Job 24:24 · Bible study
Job 24:24 Commentary: The Brief Exaltation and End of the Wicked
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does Job 24:24 describe a peaceful natural death for the wicked or a sudden divine judgment? Study the Hebrew text, key interpretations and pastoral hope.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The wicked enjoy high status only briefly, then die like everyone else, a natural end or a sudden judgment depending on how the harvest image is read.
- Key words: ר֤וֹמּוּ (exalted), Hophal perfect, passive; הֻמְּכוּ (brought low), Hophal perfect; יִקָּפְצ֑וּן (gathered/contracted), Niphal imperfect; יִמָּֽלוּ (cut off/wither), Niphal imperfect.
- Main debate: Peaceful natural death (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) vs. sudden violent judgment (Clarke); also whether Job is citing or opposing his friends' view.
- Theological theme: The problem of evil and divine justice: the wicked can flourish until death, challenging retributive theology.
- Best use: A pastoral text for those struggling with injustice, pointing to the certainty that human power is temporary, the final harvest belongs to God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone. Yes, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
KJV King James Version 1769
They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
High they were for a little, and they are not, And they have been brought low. As all others they are shut up, And as the head of an ear of corn cut off.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
They are exalted for a little, and are no more; they are laid low; like all [other] are they gathered, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
They are lifted up for a little while and shall not stand, and shall be brought down as all things, and shall be taken away, and as the tops of the ears of corn they shall be broken.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Fueron ensalzados por un poco, mas desaparecen, y son abatidos como cada cual: serán encerrados, y cortados como cabezas de espigas.
São exaltados por um pouco de tempo ,mas logo desaparecem; são abatidos, encerrados como todos, e cortados como cabeças das espigas.
Ils se sont élevés; et en un instant ils ne sont plus,
Sie sind hoch erhöht, und über ein kleines sind sie nicht mehr; sinken sie hin, so werden sie weggerafft wie alle andern, und wie das Haupt auf den Ähren werden sie abgeschnitten.
Zij zijn een weinig tijds verheven, daarna is er niemand van hen; zij worden nedergedrukt; gelijk alle anderen worden zij besloten; en gelijk de top ener aar worden zij afgesneden.
Salgono in alto, poi scompaiono ad un tratto; cadono, son mietuti come gli altri mortali; son falciati come le spighe del grano maturo.
Na chwilę wywyższeni są, alić ich niemasz; zniżeni i ściśnieni będą jako inni wszyscy, a jako wierzch kłosa ścięci będą.
Поднялись высоко, — и вот, нет их; падают и умирают, как и все, и, как верхушки колосьев, срезываются.
他們被高舉，不過片時 就沒有了；他們降為卑，被除滅，與眾人一樣，又如穀 穗 被割。
For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 24:24
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 describing the fate of wicked oppressors: they rise to power briefly, then die. The point of dispute is the tone. Barnes and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown read the harvest imagery as a peaceful end, like grain fully ripe, cut at harvest, meaning they die naturally at a full age, not by a violent judgment. Adam Clarke, however, argues that such tyrants typically meet an untimely, violent death. The Cambridge Bible notes that the passage may blend two voices: verses 18, 21 reflect the friends' creed that the wicked are swiftly punished, while verses 22, 24 give Job's own observation that they die as all others do, with no visible divine retribution at the moment of death. Keil and Delitzsch similarly hold that the death itself reveals no special sign of God's anger. The verse thus sits at the heart of Job's argument: the wicked can flourish right up to a natural end, contradicting his friends' claim that calamity falls upon them in this life.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Natural death view: The harvest image suggests ripe grain gathered at the proper time, supported by Barnes and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, who argue the wicked die peacefully at full age.
- Sudden judgment view: Clarke and some older commentators point to the verb 'cut off' as indicating a violent end, and they note the brief exaltation as a prelude to God's swift intervention.
- Textual/structure ambiguity view: The Cambridge Bible and some structural analyses posit that verses 18-21 cite the friends' creed of sudden punishment while verses 22-24 give Job's own view of a peaceful end, making the verse's position within Job's argument complex.
