way: The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
5Behold, as wild asses in the desert They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; The wilderness [yieldeth] them bread for their children.
6They cut their provender in the field; And they glean the vintage of the wicked.
7They lie all night naked without clothing, And have no covering in the cold.
8They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And embrace the rock for want of a shelter.
9There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge of the poor;
10[So that] they go about naked without clothing, And being hungry they carry the sheaves.
11They make oil within the walls of these men; They tread [their] winepresses, and suffer thirst.
12From out of the populous city men groan, And the soul of the wounded crieth out: Yet God regardeth not the folly.
13These are of them that rebel against the light; They know not the ways thereof, Nor abide in the paths thereof.
14The murderer riseth with the light; He killeth the poor and needy; And in the night he is as a thief.
15The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, Saying, No eye shall see me: And he disguiseth his face.
16In the dark they dig through houses: They shut themselves up in the day-time; They know not the light.
17For the morning is to all of them as thick darkness; For they know the terrors of the thick darkness.
18Swiftly they [pass away] upon the face of the waters; Their portion is cursed in the earth: They turn not into the way of the vineyards.
19Drought and heat consume the snow waters: [So doth] Sheol [those that] have sinned.
20The womb shall forget him; The worm shall feed sweetly on him; He shall be no more remembered; And unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree.
21He devoureth the barren that beareth not, And doeth not good to the widow.
22Yet [God] preserveth the mighty by his power: He riseth up that hath no assurance of life.
23[God] giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon; And his eyes are upon their ways.
24They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
25And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech nothing worth?

What do historical commentaries say about this chapter?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · on verse 1
“Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, etc.] Which seems to be an inference deduced from what he had said in (<182314>Job 23:14); that since all things are appointed by God, and his appointments are punctually performed by him, the times of his carrying his purposes and decrees into execution cannot be hidden from him; for, as he has determined what shall be done, he has determined the time before appointed for the doing of them; as there is a purpose for everything under the heavens, there is a time set for the execution of that purpose, which must be known unto God that has fixed it; for as all his…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“(Job 24:1-25) Why is it that, seeing that the times of punishment (Eze 30:3; "time" in the same sense) are not hidden from the Almighty, they who know Him (His true worshippers, Job 18:21) do not see His days (of vengeance; Joe 1:15; Pe2 3:10)? Or, with UMBREIT less simply, making the parallel clauses more nicely balanced, Why are not times of punishment hoarded up ("laid up"; Job 21:19; appointed) by the Almighty? that is, Why are they not so appointed as that man may now see them? as the second clause shows. Job does not doubt that they are appointed: nay, he asserts it (Job 21:30); what he wishes is that God…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · on verse 1
“Why, seeing times are not hidden froth the Almighty - Dr. Good renders this, “Wherefore are not doomdays kept by the Almighty. So that his offenders may eye his periods?” Dr. Noyes: “Why are not times of punishment reserved by the Almighty. And why do not they, who regard him, see his judgments?” Jerome, “Times are not hidden from the Almighty; but they who know him are ignorant of his days.” The Septuagint, “But why have set times - ὧραι hōrai, escaped the notice - ἔλαθον elathon - of the Almighty, and the wicked transgressed all bounds? The word עתים ‛êthı̂ym, here translated “times,” is rendered by the…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · on verse 1
“Why - Why (how comes it to pass) seeing times, (the fittest seasons for every, action, and particularly for the punishment of wicked men,) are not hidden from, or unknown to the Almighty God, (seeing all times, and men that live, and things that are done, or to be done in their times and seasons, are exactly known to God) do they that know him, (who love and obey him) not see (whence is it that they cannot discern) his (that is, God's) days? His times and seasons which he takes for the punishment of ungodly men; which if they were constant and fixed in this life, they would not be unknown to good men, to whom God…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · on verse 1
“24:1 bring . . . to judgment (literally set times): The times for God’s judgment are set (Eccl 3:17; 8:6; Dan 2:21; Luke 21:22-24), but they are not known to us (Acts 1:7). They will be revealed at the proper moment (1 Thes 5:1-28; 1 Tim 6:15).”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · on verse 1
“seeing: Psa 31:15; Ecc 3:17, Ecc 8:6, Ecc 8:7, Ecc 9:11, Ecc 9:12; Isa 60:22; Dan 2:21; Luk 21:22-24; Act 1:7, Act 17:26; Th1 5:1; Ti1 4:1, Ti1 6:15; Pe2 2:3, Pe2 3:7, Pe2 3:8 they that know: Psa 9:10, Psa 36:10; Joh 17:3 not see: Gen 7:4, Gen 18:17, Gen 18:20, Gen 18:21; Psa 73:16-19; Jer 12:1-3; Mat 24:38; Rom 2:5 Job 24:2”
Read attributed excerpt →
Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · on verse 1
“1 Wherefore are not bounds reserved by the Almighty, And they who honour Him see not His days? 2 They remove the landmarks, They steal flocks and shepherd them. 3 They carry away the ass of the orphan, And distrain the ox of the widow. 4 They thrust the needy out of the way, The poor of the land are obliged to slink away together. The supposition that the text originally stood מדּוּע לרשׁעים משּׁדּי is natural; but it is at once destroyed by the fact that Job 24:1 becomes thereby disproportionately long, and yet cannot be divided into two lines of comparatively independent contents. In fact, לרשׁעים is by no…”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Sources and verification