Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, having never tasted prosperity.
Parallel translations
- WEB Another dies in bitterness of soul, and never tastes of good.
- KJV And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.
- NKJV Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, Never having eaten with pleasure.
- NASB While another dies with a bitter soul, Never even tasting anything good.
- NLT Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted the good life.
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
In contrast, another person dies in bitterness, having never enjoyed any good in life. Suffering and prosperity are not distributed according to a clear moral pattern.
Overview
Job sets the embittered, deprived person beside the comfortable one of verses 23-24. Life's hardships and blessings fall unevenly and not according to the formula his friends preach. This sober observation drives the reader toward hope beyond this life, where God's justice is finally and perfectly displayed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ezek 4:16–17Then He told me, “Son of man, I am going to cut off the supply of food in Jerusalem. They will anxiously eat bread rationed by weight, and in despair they will drink water by measure.
- Job 7:11Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
- Ezek 12:18“Son of man, eat your bread with trembling, and drink your water with quivering and anxiety.
- Job 9:18He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.
- Job 3:20Why is light given to the miserable, and life to the bitter of soul,
- 1 Kgs 17:12But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”
- Eccl 6:2God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.
- Isa 38:15–17What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul.
- Job 10:1“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Job 20:23When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.
- 2 Sam 17:8He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.
- Prov 14:10The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares in its joy.
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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 21:25 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.