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THE MESSAGE

Job 21:17

"Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail, or disaster strikes, or they get their just deserts? How often are they blown away by bad luck? Not very often. You might say, ‘God is saving up the punishment for their children.' I say, ‘Give it to them right now so they'll know what they've done!' They deserve to experience the effects of their evil, feel the full force of God's wrath firsthand. What do they care what happens to their families after they're safely tucked away in the grave?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Death;   Sin;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Candle;   The Topic Concordance - Wickedness;   Wrath;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflictions of the Wicked, the;   Anger of God, the;   Lamps;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Candle;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bands;   Candle;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Wealth;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Lamp;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Candle;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Lamp;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Candle;   Inspiration;   Lamp;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?Does disaster come on them?Does he apportion destruction in his anger?
Hebrew Names Version
"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes on them? That God distributes sorrows in his anger?
King James Version
How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.
English Standard Version
"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger?
New Century Version
Yet how often are the lamps of evil people turned off? How often does trouble come to them? How often do they suffer God's angry punishment?
New English Translation
"How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished? How often does their misfortune come upon them? How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger?
Amplified Bible
"How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, And that their disaster falls on them? Does God distribute pain and destruction and sorrow [to them] in His anger?
New American Standard Bible
"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their disaster fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
World English Bible
"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes on them? That God distributes sorrows in his anger?
Geneva Bible (1587)
How oft shal the candle of the wicked be put out? and their destruction come vpon them? he wil deuide their liues in his wrath.
Legacy Standard Bible
"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out,Or does their disaster fall on them?Does God apportion destruction in His anger?
Berean Standard Bible
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?
Contemporary English Version
How often does God become angry and send disaster and darkness to punish sinners?
Complete Jewish Bible
"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their calamity come upon them? How often does [God] deal out pain in his anger,
Darby Translation
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and cometh their calamity upon them? Doth he distribute sorrows [to them] in his anger?
Easy-to-Read Version
But how often does God blow out their light? How often does trouble come to them? How often does God get angry with them and punish them?
George Lamsa Translation
How often is it that the wicked are left without an heir! how often their destruction comes upon them! God distributes sorrows in his anger.
Good News Translation
Was a wicked person's light ever put out? Did one of them ever meet with disaster? Did God ever punish the wicked in anger
Lexham English Bible
"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and their disaster comes upon them? He distributes pains in his anger.
Literal Translation
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and their calamity comes on them! He shares out pangs in His anger;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
How oft shal the candle of ye wicked be put out? how oft commeth their destruccion vpon them? O what sorowe shall God geue them for their parte in his wrath?
American Standard Version
How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity cometh upon them? That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?
Bible in Basic English
How frequently is the light of the evil-doers put out, or does trouble come on them? how frequently does his wrath take them with cords?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? that their calamity cometh upon them?
King James Version (1611)
How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? and how oft commeth their destruction vpon them? God distributeth sorrowes in his anger.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
How oft shall the candell of the wicked be put out, and their destruction come vpon them? O what sorowe shall God geue them for their part in his wrath?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Nevertheless, the lamp of the ungodly also shall be put out, and destruction shall come upon them, and pangs of vengeance shall seize them.
English Revised Version
How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? that their calamity cometh upon them? that God distributeth sorrows in his anger?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Hou ofte schal the lanterne of wickid men be quenchid, and flowing schal come on hem, and God schal departe the sorewis of his stronge veniaunce?
Update Bible Version
How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes on them? That [God] distributes sorrows in his anger?
Webster's Bible Translation
How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? and [how oft] cometh their destruction upon them? [God] distributeth sorrows in his anger.
New King James Version
"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger?
New Living Translation
"Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?
New Life Bible
"How many times is the lamp of the sinful put out, that their trouble comes upon them? How often does God send trouble to them in His anger?
New Revised Standard
"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does calamity come upon them? How often does God distribute pains in his anger?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
How oft, the lamp of the lawless, goeth out, and their calamity, cometh upon them, Sorrows, apportioneth he in his anger;
Douay-Rheims Bible
How often shall the lamp of the wicked be put out, and a deluge come upon them, and he shall distribute the sorrows of his wrath?
Revised Standard Version
"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger?
Young's Literal Translation
How oft is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He apportioneth in His anger.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

