Job 24:20

Job 24:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
• New International Version (NIV)The womb forgets them, the worm feasts on them; the wicked are no longer remembered but are broken like a tree.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The womb forgets them; the worm finds them sweet; they are no longer remembered, so wickedness is broken like a tree.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)The womb should forget him, The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be remembered no more, And wickedness should be broken like a tree.

Context of Job 24:20

18“They are insignificant on the surface of the water; Their portion is cursed on the earth; They do not turn toward the vineyards. 19Drought and heat consume the snow waters; So does Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) [consume] those who have sinned. A mother will forget him; The worm feeds on him until he is no longer remembered. And wickedness will be broken like a tree [which cannot be restored]. 21He preys on the barren (childless) woman And does no good for the widow. 22Yet God draws away the mighty by His power; He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

Job 24:20 word by word

יִשְׁכָּ֘חֵ֤הוּ רֶ֨חֶם׀ מְתָ֘ק֤וֹ רִמָּ֗ה ע֥וֹד לֹֽא־יִזָּכֵ֑ר וַתִּשָּׁבֵ֖ר כָּעֵ֣ץ עַוְלָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The wombרֶ֫חֶםrechem · wombH7358
• shall forgetשָׁכַחshâkach shâkêach · to forgetH7911
• him; the wormרִמָּהrimmâh · wormH7415
• shall feed sweetlyמָתָקmâthâq · become sweetH4988
• on him; he shall be no more rememberedזָכַרzâkar · to rememberH2142
• and wickednessעַוְלָה‛evel ‛âvel ‛avlâh ‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · injusticeH5766
• shall be brokenשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
• as a treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086

Cross-references for Job 24:20

• Job 17:14If I call out to the pit (grave), ‘You are my father’; And to the worm [that feeds on decay], ‘You are my mother and my sister [because I will soon be closest to you],’
• Job 19:26Even after my [mortal] skin is destroyed [by death], Yet from my [immortal] flesh I will see God,
• Proverbs 10:7The memory of the righteous [person] is a [source of] blessing, But the name of the wicked will [be forgotten and] rot [like a corpse].
• Ecclesiastes 8:10So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place [but did not thereby escape their doom], and they are [praised in spite of their evil and] soon forgotten in the city where they did such things. This too is futility (vanity, emptiness).
• Isaiah 26:14The [wicked] dead will not live [again], the spirits of the dead will not rise and return; Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And You have wiped out every memory of them [every trace of them].
• Job 14:7“For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that the shoots of it will not cease nor fail, [but there is no such hope for man].
• Job 18:16The roots [of the wicked] are dried up below, And above, his branch is cut off and withers.
• Daniel 4:14He shouted aloud and said this: “Cut down the tree and cut off its branches; Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit; Let the living creatures run from under it And the birds fly from its branches.
• Matthew 3:10And already the axe [of God’s judgment] is swinging toward the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Commentaries on Job 24:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20The womb shall forget him - The mother that bare him shall have no affection for him, nor be afflicted at his death. But the word רחם rechem signifies compassion, mercy. Mercy shall be unmindful of him. How dreadful such a state! When mercy itself forgets the sinner, his perdition slumbereth not. The worm shall feed sweetly on him - The Chaldee has, "The cruel, who have neglected to commiserate the poor, shall be sweet to the worms." He shall be brought…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20The womb shall forget him - His mother who bare him shall forget him. The idea here seems to be, that he shall fade out of the memory, just as other persons do. He shall not be overtaken with any disgraceful punishment, thus giving occasion to remember him by a death of ignominy. At first view it would seem to be a calamity to be soon forgotten by a mother; but if the above interpretation be correct, then it means that the condition of his death would be…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 Sometimes how gradual is the decay, how quiet the departure of a wicked person, how is he honoured, and how soon are all his cruelties and oppressions forgotten! They are taken off with other men, as the harvestman gathers the ears of corn as they come to hand. There will often appear much to resemble the wrong view of Providence Job takes in this chapter. But we are taught by the word of inspiration, that these notions are formed in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-24These ideas seem to go against Job's observations. Some scholars think Bildad or Zophar might have said them. However, Job might have been speaking against evil people, making fun of his friends' opinions by quoting them. Or he might have meant that the fate of evil people also affects those in a right relationship with God. His friends described this earlier (5:2–7; 15:17–25; 8:8–19; 18:5–21; 20:4–29; 21:23–26).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-242-24. Instances of the wicked doing the worst deeds with seeming impunity (Job 24:2-24). Some--the wicked. landmarks--boundaries between different pastures (De 19:14; Pr 22:28).Read the comment

Topics related to Job 24:20

• Death
• Homicide
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Covering
• Light
• Pluck
• Tread
• Worm
• Forget; Forgetful
• Job, Book of

Commentaries on Job 24

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary