Job 22:20 Meaning: Should We Rejoice When the Wicked Fall?
saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off. The fire has consumed their remnant.’
Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.
`Surely our substance hath not been cut off, And their excellency hath fire consumed.'
Is not he who rose against us destroyed, and doth not the fire consume his residue?
Meaning in one sentence
Eliphaz describes the righteous rejoicing over the destruction of the wicked. But in Job, this perspective is challenged.
Context
Eliphaz is in the middle of his third speech to Job, and he is running out of patience. He has just accused Job of specific sins and pointed to the ancient stories of the flood and the fire that destroyed Sodom as proof that God punishes the wicked. In the verses just before this one, he described the righteous seeing God’s judgment and being glad. Then comes this line, a triumphant shout from the faithful: the enemy is gone, the fire has finished what was left. Eliphaz uses this as a warning. If Job wants to be counted among the righteous, he had better repent. But the Book of Job does not let Eliphaz have the last word. God will later speak, and when He does, He does not endorse Eliphaz’s tidy equation of suffering with sin. The verse sits at the heart of a debate the book refuses to resolve quickly.
Key Words
The Hebrew word behind “cut off” is nikhchad, from a root that means to hide or be hidden, and then to disappear entirely. It is the same word used for a stream drying up or a path vanishing. The righteous are not just glad that their enemy is gone; they are certain that he has been erased from view, as if God Himself had pulled a curtain over him. That is a heavy claim, and it is one Eliphaz makes without hesitation.
The word for “remnant” is yitram, which often means abundance or what is left over. Here it carries a double edge: the wicked had plenty, but even that surplus gets swallowed by fire. The fire itself is esh, the same word used for the sulfur that fell on Sodom. Eliphaz is painting a picture of total loss, nothing remains, not even the extra. The comfort the righteous feel comes from seeing that God’s judgment is complete. But the reader of Job is left wondering whether that comfort is real or just a story Eliphaz tells himself to make sense of a world where good people suffer.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this verse in different ways. Some traditions, particularly in the Reformed stream, have seen it as a valid expression of joy that God’s justice finally appears. Matthew Henry, for example, treats the righteous gladness as a proper response to seeing God vindicate His holiness. Other commentators, such as those in the Anglican tradition, point out that Eliphaz is not a reliable teacher; the book of Job as a whole exposes his retribution theology as too neat. Many Catholic interpreters read the verse through the lens of the whole canon, noting that while the Old Testament includes such cries of triumph, Jesus calls His followers to love enemies and leave vengeance to God. No tradition reads the verse as permission to gloat. The question is whether the joy is about God’s justice or about personal vindication.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to take this verse as proof that God always punishes the wicked with visible disaster in this life, and that believers should celebrate when that happens. In fact, the Book of Job is built around the failure of that very idea. Job’s friends assume that suffering equals punishment, but God rebukes them (Job 42:7). The verse reflects Eliphaz’s limited understanding, not God’s final word. Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, which makes gloating over anyone’s destruction a contradiction of the gospel.
Living This Out
Someone has hurt you, and now you hear they are struggling. A part of you feels relieved, maybe even satisfied. This verse catches that feeling, and it asks you to pause. Eliphaz’s mistake was not that he believed in God’s justice; it was that he used that belief to distance himself from suffering people, including Job. This week, when you feel that flash of satisfaction at someone else’s trouble, pause and pray. You do not have to pretend the wrong was not real. But you can hand the judgment over to God and ask for a heart that still hopes for repentance, not ruin. Trust God’s justice without needing to celebrate it.
Main takeaway: God alone judges righteously; we can trust His justice without needing to rejoice over anyone’s downfall.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
When someone does something bad and then gets in trouble, do you feel happy? That is a normal feeling. But the Bible teaches us to love even people who are hard to love. So instead of clapping when they get in trouble, you can pray for them.
For ages 9, 12
Eliphaz thought that if you were good, God would protect you, and if you were bad, God would destroy you. He even thought it was right to laugh at people who got punished. But Job shows us that life is more complicated than that. Good people suffer too, and God calls us to love our enemies, not cheer when they fall. So when you see someone who has hurt you get in trouble, take a breath. You can trust God to handle the justice, but your job is to keep your heart soft and pray for them.
Questions People Ask
What does 'cut off' mean in Job 22:20?
The Hebrew word is nikhchad, which means to be hidden or to disappear. It paints a picture of complete removal. In this verse, it is the righteous person's confident claim that the enemy is gone for good.
Is this verse about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Most commentators think yes. The mention of fire consuming the remnant echoes the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where God rained sulfur and fire from the sky. Eliphaz is using that famous judgment to argue that God always punishes the wicked.
Why do the righteous rejoice in this verse?
Eliphaz says they rejoice because they see God's justice finally happening. They have been oppressed or threatened by the wicked, and now God has stepped in. But the book of Job later shows that this kind of simple cause-and-effect thinking does not match real life.
Does the Book of Job endorse Eliphaz's viewpoint?
No, it does not. God speaks at the end and rebukes Eliphaz and his friends for not speaking what is right about Him (Job 42:7). Their retribution theology is too neat. The book as a whole shows that suffering is not always linked to personal sin.
How should Christians read this verse in light of Jesus' command to love enemies?
Carefully. The Old Testament includes cries of triumph over enemies, but Jesus calls His followers to love and pray for those who persecute them. So while we can trust that God is just, we should not gloat over anyone's downfall. We leave judgment to God and keep our hearts open to grace.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study