Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
- BSB Still, their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
- NKJV Indeed their prosperity is not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
- NASB “Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand; The advice of the wicked is far from me.
- NLT (They think their prosperity is of their own doing, but I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.)
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
Job acknowledges that the wicked's prosperity is not truly in their own control, and he firmly distances himself from their godless counsel. He rejects their way even while noting their success.
Overview
Job clarifies that he does not envy or endorse the wicked; their good fortune is ultimately in God's hand, not theirs. He repudiates 'the counsel of the wicked' (cf. Ps 1:1). The verse is somewhat debated in tone, but most read it as Job affirming that despite appearances, the ungodly are not masters of their own destiny and their path is not his.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 1:1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
- Job 22:18Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
- Ps 52:5–7God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
- Gen 49:6O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
- Ps 49:6–7They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
- Prov 1:10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
- Job 1:21And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
- Prov 5:8Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:
- Luke 16:25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
- Eccl 8:8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
- Job 12:9–10Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
- 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.
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 21:16 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.