Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights the brazenness of injustice, not just stealing flocks but openly "feeding" them – essentially using stolen property as if it were their own, without shame or fear. This isn't just theft; it's a defiant display of power that mocks justice and disregards rightful ownership.
Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is continuing his argument, describing how wicked people often seem to get away with their evil deeds. He points to examples of blatant injustice, like people stealing land by moving property markers and openly seizing and pasturing their neighbors' livestock as if it were their own. These acts of violence and theft, Job observes, are often done with impunity, leading him to question God's justice.
Imagine the very ground beneath your feet, the source of your livelihood, being stolen. This verse paints a picture of a disturbing kind of theft that was deeply offensive.
Stealing What Defines Us
The first act of wickedness Job points to is 'removing the landmarks.' In ancient times, before fences and clear property lines were common, landmarks – often stones or posts – were essential for defining who owned what.
It's one thing to steal in secret, but what about taking what you want right out in the open, as if you have every right?
The 'Feed Thereof' Mentality
The second part of the verse describes 'seizing flocks and pasturing them.' This isn't just a quick theft; it's a brazen act of exploitation.
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Understand the original words
gebul · Hebrew Noun
In a legal or covenantal context, these are markers used to define property boundaries; moving them was a severe offense in ancient Israelite law, signaling land theft and social injustice. It symbolizes the violation of God-ordained order and rights.
The removal of landmarks and seizure of flocks weren't just petty theft in ancient times; they were profound violations of divine law and social order, striking at the very heart of property, inheritance, and community.
c. 2000 BC
Early Patriarchal Period
The patriarchal period, where figures like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived, saw the establishment of land ownership and the importance of clearly marked boundaries for inheritance and sustenance.
c. 1400 BC
Exodus and Law Given
The Mosaic Law explicitly condemned the removal of landmarks, highlighting its severity as a violation of property rights and divine order.
c. 1000 BC
Davidic Kingdom Flourishes
During the united monarchy under David and Solomon, a semblance of justice and order prevailed, though the seeds of future corruption were likely sown.
c. 850 BC
Prophetic Condemnation of Injustice
Prophets like Hosea issued warnings against societal injustices, including the manipulation of property boundaries, reflecting ongoing issues in Israel.
c. 750 BC— this verse
Job's Traditional Setting
The book of Job is traditionally set in the land of Uz, possibly during the patriarchal era or shortly thereafter, a time when such blatant land-grabbing and livestock theft would be seen as direct assaults on community and divine law.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian conquest of Israel demonstrated a brutal form of power where the strong despoiled the weak, mirroring the kind of unchecked greed Job describes.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile Begins
The Babylonian exile was the ultimate consequence of widespread injustice and disobedience, a stark reminder of God's eventual reckoning with national corruption.
This passage directly echoes Job's concern, explicitly forbidding the removal of a neighbor's landmark, highlighting the ancient and severe nature of this injustice.
Proverbs 22:28This proverb reinforces the idea that moving landmarks is a forbidden act, connecting it to the broader theme of respecting established boundaries and property rights.
Hosea 5:10This prophetic passage uses the metaphor of removing landmarks to describe a national sin, showing how this specific act of injustice represents a deeper rebellion against God's order.
Luke 3:14When John the Baptist instructs soldiers on how to live righteously, he specifically tells them not to 'extort money from anyone by force or by any false accusation,' which aligns with the violent seizure of property Job describes.
bensonJob 24:2: "Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof."
Job 24:2 . Some, &c. — In proof that wicked persons prosper, he instances in two sorts of unrighteous people, whom all the world saw thriving in their iniquity: 1st, Tyrants, and those that did wrong under pretence of law and authority; and, 2d, Robbers and plunderers, that did wrong by downright force, as the bands of the Sabeans and Chaldeans, who had lately plundered him. Remove the landmark — By which…
ellicottJob 24:2: "Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof."
(2) Some remove the landmarks. —Now follows a description of the wrong-doings of various classes of men. The removal of landmarks was expressly provided against by the Mosaic Law ( Deuteronomy 19:14 ; Deuteronomy 27:17 ). And feed thereof.—Rather, probably, feed them: i.e., pasture them, the more easy to do when the landmarks are so removed.
The verse highlights the brazenness of injustice, not just stealing flocks but openly "feeding" them – essentially using stolen property as if it were their own, without shame or fear. This isn't just theft; it's a defiant display of power that mocks justice and disregards rightful ownership.
Job is continuing his argument, describing how wicked people often seem to get away with their evil deeds. He points to examples of blatant injustice, like people stealing land by moving property markers and openly seizing and pasturing their neighbors' livestock as if it were their own. These acts of violence and theft, Job observes, are often done with impunity, leading him to question God's justice.
Job is continuing his argument, describing how wicked people often seem to get away with their evil deeds. He points to examples of blatant injustice, like people stealing land by moving property markers and openly seizing and pasturing their neighbors' livestock as if it were their own. These acts of violence and theft, Job observes, are often done with impunity, leading him to question God's justice.
"Some move landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them." — The verse highlights the brazenness of injustice, not just stealing flocks but openly "feeding" them – essentially using stolen property as if it were their own, without shame or fear. This isn't jus…
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Last reviewed October 2026