“May my enemy be like the wicked, And he who rises up against me like the unrighteous.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Let my enemy be as the wicked. Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
- KJV Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
- BSB May my enemy be like the wicked and my opponent like the unjust.
- NASB ¶“May my enemy be as the wicked, And my opponent as the criminal.
- NLT “May my enemy be punished like the wicked, my adversary like those who do evil.
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 wishes his enemy to be treated as the wicked deserve. It matters because Job invokes God's justice against those who oppose him.
Overview
Job expresses the wish that his adversary be counted among the wicked and unrighteous. This is an appeal to divine justice, that his enemies receive the fate of the godless. Such imprecation, leaving vengeance to God, anticipates the New Testament call to entrust judgment to the Lord rather than repaying evil ourselves (Rom. 12:19).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Dan 4:19Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered, Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream, or the interpretation, trouble you. Belteshazzar answered, My lord, the dream be to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries.
- 2 Sam 18:32The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you to do you harm, be as that young man is.”
- 1 Sam 25:26Now therefore, my lord, as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, since Yahweh has withheld you from blood guiltiness, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
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 27:7 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.