Job 21:16 · Bible study
Job 21:16 Commentary: God's Sovereignty and Rejecting Wicked Counsel
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What does Job mean in Job 21:16? He says prosperity is not in their hand and rejects the counsel of the wicked. Hebrew insights and interpretive debate.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Job either affirms that prosperity comes from God, not human effort, or ironically quotes the friends’ claim that the wicked have no secure hold on their wealth. Either way, he refuses any association with the wicked’s mindset.
- Key words: hen (behold), tuv (prosperity/goodness), yad (hand/power), etsah (counsel), rachaq (far). The idiom “in their hand” indicates control or possession.
- Main debate: Is the first clause a sincere statement of God’s sovereignty or an ironic quotation of the friends’ position? Named commentators on both sides: Barnes and Cambridge support irony; Clarke, Gill, Matthew Henry support the straightforward reading.
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty over wealth and suffering, the problem of retribution theology, and the call to integrity even when life is unfair.
- Best use: In sermons or group studies on theodicy, Job’s character, and the challenge of remaining faithful when evil seems to triumph.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Still, their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
KJV King James Version 1769
Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand: The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Lo, not in their hand is their good, (The counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked be far from me!
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Yet because their good things are not in their hand, may the counsel of the wicked be far from me.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
He aquí que su bien no está en manos de ellos: el consejo de los impíos lejos esté de mí.
Eis que sua prosperidade não se deve às mãos deles. Longe de mim esteja o conselho dos perversos!
Quoi donc! Ne sont-ils pas en possession du bonheur?
“Aber siehe, ihr Glück steht nicht in ihren Händen; darum soll der Gottlosen Sinn ferne von mir sein.”
Doch ziet, hun goed is niet in hun hand; de raad der goddelozen is verre van mij.
Ecco, non hanno essi in mano la loro felicita? (lungi da me il consiglio degli empi!)
Ale oto, dobra ich nie są w rękach ich; przetoż rada niepobożnych daleka jest odemnie.
Видишь, счастье их не от их рук. — Совет нечестивых будь далек от меня!
看哪，他們亨通 不 在乎自己；惡人 所謀定的 離我 好遠。
Truly, is not their well-being in their power? (The purpose of the evil-doers is far from me.)
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 21:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Job is wrestling with the troubling prosperity of the wicked and that he distances himself from their ways. The second clause, “the counsel of the wicked is far from me”, is universally read as Job's personal disavowal, echoing Psalm 1:1 and affirming his integrity. The disagreement centers on the first clause. Barnes, followed by the Cambridge Bible, argues that Job is speaking ironically, quoting the friends' own claim that the wicked have no secure hold on their prosperity. Barnes writes: “Lo! you say, that their good is not in their hand!… How often have I seen it otherwise!” On the other hand, Clarke, Gill, and Matthew Henry read the clause straightforwardly: Job acknowledges that the wicked's prosperity comes from God, not from their own power. Gill states it is “not in the power of their hands to keep” their good, and therefore they should serve God. Wesley similarly notes that wealth “is not in their hand; neither obtained, nor kept by their own might, but only by God's power and favour.” Both readings underscore God's ultimate control over human affairs.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Ironical quotation view: Job quotes his friends’ claim that the wicked lack security in their prosperity, then uses it to challenge them: 'How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?' (v.17). Supported by Barnes, Cambridge Bible, Hitzig.
- Straightforward sovereignty view: Job states that though the wicked prosper, their wealth is not self-made or self-sustained; it comes from God and can be withdrawn. Supported by Clarke, Gill, Matthew Henry, Wesley.
