He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
- KJV He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.
- BSB He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.
- 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 clothing as the clay;
- Jas 1:11For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in his pursuits.
- Jas 5:1–3Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
- Job 22:15–20Will you keep the old way, which wicked men have trodden,
- Luke 12:19–21I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’
- Luke 16:19–22“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.
- Ps 49:16–17Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
- Luke 16:2He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
- Job 20:22–28In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress shall overtake him. The hand of everyone who is in misery shall come on him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 15:29 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.