God’s Word Translation
Job 20:4
4“Don’t you know that from ancient times, from the time humans were placed on earth,
Job 20:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
- New International Version (NIV)“Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since mankind was placed on the earth,
- English Standard Version (ESV)Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth,
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth,
Context of Job 20:4
2“My disturbing thoughts make me answer, and because of them I am upset. 3I have heard criticism that makes me ashamed, but a spirit beyond my understanding gives me answers. “Don’t you know that from ancient times, from the time humans were placed on earth, 5the triumph of the wicked is short-lived, and the joy of the godless person lasts only a moment? 6If his height reaches to the sky and his head touches the clouds,
Read all of Job 20Job 20:4 word by word
הֲזֹ֣את יָ֭דַעְתָּ מִנִּי־עַ֑ד מִנִּ֤י שִׂ֖ים אָדָ֣ם עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 20:4
- Job 8:8“Ask the people of past generations. Find out what their ancestors had learned.
- Job 15:10Both the old and the gray-haired are among us. They are older than your father.
- Job 32:7I thought, ‘Age should speak, and experience should teach wisdom.’
- Genesis 1:28God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”
- Genesis 9:1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, increase in number, and fill the earth.
- Psalms 115:16The highest heaven belongs to the Lord, but he has given the earth to the descendants of Adam.
Commentaries on Job 20:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Knowest thou not this of old - This is a maxim as ancient as the world; it began with the first man: A wicked man shall triumph but a short time; God will destroy the proud doer. Since man was placed upon earth - Literally, since Adam was placed on the earth; that is, since the fall, wickedness and hypocrisy have existed; but they have never triumphed long. Thou hast lately been expressing confidence in reference to a general judgment; but such is thy…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Knowest thou not this of old - That is, dost thou not know that this has always happened from the beginning of the world, or that this is the invariable course of events. His purpose is to show that it was the settled arrangement of Providence that the wicked would be overtaken with signal calamity. It was “so” settled that Job ought not to be surprised that it had occurred in “his” case. Zophar goes on to show that though a wicked man might rise high in…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-29SECOND SERIES. 2. Therefore--Rather, the more excited I feel by Job's speech, the more for that very reason shall my reply be supplied by my calm consideration. Literally, "Notwithstanding; my calm thoughts (as in Job 4:13) shall furnish my answer, because of the excitement (haste) within me" [Umbreit].Read the comment
Topics related to Job 20:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 20
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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