What is clear: Job separates himself from the counsel and way of life of the wicked. Whatever the precise rhetorical force of the first clause, he refuses to join their ranks or endorse their rejection of God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of 'their prosperity is not in their hand' | The prosperity of the wicked is not ultimately under their own control; it is subject to God's authority and can be removed at any time. | Some commentators (Clarke, Gill) see Job stating this as a straightforward confession of divine sovereignty. Others (Barnes, Cambridge) argue that Job is ironically quoting his friends' claim to refute it. |
| The force of 'the counsel of the wicked is far from me' | Job explicitly distances himself from the worldview and practices of the wicked. He does not endorse their arrogance or their rejection of God. | The debate is minor: some read this as a simple statement of fact; others as a wish or prayer ('be far from me'). The meaning converges on disassociation. |
| The overall tone of verse 16 in context | The verse functions as a pivot in Job's speech, connecting the description of wicked prosperity with his rebuttal of the friends' doctrine. It reflects Job's continued reverence for God. | Scholars differ on whether the tone is ironic (exposing the friends' inconsistency) or earnest (expressing Job's own piety despite his struggle). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Job 21 is part of Job's third cycle of speeches, responding to Zophar's assertion in chapter 20 that the wicked inevitably suffer calamity and lose their ill-gotten gain. Job disagrees: he has seen the wicked flourish for a lifetime, enjoying music, children, and prosperity (Job 21:7-13). They even defy God, saying, “What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?” (v.15). Verse 16 stands as a pivot.
The first clause uses the Hebrew hen (“behold!”), a particle that can introduce a statement of fact or a quotation. The phrase “in their hand” (beyadam) is an idiom for power or control. Job may be pointing out that the wicked do not hold their prosperity by their own strength, or he may be throwing the friends’ own words back at them: they insist that the wicked have no secure tenure. The second clause, “the counsel of the wicked is far from me”, shares the same language as Eliphaz’s later accusation in Job 22:18, where Eliphaz quotes Job (or the wicked) saying, “Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.” This suggests that the phrase had become a kind of motto for Job, a way to protest his innocence while still admitting the mystery of undeserved prosperity.
“Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;”
— Psalm 1:1 (WEB)
This echo ties Job to the wisdom tradition that separates the righteous from the wicked. Job must navigate the tension between observable reality (the wicked prosper) and his own commitment to fear God.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Job 21:16. The Hebrew text is stable across major manuscripts, and the meaning is not affected by scribal differences. The phrase counsel of the wicked is far from me appears again in Job 22:18 with the same wording, confirming the consistency of the tradition.
Reception History
In early Jewish and Christian interpretation, Job 21:16 was usually read as a confession of God's providence. The Targum and the Septuagint both render the verse straightforwardly, without signaling irony. Church fathers such as Gregory the Great, in his Moralia on Job, treated the verse as Job's acknowledgment that the wicked receive their good things from God, which makes their ingratitude even worse. During the Reformation, Matthew Henry and John Wesley continued this line, using the verse to argue that wealth is a gift from God, not a permanent possession. In the nineteenth century, commentators like Barnes and Hitzig introduced the ironic reading, arguing that Job is quoting the friends in order to undercut their position. This debate has persisted into modern scholarship. Both readings recognize that Job is wrestling honestly with the mystery of undeserved prosperity while maintaining his own separation from the wicked.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The unsettling fact: The wicked often thrive. Job does not deny what his eyes see. Their houses are full, their children dance, they die in peace (vv.7-13). This is not a theory; it is a lived frustration.
- The deeper truth: Their prosperity is “not in their hand.” Whether Job says this straight or ironically, the reality stands: ultimate control belongs to God. Wealth is a loan, not a permanent possession. This humbles the prosperous and gives hope to the suffering.
- The believer’s resolve: “The counsel of the wicked is far from me.” Job refuses to let the success of evil people change his allegiance. He will not envy them, join them, or adopt their cynical view of God. Integrity matters more than visible reward.
Five-point outline
- Observing the mystery: prosperity without piety (vv.7-15)
- Recognizing the source: prosperity is ultimately from God, not from human effort (v.16a)
- Declaring distance: separation from the worldviews and ways of the wicked (v.16b)
- Correcting the friends: their retribution theology is too narrow (vv.17-26)
- Comfort for the sufferer: God sees and will set things right, even if not now (vv.27-34)
Illustration hooks
- A coworker who lies and cheats but gets promoted. You are passed over. The temptation is to think God is not paying attention. But the promotion they received is not in their hand, it depends on God, who may allow it for reasons we cannot see.
