He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow shall strike him through.
- BSB Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.
- NKJV He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through.
- NASB “He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.
- NLT When they try to escape an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.
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
Fleeing one weapon, the wicked man is struck by another; the bronze arrow pierces him. There is no escape from the judgment pursuing him.
Overview
Zophar pictures the wicked man dodging an iron weapon only to be impaled by a bronze-tipped arrow, showing the inescapability of his doom. Every avenue of escape closes against him. The verse dramatizes the certainty of God's judgment overtaking the unrepentant, however he may try to flee, underscoring the urgency of seeking mercy while it may be found.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Amos 5:19As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
- Isa 24:18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
- 2 Sam 22:35He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
- 1 Kgs 20:30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
- Jer 48:43–44Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD.
- Prov 7:23Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.
- Amos 9:1–3I saw the LORD standing upon the altar: and he said, Smite the lintel of the door, that the posts may shake: and cut them in the head, all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: he that fleeth of them shall not flee away, and he that escapeth of them shall not be delivered.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 20:24 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.