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Young's Literal Translation
Job 21:33
Bible Study Resources
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- InternationalParallel Translations
The dirt on his grave is sweet to him.Everyone follows behind him,and those who go before him are without number.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him. All men shall draw after him, As there were innumerable before him.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.
The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all mankind follows after him, and those who go before him are innumerable.
The dirt in the valley seems sweet to them. Everybody follows after them, and many people go before them.
The clods of the torrent valley are sweet to him; behind him everybody follows in procession, and before him goes a countless throng.
"The [dirt] clods of the valley are sweet to him [and gently cover him], Moreover, all men will follow after him [to a grave], While countless ones go before him.
"The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all mankind will follow after him, While countless others go before him.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him. All men shall draw after him, As there were innumerable before him.
The slimie valley shalbe sweete vnto him, and euery man shal draw after him, as before him there were innumerable.
The clods of the valley will gently cover him;Moreover, all men will draw up after him,While countless ones go before him.
The clods of the valley are sweet to him; everyone follows behind him, and those before him are without number.
the earth welcomes them home, while crowds mourn.
the clods of the valley are sweet to him; so everyone follows his example, just as before him were countless others.
The clods of the valley are sweet unto him; and every man followeth suit after him, as there were innumerable before him.
So even the soil in the valley will be pleasant for them, and thousands of people will join their funeral procession.
The depths of the valley shall swallow him, and many shall be drawn in after him, even as there are innumerable ahead of him.
thousands join the funeral procession, and even the earth lies gently on their bodies.
The clods of the valley are sweet to him; everyone will follow after him, and before him they are innumerable.
And the clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; and every man shall draw after him; and there is not any number before him.
The shal he be fayne to be buried amoge the stones by the broke syde. All men must folowe him, & there are innumerable gone before him.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, And all men shall draw after him, As there were innumerable before him.
The earth of the valley covering his bones is sweet to him, and all men come after him, as there were unnumbered before him.
The clods of the valley are sweet unto him, and all men draw after him, as there were innumerable before him.
The cloudes of the valley shalbe sweete vnto him, and euery man shall draw after him, as there are innumerable before him.
Then shal the slymie valley be sweet vnto him, all men also must folowe him, as there are innumerable gone before him.
The stones of the valley have been sweet to him, and every man shall depart after him, and there are innumerable ones before him.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and all men shall draw after him, as there were innumerable before him.
He was swete to the `stoonys, ether filthis, of helle; and drawith ech man aftir hym, and vnnoumbrable men bifor him.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him, And all of man shall draw after him, As there were innumerable before him.
The clods of the valley will be sweet to him, and every man will draw after him, as [there are] innumerable before him.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him, As countless have gone before him.
A great funeral procession goes to the cemetery. Many pay their respects as the body is laid to rest, and the earth gives sweet repose.
The earth of the valley will be sweet to him. All men will follow after him, and those who go before him are too many to number.
The clods of the valley are sweet to them; everyone will follow after, and those who went before are innumerable.
Pleasant to him are the mounds of the torrent-bed, - and, after him, doth every man march, as, before him, there were without number.
He hath been acceptable to the gravel of Cocytus, and he shall draw every man after him, and there are innumerable before him.
The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all men follow after him, and those who go before him are innumerable.
"The clods of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all men will follow after him, While countless ones go before him.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
sweet: Job 3:17, Job 3:18
every man: Job 30:23, Genesis 3:19, Ecclesiastes 1:4, Ecclesiastes 8:8, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Hebrews 9:27
Reciprocal: Job 6:10 - Then Job 7:21 - sleep Job 17:14 - corruption Ecclesiastes 8:10 - so
Cross-References
And to Seth, to him also a son hath been born, and he calleth his name Enos; then a beginning was made of preaching in the name of Jehovah.
And he removeth from thence towards a mountain at the east of Beth-El, and stretcheth out the tent (Beth-El at the west, and Hai at the east), and he buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and preacheth in the name of Jehovah.
And he goeth up from thence [to] Beer-Sheba,
and he buildeth there an altar, and preacheth in the name of Jehovah, and stretcheth out there his tent, and there Isaac's servants dig a well.
and he calleth it Shebah, [oath,] therefore the name of the city [is] Beer-Sheba, [well of the oath,] unto this day.
`Thou dost not plant for thee a shrine of any trees near the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou makest for thyself,
A habitation [is] the eternal God, And beneath [are] arms age-during. And He casteth out from thy presence the enemy, and saith, `Destroy!'
and the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and forget Jehovah their God, and serve the Baalim and the shrines.
Before mountains were brought forth, And Thou dost form the earth and the world, Even from age unto age Thou [art] God.