- An athlete who uses performance-enhancing drugs, wins medals, and is celebrated. Their success looks secure. But it is built on something hollow. The Christian athlete chooses clean competition, even if it means never standing on the podium.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God is sovereign, why do wicked people get away with so much?
- How can I keep my faith when I see evil people thriving and good people suffering?
- What does it mean practically to keep “the counsel of the wicked” far from me, in my choices, my entertainment, my business deals?
Leading a Discussion
Job 21:16 sits in the middle of one of the Bible's most honest arguments about why the wicked prosper. The group leader should set the scene: Job's friends have been saying that the wicked always suffer, but Job insists they do not always. He is pushing back against a tidy theology. Help the group sit with the discomfort of the text before jumping to answers.
Discussion questions
- Read Job 21:7-16 out loud. What images stand out to you in the description of the wicked’s prosperity? Why do you think Job includes such detail?
- What do the words “their prosperity is not in their hand” mean to you? Who holds their prosperity?
- Scholars disagree on whether Job is quoting his friends’ view or stating his own in that first clause. Which reading makes more sense to you in the context of verses 7-15? Why?
- The second clause says, “the counsel of the wicked is far from me.” In what ways can the “counsel of the wicked” influence believers today? What does it mean to keep something “far” from you?
- How does Psalm 1:1 (which uses the same language about “counsel of the wicked”) help us understand Job’s stance? How are the two passages similar and different?
- Job seems to feel a tension between what he observes (the wicked prosper) and what he believes (God is just). Where do you experience a similar tension in your own life or in the world around you?
- What difference does it make to know that even Job struggled with this question? How can his honesty encourage your small group to be honest with God about doubts?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 49:6 | My soul, don’t come into their council. My glory, don’t be united to their assembly; for in their anger they killed men. In their self-will they hamstrung cattle. |
| Job 1:21 | He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked will I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh’s name.” |
| Job 12:9 | Who doesn’t know that in all these, Yahweh’s hand has done this, |
| Job 12:10 | in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? |
| Job 22:18 | Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. |
| Psalms 1:1 | Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; |
| Psalms 49:6 | Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches— |
| Psalms 49:7 | none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that God controls all wealth even though people think it belongs to them. He shows that wicked people sometimes enjoy success but can also lose it suddenly. Your hope comes from Christ and the resurrection.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the verse as Job's ironic reply to his friends' claim that the wicked lack secure prosperity. Job counters that he has often seen them thrive and die in peace. When Job says the wicked's counsel is far from him, he means he rejects their way of life
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges sees Job saying his rejection of the wicked’s ways means their prosperity truly comes from God alone. He does not think his own suffering comes from God either.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes draw attention to the phrase "their wealth is not in their hand," meaning the wicked do not truly possess or control their prosperity. This insecurity is why the speaker rejects their counsel, recognizing outward success is no guarantee of God's blessing.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the wicked possess good things only temporarily; they cannot keep them nor take them when they die, and their wealth does not come by their own power but from God. Job therefore rejects their counsel because he values spiritual good over uncertain earthly riches, and refuses to align with their worldly thinking.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that Job fears being seen as fearing the wicked even when they are successful. He prays that his own plans stay away from evil thoughts. Your hope rests in Christ and the resurrection.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch highlight that Job sees the wicked's prosperity as a gift from God, not their own doing. Job is not denying God's sovereignty but is perplexed that God grants lasting prosperity to those who defiantly reject Him. Job's declaration distances himself from their wicked mindset, not from the fact of their good fortune.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange notes that Job here moves from personal complaint to a calm, objective critique of the friends' narrow retribution doctrine. Job treats the prosperity of the wicked as an unsolvable mystery that compels reverent submission to God's inscrutable ways, not as proof of his own guilt. This shift marks Job's growing superiority over his opponents.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that some wicked people enjoy long periods of great success and wealth. He states that their good fortune is not under their control.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley argues that wicked people have no ground to reject God simply because they prosper. Their wealth is neither gained nor kept by their own strength; it remains entirely under God's power and favor. For this reason he refuses to approve their reasoning or follow their example.