The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent mock them:
Parallel translations
- WEB The righteous see it, and are glad. The innocent ridicule them,
- KJV The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
- NKJV “Therighteous see it and are glad, And the innocent laugh at them:
- NASB “The righteous see and are glad, And the innocent mock them, saying,
- NLT “The righteous will be happy to see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent will laugh in contempt.
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
Eliphaz says the righteous rejoice when they see the wicked destroyed, and the innocent mock them. He depicts the godly delighting in the downfall of the ungodly.
Overview
Eliphaz portrays the righteous as gladdened by the judgment of the wicked (cf. Ps 58:10-11). While Scripture does affirm the vindication of God's justice, it also tempers any vengeful gloating (Prov 24:17). Eliphaz applies this to imply Job belongs among the doomed wicked rather than the rejoicing righteous, a pointed and unkind insinuation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 58:10The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
- Ps 107:42The upright see and rejoice, and all iniquity shuts its mouth.
- Ps 52:6The righteous will see and fear; they will mock the evildoer, saying,
- Rev 18:20Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.
- Job 9:23When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
- Ps 97:8Zion hears and rejoices, and the towns of Judah exult because of Your judgments, O LORD.
- Ps 48:11Mount Zion is glad, the daughters of Judah rejoice, on account of Your judgments.
- Prov 11:10When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
- Rev 19:1–3After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 22:19 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.