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The God of the age -- Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him,.... Where he lies interred, alluding to places of interment at the bottom of hills, and mountains, and under rocks, in plains and vales, see
Genesis 35:8; and by this strong figure is signified, that the dead wicked man, lying in the clods of the valley in his grave, is in great repose, and in the utmost ease and quiet, feels no pains of body, nor has any uneasiness of mind concerning what befalls his posterity after his death, Job 14:21;
and every man shall draw after him, as [there are] innumerable before him; which either respects the pomp at his funeral procession, vast numbers being drawn and gathered together to gaze at it, as is common at grand funerals; and particularly, it may describe the multitude that go before the corpse, as well as those that follow after it; but rather as he is before represented as brought to his grave, and laid there, this clause is added, to denote the universality of death, it being common to all; thousands and ten thousands, even a number which no man can number, have gone before him by death into another world, as every man that comes after him must; and so this may prevent an objection to the grandeur of a wicked man, that after all he dies; but then death is no other than what is common to all men, to the vast multitudes that have gone before, and will be the case of all that come after, to the end of the world.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him - That is, he shall lie as calmly as others in the grave. The language here is taken from that delusion of which we all partake when we reflect on death. We think of “ourselves” in the grave, and it is almost impossible to divest our minds of the idea, that we shall be conscious there, and be capable of understanding our condition. The idea here is, that the person who was thus buried, might be sensible of the quiet of his abode, and enjoy, in some measure, the honors of the beautiful or splendid tomb, in which he was buried, and the anxious care of his friends. So we “think” of our friends, though we do not often “express” it. The dear child that is placed in the dark vault, or that is covered up in the ground - we feel as if we could not have him there. We insensibly shudder, as if “he” might be conscious of the darkness and chilliness, and “a part” of our trial arises from this delusion. So felt the American savage - expressing the emotions of the heart, which, in other cases, are often concealed. “At the bottom of a grave, the melting snows had left a little water; and the sight of it chilled and saddened his imagination. ‘You have no compassion for my poor brother’ - such was the reproach of an Algonquin - ‘the air is pleasant, and the sun so cheering, and yet you do not remove the snow from the grave, to warm him a little,’ and he knew no contentment until it was done.” - Bancroft’s History, U. S. iii. 294, 295. The same feeling is expressed by Fingal over the grave of Gaul:
Prepare, ye children of musical strings,
The bed of Gaul, and his sun-beam by him;
Where may be seen his resting place from afar
Which branches high overshadow,
Under the wing of the oak of greenest flourish,
Of quickest growth, and most durable form,
Which will shoot forth its leaves to the breeze of the shower,
While the heath around is still withered.
Its leaves, from the extremity of the land,
Shall be seen by the birds in Summer;
And each bird shall perch, as it arrives,
On a sprig of its verdant branch;
Gaul in this mist shall hear the cheerful note,
While the virgins are singing of Evirchoma.
Thus, also, Knolles (History of the Turks, p. 332) remarks of the Sultan Muted II, that “after his death, his son raised the siege, and returned back to Adrianople. He caused the dead to be buried with great solemnity in the Western suburbs of Broosa, in a chapel without a roof, in accordance with the express desire of the Sultan, in order that the mercy and blessing of God might descend on him, that the sun and the moon might shine on his grave, and the rain and the dew of heaven fall upon it.” Rosenmuller’s Alte u. neue Morgenland, “in loc.” The word “clods” here, is rendered “stones” by Prof. Lee, but the more general interpretation is that of “sods,” or “clods.” The word is used only here, and in Job 38:38, where it is also rendered clods. The word “valley” (נחל nachal) means usually a stream, brook, or rivulet, and then a valley where such a brook runs. Notes Job 6:15. It is not improbable that such valleys were chosen as burial places, from the custom of planting shrubs and flowers around a grave, because they would flourish best there. The valley of Jehoshaphat, near Jerusalem, was long occupied as a burial place.
And every man shall draw after him - Some suppose that this means, that he shall share the common lot of mortals - that innumerable multitudes have gone there before him - and that succeeding generations shall follow to the same place appointed for all the living. “Noyes.” Others, however, suppose that this refers to a funeral procession and that the meaning is, that all the world is drawn out after him, and that an innumerable multitude precedes him when he is buried. Others, again, suppose it means, that his example shall attract many to follow and adopt his practices, as many have done before him in imitating similar characters. “Lee.” It is clear, that there is some notion of honor, respect, or pomp in the language; and it seems to me more likely that the meaning is, that he would draw out every body to go to the place where he was buried, that they might look on it, and thus honor him. What multitudes would go to look on the grave of Alexander the Great! How many have gone to look on the place where Caesar fell! How many have gone, and will go, to look on the place where Nelson or Napoleon is buried! This, I think, is the idea here, that the man who should thus die, would draw great numbers to the place where he was buried, and that before him, or in his presence, there was an innumerable multitude, so greatly would he be honored.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 21:33. The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him — Perhaps there is an allusion here to the Asiatic mode of interment for princes, saints, and nobles: a well-watered valley was chosen for the tomb, where a perpetual spring might be secured. This was intended to be the emblem of a resurrection, or of a future life; and to conceal as much as possible the disgrace of the rotting carcass.
Every man shall draw after him — There seem to be two allusions intended here:
1. To death, the common lot of all. Millions have gone before him to the tomb; and כל אדם col adam, all men, shall follow him: all past generations have died, all succeeding generations shall die also.
2. To pompous funeral processions; multitudes preceding, and multitudes following, the corpse.
