Sounds of terror fill his ears; in his prosperity the destroyer attacks him.
Parallel translations
- WEB A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come on him.
- KJV A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
- NKJV Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
- NASB “Sounds of terror are in his ears; While he is at peace the destroyer comes upon him.
- NLT The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wicked man hears terrors and lives in fear even in prosperity, expecting a destroyer to strike. His outward success cannot quiet his inward dread.
Overview
Eliphaz describes the guilty conscience that supposedly torments the wicked, allowing no security even when things go well. This captures a real spiritual truth: those at war with God lack true peace (Isaiah 57:21). Yet as a blanket explanation of Job's plight it falls short, since Job's terror flows not from hidden sin but from God's mysterious dealings with a faithful servant.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Job 18:11Terrors frighten him on every side and harass his every step.
- 1 Th 5:3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
- Lev 26:36As for those of you who survive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, so that even the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. And they will flee as one flees the sword, and fall when no one pursues them.
- 1 Cor 10:10And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.
- Rev 9:11They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.
- Prov 1:26–27in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you,
- Ps 92:7that though the wicked sprout like grass, and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.
- Job 20:5–7the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
- Job 20:22–25In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him.
- Job 27:20Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest sweeps him away in the night.
- Job 1:13–19One day, while Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
- Gen 3:9–10But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
- Ps 73:18–20Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.
- 1 Sam 25:36–38When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light.
- 2 Kgs 7:6For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
- Acts 12:21–23On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 15:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.