Job 27:16-17
Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay, he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The imagery of "silver like dust" and "clothing like clay" isn't just about quantity; it highlights how something precious becomes cheap and common when hoarded without purpose. It shows wealth accumulated not for wise use or generosity, but simply piled up, losing its value through sheer excess.
Job is in the midst of a passionate defense of his integrity, pushing back against his friends' accusations that his suffering is due to hidden sin. He’s been describing the immense, often ill-gotten, wealth that such wicked people amass, using vivid imagery to paint a picture of their overflowing riches. This description flows directly into a stark contrast of what ultimately becomes of such treasures and the wicked men who hoard them.
Imagine piles of silver so vast they resemble dust, and clothing so abundant it's like common clay. What does this imagery tell us about extreme wealth?
Job uses vivid comparisons – silver like dust, and clothing like clay – to paint a picture of unimaginable riches. In the ancient world, especially in the East, vast stores of clothing were a major form of wealth, often used for display and as gifts.
Images of Abundance
Job is speaking about the wicked. What's the problem with amassing wealth if it's not used for good?
While the verse itself focuses on the quantity of wealth, the surrounding context of Job 27 reveals that Job is speaking about the wicked and their eventual downfall. This immense, hoarded wealth is contrasted with the fate of the righteous.
Wealth and Its Purpose
Understand the original words
kesep · Hebrew Noun
The precious metal, often symbolizing worldly wealth, influence, or the vanity of seeking security in earthly riches rather than in God.
tsaddiq · Hebrew Adjective
Describes one who is morally upright, walking in accordance with God’s standard of justice, and whose life is characterized by integrity and faithfulness.
naqiy · Hebrew Adjective
One who is free from guilt or fault; someone whose actions and heart have not violated God’s laws or harmed others.
This passage also uses the imagery of heaping up silver like dust to describe immense wealth, emphasizing that such abundance can be amassed but not necessarily enjoyed or retained by the possessor.
1 Kings 10:27This verse describes the abundance of silver in Jerusalem during Solomon's reign, likening it to stones. It reinforces the 'dust' imagery as a metaphor for vast, almost commonplace riches.
Matthew 6:19Jesus advises storing up treasures in heaven, not on earth, directly contrasting earthly 'treasures' like riches and fine clothing, which are subject to decay and loss, with eternal spiritual wealth.
James 5:2This verse warns those who have accumulated wealth and fine clothing, stating that they have 'stored up treasure for the days of judgment,' highlighting the spiritual peril of excessive earthly possessions.
bensonJob 27:16: "Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;"
Job 27:16-18 . Prepare raiment as the clay — In great abundance. But the just shall put it on — Either because it shall be given to him by the magistrate, to recompense him for those injuries which he had received from the oppressor; or because the right of it is, in some other way, transferred upon him by divine providence. He buildeth his house as a moth — Which settleth itself in a garment, but is quickly and…
clarkeJob 27:16: "Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;"
Though he heap up silver - Though he amass riches in the greatest abundance, he shall not enjoy them. Unsanctified wealth is a curse to its possessor. Money, of all earthly possessions, is the most dangerous, as it is the readiest agent to do good or evil. He that perverts it is doubly cursed, because it affords him the most immediate means of sinful gratification; and he can sin more in an hour through this, th…
The imagery of "silver like dust" and "clothing like clay" isn't just about quantity; it highlights how something precious becomes cheap and common when hoarded without purpose. It shows wealth accumulated not for wise use or generosity, but simply piled up, losing its value through sheer excess.
Job is in the midst of a passionate defense of his integrity, pushing back against his friends' accusations that his suffering is due to hidden sin. He’s been describing the immense, often ill-gotten, wealth that such wicked people amass, using vivid imagery to paint a picture of their overflowing riches. This description flows directly into a stark contrast of what ultimately becomes of such treasures and the wicked men who hoard them.
Job is in the midst of a passionate defense of his integrity, pushing back against his friends' accusations that his suffering is due to hidden sin. He’s been describing the immense, often ill-gotten, wealth that such wicked people amass, using vivid imagery to paint a picture of their overflowing riches. This description flows directly into a stark contrast of what ultimately becomes of such treasures and the wicked men who hoard them.
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"Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay, he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver." — The imagery of "silver like dust" and "clothing like clay" isn't just about quantity; it highlights how something precious becomes cheap and common when hoarded without purpose. It shows wealth accum…