What is clear: Despite their exaltation, the wicked do not endure forever; death comes to them as it comes to all people, and the harvest imagery points to a definitive end set by God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the harvest imagery ('cut off as the tops of the ears of grain') | All interpreters agree the metaphor describes death, the wicked are removed from the earth like grain is harvested. | Does the image suggest a peaceful death at full age (the grain is ripe, so the end is natural and timely) or a sudden, perhaps violent judgment (cutting indicates intervention, not peaceful passage)? Barnes and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown favor the former; Adam Clarke the latter. |
| Job's rhetorical stance in Job 24:18-24 | Job is responding to the friends' claim that the wicked are punished in this life, offering counterevidence from the world he observes. | Some (Cambridge Bible) see verses 18-21 as a quotation of the friends' creed and verses 22-24 as Job's own contrasting picture. Others read the whole passage as one continuous description by Job, with a more ambiguous attitude toward the fate of the wicked. |
| Whether the death of the wicked reveals divine justice | The verse makes clear that the wicked do not live forever; their elevation ends in death. | For some, death itself, even a natural death, is a judgment that vindicates God's justice. For others, the verse underscores the problem: the wicked die the same way as the righteous, with no visible distinction at the point of death. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Job 24 belongs to Job's third cycle of speeches, a response to Eliphaz's accusations in chapter 22. Eliphaz had insisted that the wicked are punished in their own lifetime, that God repays their evil with visible disaster (cf. Job 22:15, 20). Job rejects this tidy formula. He has suffered unjustly, and he sees wicked people prospering. In chapter 23 he longs for a hearing with God, then in chapter 24 he piles up evidence from the world he observes: the poor are exploited (vv. 2, 12), the wicked operate under cover of darkness (vv. 13, 17), and yet they seem to die peacefully (vv. 22, 24).
Lange's Commentary outlines the strophic structure: Job moves from his personal plight to general observations about the order of the world. The harvest image, cutting off the tops of ripe ears of grain, draws on an agricultural practice where the stalk was left standing while only the head was taken. For most readers in the ancient Near East, this suggested a timely end, not a premature one. Barnes explains that the Israelites harvested by cutting off the ear, leaving the stubble for fuel (compare Exodus 5:12). So the image is ambiguous: a crop is reaped when it is ready, yet the act of reaping can also be read as judgment, a hand that finally cuts down what has grown high. That ambiguity drives the interpretive debate.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants in Job 24:24. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, with minor differences in vocalization between the readings 'they are gone' and 'they are not' (וְאֵינֶנּוּ). The main translational variations reflect interpretation of the harvest metaphor, not textual uncertainty.
Reception History
In the early church, Job was often read as a type of Christ, and the verse about the wicked being 'cut off as the tops of the ears of grain' was used to teach the shortness of earthly glory. The Vulgate translation, influential in the Western church, rendered the verse with images of being 'lifted up for a little while' and 'broken like the tops of ears of corn,' reinforcing the theme of impermanence. Medieval commentators such as Gregory the Great saw the verse as affirming that God's patience with the wicked does not last forever. Reformed and Puritan writers used the verse to comfort believers who were troubled by the prosperity of the ungodly, pointing to the harvest end. In modern preaching, the text is frequently cited to address the problem of evil, acknowledging that the present age does not always see a neat equation of sin and punishment, while affirming that the final reaping belongs to God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The wicked are exalted only briefly. The opening verb (ר֤וֹמּוּ, rommu) means 'they are lifted high', yet immediately follows 'a little while' (מְּעַ֘ר, me'at). Their glory is short.
- They die like everyone else. 'Taken out of the way as all others', death is the great leveller, no matter how much power they held.
- The harvest is in God's hands. Whether read as a natural end or a sudden cut, the image reminds us that God sets the time. The grain does not harvest itself.
Five-point outline
- Exaltation is temporary. Job concedes the wicked rise (v. 24a), but he insists on the brevity.
- Death does not wait. 'A little while, and they are gone', the same Hebrew construction (וְ/אֵינֶ/נּוּ, 'and he is not') used of Joseph in Genesis 42:13.
- Brought low. The verb הֻמְּכוּ (hummekhu, Hophal of makhakh) means 'they are sunk down', to the grave, to humiliation.
- Gathered like all others. The Niphal verb יִקָּפְצוּן (yiqqafetsun, from qaphas) means 'they are shut up' or 'contracted', a word used elsewhere of death drawing up the feet.
- Cut off like ripe grain. The final verb יִמָּֽלוּ (yimmalu, Niphal of malal) means 'they wither' or 'are cut off', the image completes the metaphor: what grew high is removed.
Illustration hooks
- A news report of a once-powerful dictator brought to trial, the brief rise and swift fall of human power.
- A farmer walking through a wheat field at harvest time: the stalk stands tall until the sickle comes. The beauty of the full ear is also the sign of its end.
- The sudden loss of a prominent person whose life seemed untouchable, reminding us all are mortal.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do God's enemies seem to succeed while His people suffer? Does the Bible ever acknowledge that reality?
- If the wicked die a peaceful death, is there any justice in this life?
- How can I trust God when I see evil people prosper and die without visible punishment?
Leading a Discussion
Job 24:24 sits at the climax of Job's argument that the wicked do not always get what they deserve in this life. The verse challenges easy answers. As you read it together, notice the vivid images: exaltation, disappearance, sinking, cutting. What does Job want his friends, and us, to see about the way the world actually works?
Discussion questions
- Read Job 24:24 in two or three translations. What images stand out to you? Do you picture the wicked violently cut down, or peacefully harvested?
- How does the harvest metaphor (cut off as the tops of the ears of grain) affect your understanding of death? What does the ripeness of grain suggest about timing?
- Compare this verse with Psalm 37:10, 35, 36. How does the psalmist use similar language? Does he agree with Job or with Job's friends?
- Job says the wicked are 'exalted for a little while' then 'brought low.' Have you seen this pattern in real life? Share one example without naming the person.
- The verse says they are 'taken out of the way as all others.' How does the universality of death shape your perspective on justice? Is death itself a judgment, or is it just the end of life?
- Job's friends insisted that God punishes the wicked visibly in this life. Why do you think Job pushes back so hard against that idea? What does it matter for people who suffer?
- How does this verse help you talk to someone who is angry because they see evil people prospering? What hope does it offer without giving easy answers?
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)
| Job 8:22 | Those who hate you will be clothed with shame. The tent of the wicked will be no more.” |
| Job 14:21 | His sons come to honor, and he doesn’t know it. They are brought low, but he doesn’t perceive it of them. |
| Job 20:5 | that the triumphing of the wicked is short, the joy of the godless but for a moment? |
| Psalms 37:10 | For yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more. Yes, though you look for his place, he isn’t there. |
| Psalms 37:35 | I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. |
| Psalms 37:36 | But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found. |
| Psalms 73:19 | How they are suddenly destroyed! They are completely swept away with terrors. |
| Psalms 92:7 | though the wicked spring up as the grass, and all the evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever. |
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 causes some rulers to rise briefly before bringing them down through judgment. They will eventually die suddenly just like other people.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that Job argues wicked people can prosper temporarily and even die peacefully, contrary to his friends' claim that sin brings swift calamity. The image Job uses is of grain being harvested at the proper time, not violently destroyed, suggesting a quiet end without obvious divine punishment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Job shows a different view than his friends. He believes wicked people do not simply die peacefully like ordinary people. They face God’s judgment for their sins.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes that the wicked may rise high for a short time, but their end is as swift and complete as a grain stalk cut off at the top. Every person, no matter how exalted, is brought low just like everyone else. The image of the severed ear of corn drives home how suddenly their pride is destroyed.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the wicked's being "brought low" refers not to a loss of status during life but to death and the grave, a fate shared by all people. He sees their exaltation as brief, lasting only a short time before they are gone, like ripe grain cut off at harvest.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes sinners die suddenly in their prime just as grain ripens fully before falling. This happens quickly without pain as the Hebrew word shows they are removed from existence.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observes that the wicked die easily and without struggle, not as a visible display of God's retributive justice. They are exalted briefly, then simply vanish like cut stalks. Job's point is that their death itself does not reveal God's judgment; only God's own decision can settle the matter.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange interprets Job’s wish for God to appear as his judge as immediately overcome by the suspicion that God deliberately hides from him to avoid vindicating him in this life. Job sees this withdrawal not as distance but as a settled divine purpose to drain his suffering. This suspicion reveals for Lange the depth of Job’s struggle with the incomprehensibility of God’s ways.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes the wicked are removed from life as quickly as water flows away and are forgotten just like snow melts in heat. They vanish completely and their wickedness is destroyed.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley emphasizes that death is the unavoidable passage out of this world for every person, regardless of rank or power. Not even those at the height of their influence or maturity can prevent or delay it any more than the humblest person can. The image of fully ripe corn illustrates that death may come at life's very peak.