If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his descendants have not enough bread.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse reveals a devastating irony: even the blessing of a large family for the wicked isn't a sign of favor, but a prelude to greater loss. Their multiplied children become more numerous targets for violence or destitution, illustrating how even apparent prosperity can be twisted into ruin.
If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his descendants have not enough bread.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is continuing his defense, not against God, but against his friends' accusations that his suffering must mean he's secretly wicked. He's arguing that the prosperity of the wicked isn't always what it seems; even when they have many children, it often leads to their destruction by war or famine, a stark contrast to the blessings they claim to receive. This passage anticipates the final judgment, emphasizing that God's justice will ultimately fall upon them and their descendants.
Sometimes, what looks like a blessing can actually set someone up for a harsher fall. How can a large family become a sign of doom?
Job is describing the fate of the wicked, and it’s a stark contrast to what many expect.
A Twisted Blessing
Normally, a large family and healthy descendants are seen as God's favor. But for the wicked, Job says their children being "multiplied" isn't a sign of blessing, but a prelude to disaster. It means there are more to be struck down. Think of it like a field that grows abundantly only to be ravaged by a storm or plague – the greater the growth, the greater the loss.
Facing the Sword and Hunger
Job explains this in two ways:
What happens to the families of those who live wickedly? Job paints a grim picture, suggesting their influence doesn't end with them.
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Job isn't just talking about immediate suffering for the wicked individual; he's looking at the ripple effect on their descendants.
Inheritance of Ruin
The commentaries highlight that this isn't just bad luck, but a consequence flowing from the parent's actions. The family's abundance becomes a target, not a shelter. Their ill-gotten gains or their parents' oppressive actions can lead to feuds and retribution that fall upon the children.
A Reputation That Starves
Even if they survive violence, the offspring are left in destitution. The wicked reputation of the parent clings to them, meaning no one is willing to help. They are left to beg for bread, barely surviving. This isn't just poverty; it's a complete lack of satisfaction, a gnawing hunger that symbolizes their spiritual and material emptiness.
Understand the original words
chereb · Hebrew Noun
A weapon of war, often representing divine judgment, violence, or sudden, destructive death.
This passage echoes Job's lament, describing how a wicked person's children are given over to the sword and their wives made widows, directly linking large numbers of offspring to calamity and destruction.
Job 21:19Job himself previously questioned whether God punishes the wicked by holding back prosperity for their children; this verse from chapter 27 revisits that idea, showing how even a large family can face divine judgment.
Ezekiel 14:21This verse lists four severe judgments of God: sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence; Job 27:14 draws on this understanding, highlighting how the 'sword' and 'bread' (or lack thereof) represent potential divine punishments for the wicked's descendants.
Psalm 37:26This psalm offers a contrast, stating that the righteous are generous and their descendants are a blessing, directly opposing the idea in Job 27:14 where the wicked's multiplied offspring are destined for destruction and want.
bensonJob 27:14: "If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread."
Job 27:14-15 . It is for the sword — That they may be cut off by the sword, either of war or of justice: and his offspring, &c. — Shall be starved, or shall want necessaries. Those that remain of him — Who survive that sword and famine; shall be buried in death — “Shall be reduced to so great a degree of misery,” says Schultens, “that where they die, there they shall rot, and no…
pulpitJob 27:14: "If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread."
Verse 14. - If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword. Among the items of prosperity which Job had assigned to the wicked man in one of his previous discourses (Job 21:8, 11) was a numerous and flourishing offspring. Now he feels forced to admit that, frequently at any rate, this flourishing offspring is overtaken by calamity (Job 21:19) - it falls by the sword, either…
The verse reveals a devastating irony: even the blessing of a large family for the wicked isn't a sign of favor, but a prelude to greater loss. Their multiplied children become more numerous targets for violence or destitution, illustrating how even apparent prosperity can be twisted into ruin.
Job is continuing his defense, not against God, but against his friends' accusations that his suffering must mean he's secretly wicked. He's arguing that the prosperity of the wicked isn't always what it seems; even when they have many children, it often leads to their destruction by war or famine, a stark contrast to the blessings they claim to receive. This passage anticipates the final judgment, emphasizing that God's justice will ultimately fall upon them and their descendants.
Job is continuing his defense, not against God, but against his friends' accusations that his suffering must mean he's secretly wicked. He's arguing that the prosperity of the wicked isn't always what it seems; even when they have many children, it often leads to their destruction by war or famine, a stark contrast to the blessings they claim to receive. This passage anticipates the final judgment, emphasizing that God's justice will ultimately fall upon them and their descendants.
"If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword, and his descendants have not enough bread." — The verse reveals a devastating irony: even the blessing of a large family for the wicked isn't a sign of favor, but a prelude to greater loss. Their multiplied children become more numerous targets…
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Last reviewed October 2026