It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.
Parallel translations
- WEB It shall be accomplished before his time. His branch shall not be green.
- KJV It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
- NKJV It will be accomplished before his time, And his branch will not be green.
- NASB “It will be accomplished before his time, And his palm branch will not be green.
- NLT They will be cut down in the prime of life; their branches will never again be green.
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's end comes prematurely, his branch never flourishing green. His life is cut short before its time.
Overview
Eliphaz declares the godless will be paid off before his days are full, like a tree whose branch withers rather than thriving. The image of a barren branch signals a life that fails to bear lasting fruit. Scripture contrasts this with the blessed man who is like a tree that prospers (Psalm 1:3), a fruitfulness ultimately found in union with Christ the true vine (John 15:5).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Eccl 7:17Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
- Ps 55:23But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
- Hos 9:16Ephraim is struck down; their root is withered; they cannot bear fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay the darlings of their wombs.
- Job 22:16They were snatched away before their time, and their foundations were swept away by a flood.
- Hos 14:5–7I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
- Ezek 17:8–10It had been planted in good soil by abundant waters in order to yield branches and bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’
- Ps 52:5–8Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent; He will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
- Isa 27:11When its limbs are dry, they are broken off. Women come and use them for kindling; for this is a people without understanding. Therefore their Maker has no compassion on them, and their Creator shows them no favor.
- Job 14:7–9For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail.
- Job 8:16–19He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden.
- Job 18:16–17The roots beneath him dry up, and the branches above him wither away.
- John 15:6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
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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 15:32 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.