Job 5:5
The hungry eat his harvest, and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Even when the wicked man's harvest is meager and thorny, hunger will relentlessly strip it bare. This imagery points to a profound reversal: those who exploited others are now utterly deprived, their ill-gotten gains snatched by desperate people, leaving them with nothing.
Eliphaz is arguing that the suffering of the wicked is a direct result of their own sin and that their prosperity is fleeting and undeserved. He's illustrating how the ill-gotten gains of the wicked are quickly snatched away by others, implying that their entire existence is built on a foundation destined for ruin. This verse paints a vivid picture of the insecurity and ultimate loss that Eliphaz believes awaits those who live outside of God's favor.
Imagine toiling endlessly, only to watch someone else reap the rewards. This verse paints a vivid picture of that devastating reality.
Eliphaz is describing the fate of the wicked, or those who live apart from God's favor. Their apparent success, their 'harvest,' is not secure. It’s a prosperity that seems real but is destined to be devoured.
A Borrowed Bounty
They might accumulate wealth and possessions, but it’s a harvest that doesn't truly belong to them or that they cannot truly enjoy. It’s as if they cultivate fields that will never yield a secure crop for their own table.
Swiftly Gone
This loss isn't gradual; it's sudden and complete. The imagery of the hungry 'eating up' the harvest and 'thirsty' panting after their wealth suggests a rapacious taking, leaving nothing behind. It’s a stark reminder that ill-gotten gains, or wealth built without regard for God, are inherently unstable.
What good are fences and fortifications when the very forces of nature conspire against you?
The verse uses powerful imagery to show that the wicked have no ultimate protection for what they’ve gained. Even natural defenses, like thorny hedges meant to keep intruders out, are useless against those who are determined to take what isn't theirs.
Beyond Thorns and Robbers
Whether it’s the 'thorns' representing the difficulties in acquiring or protecting their goods, or the 'robber' (or 'thirsty' ones) who greedily seize everything, the point is the same: their possessions are not safe.
God's Sovereignty Over All
Eliphaz is arguing that the wicked's property is outside of God’s protective care. They can build walls, hire guards, or hoard their wealth, but when God allows judgment to fall, no earthly barrier can stand. The hungry and thirsty will claim it, regardless of the obstacles.
Understand the original words
ra'eb · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
The physical or spiritual state of wanting or lack; often used in Scripture to contrast the satisfied righteous with those whose internal state remains unfulfilled.
chayil · Hebrew Noun
An abundance of material possessions, often contrasted with the spiritual riches of godliness; Scripture frequently warns of the instability and vanity of such worldly gain.
This verse vividly illustrates the precariousness of wealth in the ancient world, where even a successful harvest could be swiftly lost to desperate hungry people or organized robbers, a reality Job himself tragically experienced.
c. 9th-7th centuries BC
Nomadic Raids and Arabian Tribes
Arid regions and tribal structures fostered groups like the Ishmaelites, known for their raiding and reliance on plunder for sustenance, as described by commentators like Clarke.
c. 9th-7th centuries BC
Widespread Poverty and Hunger
In ancient agrarian societies, crop failures or losses could easily lead to widespread hunger and desperation among the poor, making them a constant threat to any stored or unharvested goods.
c. 9th-7th centuries BC
Security and Property Protection
Farming communities relied on fences, often thorny hedges, to protect their crops from animals and thieves. The phrase 'even out of the thorns' highlights the extreme vulnerability of property to determined plunderers.
c. 9th-7th centuries BC— this verse
Job's Personal Losses
Job himself experienced devastating losses of his possessions, including his livestock, which were taken by raiders like the Sabeans and Chaldeans, as mentioned by various commentators.
This passage speaks directly to how ill-gotten gains often disappear, mirroring the idea in Job 5:5 that the wicked's wealth is consumed by others, not enjoyed by them.
Matthew 13:7Jesus uses the imagery of seeds falling among thorns in the Parable of the Sower. This connects to Job 5:5's obscure phrase 'out of the thorns,' suggesting that even what seems protected or entangled still becomes prey to ruin.
Luke 12:16-21The parable of the rich fool highlights the futility of hoarding wealth when one's life can be taken away suddenly, leading to others inheriting the fruits of their labor, a concept strongly echoed in Job 5:5.
Jeremiah 17:11This verse describes the ill-gotten wealth of the unrighteous as departing, like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay, reinforcing the theme that such riches are not secure and will be lost.
clarkeJob 5:5: "Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance."
Whose harvest - Their possessions, because acquired by unjust means, shall not be under the protection of God's providence; he shall abandon them to be pillaged and destroyed by the wandering half-starved hordes of the desert banditti. They shall carry it suddenly off; even the thorns - grain, weeds, thistles, and all, shall they carry off in their rapacious hurry.…
jfbJob 5:5: "Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance."
- even out of the thorns—Even when part of the grain remains hanging on the thorn bushes (or, "is growing among thorns," Mt 13:7), the hungry gleaner does not grudge the trouble of even taking it away, so clean swept away is the harvest of the wicked.the robber—as the Sabeans, who robbed Job. Rather, translate "the thirsty," as the antithesis in the parallelism, "t…
Even when the wicked man's harvest is meager and thorny, hunger will relentlessly strip it bare. This imagery points to a profound reversal: those who exploited others are now utterly deprived, their ill-gotten gains snatched by desperate people, leaving them with nothing.
Eliphaz is arguing that the suffering of the wicked is a direct result of their own sin and that their prosperity is fleeting and undeserved. He's illustrating how the ill-gotten gains of the wicked are quickly snatched away by others, implying that their entire existence is built on a foundation destined for ruin. This verse paints a vivid picture of the insecurity and ultimate loss that Eliphaz believes awaits those who live outside of God's favor.
Eliphaz is arguing that the suffering of the wicked is a direct result of their own sin and that their prosperity is fleeting and undeserved. He's illustrating how the ill-gotten gains of the wicked are quickly snatched away by others, implying that their entire existence is built on a foundation destined for ruin. This verse paints a vivid picture of the insecurity and ultimate loss that Eliphaz believes awaits those who live outside of God's favor.
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"The hungry eat his harvest, and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth." — Even when the wicked man's harvest is meager and thorny, hunger will relentlessly strip it bare. This imagery points to a profound reversal: those who exploited others are now utterly deprived, their…