Contextual Overview

17"Still, how often does it happen that the wicked fail, or disaster strikes, or they get their just deserts? How often are they blown away by bad luck? Not very often. You might say, ‘God is saving up the punishment for their children.' I say, ‘Give it to them right now so they'll know what they've done!' They deserve to experience the effects of their evil, feel the full force of God's wrath firsthand. What do they care what happens to their families after they're safely tucked away in the grave? 22"But who are we to tell God how to run his affairs? He's dealing with matters that are way over our heads. Some people die in the prime of life, with everything going for them— fat and sassy. Others die bitter and bereft, never getting a taste of happiness. They're laid out side by side in the cemetery, where the worms can't tell one from the other.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

oft: Job 18:5, Job 18:6, Job 18:18, Proverbs 13:9, Proverbs 20:20, Proverbs 24:20, Matthew 25:8

candle: or, lamp

distributeth: Psalms 32:10, Psalms 90:7-9, Luke 12:46, Romans 2:8, Romans 2:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:17 - in sorrow Job 9:29 - General Job 29:3 - candle Ecclesiastes 8:14 - there be just Revelation 18:23 - the light

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
After all these things, this word of God came to Abram in a vision: "Don't be afraid, Abram. I'm your shield. Your reward will be grand!"
Genesis 16:9
The angel of God said, "Go back to your mistress. Put up with her abuse." He continued, "I'm going to give you a big family, children past counting. From this pregnancy, you'll get a son: Name him Ishmael; for God heard you, God answered you. He'll be a bucking bronco of a man, a real fighter, fighting and being fought, Always stirring up trouble, always at odds with his family."
Genesis 21:1
God visited Sarah exactly as he said he would; God did to Sarah what he promised: Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a son in his old age, and at the very time God had set. Abraham named him Isaac. When his son was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded.
Genesis 21:14
Abraham got up early the next morning, got some food together and a canteen of water for Hagar, put them on her back and sent her away with the child. She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba. When the water was gone, she left the child under a shrub and went off, fifty yards or so. She said, "I can't watch my son die." As she sat, she broke into sobs.
Genesis 46:3
God said, "I am the God of your father. Don't be afraid of going down to Egypt. I'm going to make you a great nation there. I'll go with you down to Egypt; I'll also bring you back here. And when you die, Joseph will be with you; with his own hand he'll close your eyes."
Exodus 3:7
God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Exodus 14:13
Moses spoke to the people: "Don't be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians today for you're never going to see them again.
2 Kings 13:4
Then Jehoahaz prayed for a softening of God 's anger, and God listened. He realized how wretched Israel had become under the brutalities of the king of Aram. So God provided a savior for Israel who brought them out from under Aram's oppression. The children of Israel were again able to live at peace in their own homes. But it didn't make any difference: They didn't change their lives, didn't turn away from the Jeroboam-sins that now characterized Israel, including the sex-and-religion shrines of Asherah still flourishing in Samaria.
Isaiah 22:1
A Message concerning the Valley of Vision: What's going on here anyway? All this partying and noisemaking, Shouting and cheering in the streets, the city noisy with celebrations! You have no brave soldiers to honor, no combat heroes to be proud of. Your leaders were all cowards, captured without even lifting a sword, A country of cowards captured escaping the battle.
Matthew 15:32
But Jesus wasn't finished with them. He called his disciples and said, "I hurt for these people. For three days now they've been with me, and now they have nothing to eat. I can't send them away without a meal—they'd probably collapse on the road."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

