The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse describes the wicked being swept away by a violent "east wind," which isn't just any breeze but likely a hot, scorching, and destructive desert wind, likened to a powerful storm. This imagery highlights their utter inability to withstand God's judgment, being utterly consumed and removed from their place as easily as dry leaves are blown away.
The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job is currently delivering a powerful speech, defending his integrity against the accusations of his friends who believe his suffering is a sure sign of hidden sin. In this passage, Job describes the sudden, catastrophic end awaiting the wicked, a stark contrast to the security they seem to possess. This imagery of being violently swept away by a harsh east wind and a storm paints a picture of divine judgment.
Imagine a wind so fierce, so destructive, it could tear a person from their very foundation. Job uses the 'east wind' to paint a vivid picture of sudden, violent judgment.
A Powerful, Destructive Force
The east wind in the ancient Near East was notorious for its destructive power. It was often associated with intense heat, sandstorms, and violent tempests.
Job isn't talking about a peaceful retirement or a quiet fading away. This imagery speaks of being violently expelled, ripped from everything familiar.
From Place to Nothingness
The verse emphasizes the abrupt and complete removal of the wicked individual from their position and possessions.
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Understand the original words
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 'fierce east wind' to describe God's judgment against his enemies, directly paralleling the destructive force mentioned in Job.
Psalm 58:9This Psalm describes the wicked being swept away by God's wrath 'as a whirlwind,' which echoes the violent, uncontrollable imagery of the east wind in Job.
Matthew 7:25-27Jesus' parable of the house built on sand illustrates how storms (divine judgment) can utterly destroy those who build their lives on a faulty foundation, just as the wicked are swept away in Job.
Acts 27:14The 'head wind' (often translated from the Greek word for an east wind) that battered Paul's ship highlights the destructive power of such winds, making the imagery in Job deeply understandable in its context.
bensonJob 27:21: "The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place."
Job 27:21-22 . The east wind — Some terrible judgment, fitly compared to the east wind, which, in those parts, was most vehement, furious, pestilential, and destructive; carrieth him away — Out of his place, as it follows; out of his stately mansion, where he expected to dwell for ever; whence he shall be carried, either by an enemy or by death. For God shall cast upon him — His darts or…
clarkeJob 27:21: "The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place."
The east wind carrieth him away - Such as is called by Mr. Good, a levanter, the euroclydon, the eastern storm of Acts 27:14 .
The verse describes the wicked being swept away by a violent "east wind," which isn't just any breeze but likely a hot, scorching, and destructive desert wind, likened to a powerful storm. This imagery highlights their utter inability to withstand God's judgment, being utterly consumed and removed from their place as easily as dry leaves are blown away.
Job is currently delivering a powerful speech, defending his integrity against the accusations of his friends who believe his suffering is a sure sign of hidden sin. In this passage, Job describes the sudden, catastrophic end awaiting the wicked, a stark contrast to the security they seem to possess. This imagery of being violently swept away by a harsh east wind and a storm paints a picture of divine judgment.
Job is currently delivering a powerful speech, defending his integrity against the accusations of his friends who believe his suffering is a sure sign of hidden sin. In this passage, Job describes the sudden, catastrophic end awaiting the wicked, a stark contrast to the security they seem to possess. This imagery of being violently swept away by a harsh east wind and a storm paints a picture of divine judgment.
"The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place." — The verse describes the wicked being swept away by a violent "east wind," which isn't just any breeze but likely a hot, scorching, and destructive desert wind, likened to a powerful storm. This image…
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Last reviewed October 2026