Job 11:20

Job 11:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
• New International Version (NIV)But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But the eyes of the wicked will fail; all way of escape will be lost to them, and their hope is to breathe their last."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And they shall not escape, And their hope—loss of life!”

Context of Job 11:20

18You will feel confident because there’s hope, and you will look around and rest in safety. 19You will lie down with no one to frighten you, and many people will try to gain your favor. But the wicked will lose their eyesight. Their escape route will be closed. Their only hope is to take their last breath.”

Job 11:20 word by word

וְעֵינֵ֥י רְשָׁעִ֗ים תִּ֫כְלֶ֥ינָה וּ֭מָנוֹס אָבַ֣ד מִנְהֶ֑ם וְ֝תִקְוָתָ֗ם מַֽפַּח־נָֽפֶשׁ׃ פRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But the eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• of the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
• shall failכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: expendH3615
• and they shall not escapeמָנוֹסmânôs · refugeH4498
• and they shall not escapeאָבַד'âbad · to perishH6
• and their hopeתִּקְוָהtiqvâh · hopeH8615
• the giving upמַפָּחmappâch · exhalationH4646
• of the ghostנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315

Cross-references for Job 11:20

• Job 31:16“If I have refused the requests of the poor or made a widow’s eyes stop ⌞looking for help⌟,
• Leviticus 26:16then this is what I will do to you: I will terrorize you with disease and fever. You will suffer from eye problems and depression. You will plant your crops and get nothing because your enemies will eat them.
• Deuteronomy 28:65Among those nations you will find no peace, no place to call your own. There the Lord will give you an unsettled mind, failing eyesight, and despair.
• Psalms 69:3I am exhausted from crying for help. My throat is hoarse. My eyes are strained ⌞from⌟ looking for my God.
• Lamentations 4:17“We are still straining our eyes, trying in vain to find help. We waited and waited for a nation that didn’t save us.
• Amos 2:14Runners will not be able to escape. Strong men will find that their strength is useless. Soldiers will not be able to save themselves.
• Amos 5:19It is like a person who flees from a lion only to be attacked by a bear. It is like a person who goes home and puts his hand on the wall only to be bitten by a snake.
• Amos 9:1I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said: Strike the tops of the pillars so that the foundations shake. Cut off everyone’s head. I will kill with a sword all who are left. None of them will be able to get away. None of them will be able to escape.
• Hebrews 2:3So how will we escape punishment if we reject the important message, the message that God saved us? First, the Lord told this saving message. Then those who heard him confirmed that message.
• Job 8:13The same thing happens to all who forget God. The hope of the godless dies.
• Job 18:14He is dragged from the safety of his tent and marched off to the king of terrors.
• Job 27:8After all, what hope does the godless person have when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?
• Proverbs 10:24That which wicked people dread happens to them, but ⌞the Lord⌟ grants the desire of righteous people.
• Proverbs 20:20The lamp of the person who curses his father and mother will be snuffed out in total darkness.
• Luke 16:23He went to hell, where he was constantly tortured. As he looked up, in the distance he saw Abraham and Lazarus.

Commentaries on Job 11:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20The eyes of the wicked shall fail - They shall be continually looking out for help and deliverance; but their expectation shall be cut off. And they shall not escape - They shall receive the punishment due to their deserts; for God has his eye continually upon them. אבד ומנוס מנהם umanos abad minnehem, literally, "And escape perishes from them." Flight from impending destruction is impossible. And their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost - נפש…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail - That is, they shall be wearied out by anxiously looking for relief from their miseries. “Noyes.” Their expectation shall be vain, and they shall find no relief. Perhaps Zophar here means to apply this to Job, and to say to him that with his present views and character, his hope of relief would fail. His only hope of relief was in a change - in turning to God - since it was a settled maxim that the wicked would look…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-20Verses 13-20 Zophar exhorts Job to repentance, and gives him encouragement, yet mixed with hard thoughts of him. He thought that worldly prosperity was always the lot of the righteous, and that Job was to be deemed a hypocrite unless his prosperity was restored. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; that is, thou mayst come boldly to the throne of grace, and not with the terror and amazement expressed in ch. 9:34. If we are looked upon in the…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. A warning to Job, if he would not turn to God. The wicked--that is, obdurate sinners. eyes ... fail--that is, in vain look for relief (De 28:65). Zophar implies Job's only hope of relief is in a change of heart. they shall not escape--literally, "every refuge shall vanish from them." giving up of the ghost--Their hope shall leave them as the breath does the body (Pr 11:7).Read the comment

Topics related to Job 11:20

• Confidence
• Hope
• Punishment
• Righteous
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Confess
• Deserve
• Ghost
• Measure
• Mock
• Suit
• Talk
• Christianity
• Fail
• Psychology

Commentaries on Job 11

• 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
• EGW Writings