How oft is the candle of the wicked put out?.... Job here returns, as Jarchi observes, to his former account of the constant and continued prosperity of wicked men; and puts questions tending to prove the same. Bildad had said, that the light and candle of the wicked would be put out, Job 18:5. Job, referring to this, asks how often this is the case; meaning, by the candle of the wicked, not his soul or spirit, which cannot be put out, or become extinct, as to be no more; nor the light of nature in his soul, though that may be put out in a great measure, and he be given up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart; but either his natural life, which, like a candle, burns for a while, and then becomes extinct, or rather his outward prosperity and happiness: if the question relates to the former, to the natural life of wicked men, it is not whether they die, that is no question; all die, good and bad; but whether they die in common sooner than others, or whether the instances of the brevity of the life of wicked men were frequent, or but seldom; or, is this always the case? it is not, it is rare, and not common; they live as long as other men, and oftentimes longer; they live and become old, as Job before observes; they prolong their days in their wickedness; or, if this refers to the latter, the prosperity of the wicked, the question is, is that for the most part a short lived prosperity? it is not, it is but rarely so; wicked men generally spend all their days in wealth, as before observed; so Ramban interprets "how oft", that is, how seldom; and to the same sense Mr. Broughton,

"not so often is the candle of the wicked put out;''

and [how oft] cometh their destruction upon them? not eternal, but temporal destruction, calamities and distresses; these are threatened them, but they are not executed on them immediately; and therefore their hearts are set in them to do evil: generally speaking, they have their good things here; they are filled with hidden treasure, which they enjoy while they live, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes; they are not destroyed on every side, as Job was; their substance, their cattle, their servants, their children, and their own health. Job asks how often this is their case, as had been his; and his sense is, and what experience testifies, it is but rarely the, case of wicked men; he seems to refer to what is said, Job 18:12.

[God] distributeth sorrows in his anger; or rather, "how oft doth he distribute sorrows in his anger?" but seldom; he is angry with the wicked every day, and reserves wrath for them, and many sorrows shall be to them, but not for the present; those are future, and even such as of a woman in travail, as the word used signifies, and which shall come upon them suddenly and certainly, and there will be no avoiding them; see Psalms 32:10; but does God frequently distribute or portion out sorrows to them now? he does not; they have their portion of good things in this life; does he usually give them sorrow of heart, his curse unto them? he does not; it is very seldom he does; they are not in trouble, nor plagued as other men; they are not men of sorrows and acquainted with griefs; they are generally strangers to them, and live merrily all their days, Job 21:12; respect seems to be had to the conclusion of Zophar's speech, Job 20:29.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? - Margin, “lamp.” A light, or a lamp, was an image of prosperity. There is, probably, an allusion here to what had been maintained by Bildad, Job 18:5-6, that the light of the wicked would be extinguished, and their dwellings made dark; see the notes at those verses. Job replies to this by asking how often it occurred. He inquires whether it was a frequent thing. By this, he implies that it was not universal; that it was a less frequent occurrence than they supposed. The meaning is, “How often does it, in fact, happen that the light of the wicked is extinguished, and that God distributes sorrows among them in his anger? Much less frequently than you suppose, for he bestows upon many of them tokens of abundant prosperity.” In this manner, by an appeal to “fact” and “observation,” Job aims to convince them that their position was wrong, and that it was not true that the wicked were invariably overwhelmed with calamity, as they had maintained.

God distributeth sorrows - The word “God” here, is understood, but there can be no doubt that it is correct. Job means to ask, how often it was true in fact that God “apportioned” the sorrows which he sent on men in accordance with their character. How often, in fact, did he treat the wicked as they deserved, and overwhelm them with calamity. It was not true that he did it, by any means, as often as they maintained, or so as to make it a certain rule in judging of character.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 21:17. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? — The candle or lamp is often used, both as the emblem of prosperity and of posterity. Oftentimes the rejoicing of the wicked is short; and, not unfrequently, his seed is cut off from the earth. The root is dried up, and the branch is withered.

God distributeth sorrows in his anger. — He must be incensed against those who refuse to know, serve, and pray unto him. In his anger, therefore, he portions out to each his due share of misery, vexation, and wo.


 
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