He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
- BSB He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.
- NKJV He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
- NASB “He will not become rich, nor will his wealth endure; And his property will not stretch out on the earth.
- NLT Their riches will not last, and their wealth will not endure. Their possessions will no longer spread across the horizon.
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 will not stay rich; his wealth and holdings will not endure or spread. His prosperity is destined to collapse.
Overview
Eliphaz insists the godless cannot retain his riches or extend his possessions, for judgment will strip him bare. This reflects the biblical truth that ill-gotten or godless wealth is fleeting (Proverbs 13:11). Yet pressed onto Job it is cruelly mistaken, for Job's losses are a trial, and the book finally restores his fortunes, overturning Eliphaz's rigid formula.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Job 27:16–17Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
- Jas 1:11For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
- Jas 5:1–3Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
- Job 22:15–20Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
- Luke 12:19–21And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
- Luke 16:19–22There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
- Ps 49:16–17Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
- Luke 16:2And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
- Job 20:22–28In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 15:29 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.