Job 27:20-21
Terrors overtake him like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries him off. The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's striking here is how "stealeth him away" sounds almost gentle, but it's paired with "tempest," showing that this sudden departure isn't a quiet exit, but a violent, unexpected snatching from life by God's wrath, like a thief in the dark, leaving no chance to prepare.
Job is in the midst of a powerful defense of his integrity, arguing against his friends' assumption that his suffering proves his wickedness. He's emphatically stating that the wicked often prosper in this life, and the terrors of judgment are reserved for them, not him. This verse vividly describes the sudden, overwhelming destruction that Job believes will ultimately befall the unrighteous.
Understand the original words
ballahah · Hebrew Noun
Suggests the suddenness of judgment or the swift, overwhelming arrival of divine retribution that catches the wicked unprepared.
suphah · Hebrew Noun
A powerful, violent storm; metaphorically represents the irresistible and destructive power of divine judgment sweeping away those who trust in their own strength.
qadim · Hebrew Noun
In biblical imagery, the east wind (often from the desert) is frequently used as a metaphor for divine judgment, sudden destruction, or an irresistible, scorching force sent by God to bring calamity upon the wicked.
This passage uses the powerful imagery of God 'sending from on high' and 'drawing me out of waters' to describe rescue from overwhelming distress, echoing the verse's depiction of terrors coming like a flood.
Proverbs 1:27This verse speaks of terror coming upon the wicked like a storm and their calamity arriving like a whirlwind, directly paralleling the sudden and overwhelming destruction described in Job.
Matthew 24:43Jesus' warning about the coming of the Son of Man likens it to a thief in the night, a concept that aligns with the verse's portrayal of a tempest stealing someone away unexpectedly, emphasizing the element of surprise in judgment.
Jeremiah 20:3The prophet Jeremiah cries out about 'terror on every side,' a phrase that captures the overwhelming and pervasive nature of the terrors Job describes as taking hold 'like waters'.
clarkeJob 27:20: "Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night."
Terrors take hold on him as waters - They come upon him as an irresistible flood; and he is overwhelmed as by a tempest in the night, when darkness partly hides his danger, and deprives him of discerning the way to escape.
cambridgeJob 27:20: "Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night."
20 . The figure of overwhelming waters is a natural one in the East and common in Scripture, Psalm 18:16 , Nahum 1:8 . Comp. the language of Eliphaz to Job, ch. Job 22:11 .
What's striking here is how "stealeth him away" sounds almost gentle, but it's paired with "tempest," showing that this sudden departure isn't a quiet exit, but a violent, unexpected snatching from life by God's wrath, like a thief in the dark, leaving no chance to prepare.
Job is in the midst of a powerful defense of his integrity, arguing against his friends' assumption that his suffering proves his wickedness. He's emphatically stating that the wicked often prosper in this life, and the terrors of judgment are reserved for them, not him. This verse vividly describes the sudden, overwhelming destruction that Job believes will ultimately befall the unrighteous.
Job is in the midst of a powerful defense of his integrity, arguing against his friends' assumption that his suffering proves his wickedness. He's emphatically stating that the wicked often prosper in this life, and the terrors of judgment are reserved for them, not him. This verse vividly describes the sudden, overwhelming destruction that Job believes will ultimately befall the unrighteous.
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"Terrors overtake him like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries him off. The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place." — What's striking here is how "stealeth him away" sounds almost gentle, but it's paired with "tempest," showing that this sudden departure isn't a quiet exit, but a violent, unexpected snatching from l…
