God’s Word Translation
Job 5:21
21“When the tongue lashes out, you will be safe, and you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
Job 5:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
- New International Version (NIV)You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes.
- English Standard Version (ESV)You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
- New King James Version (NKJV)You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes.
Context of Job 5:21
19He will keep you safe from six troubles, and when the seventh one comes, no harm will touch you: 20“In famine he will save you from death, and in war he will save you from the sword. “When the tongue lashes out, you will be safe, and you will not be afraid of destruction when it comes. 22“You will be able to laugh at destruction and starvation, so do not be afraid of wild animals on the earth. 23“You will have a binding agreement with the stones in the field, and wild animals will be at peace with you.
Read all of Job 5Job 5:21 word by word
בְּשׁ֣וֹט לָ֭שׁוֹן תֵּחָבֵ֑א וְֽלֹא־תִירָ֥א מִ֝שֹּׁ֗ד כִּ֣י יָבֽוֹא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 5:21
- Psalms 31:20You hide them in the secret place of your presence from those who scheme against them. You keep them in a shelter, safe from quarrelsome tongues.
- Psalms 55:21His speech is smoother than butter, but there is war in his heart. His words are more soothing than oil, but they are like swords ready to attack.
- Psalms 57:4My soul is surrounded by lions. I must lie down with man-eating lions. Their teeth are spears and arrows. Their tongues are sharp swords.
- Proverbs 12:18Careless words stab like a sword, but the words of wise people bring healing.
- Isaiah 54:17No weapon that has been made to be used against you will succeed. You will have an answer for anyone who accuses you. This is the inheritance of the Lord’s servants. Their victory comes from me,” declares the Lord.
- Jeremiah 18:18Then they said, “Let’s plot against Jeremiah, because the teachings of the priests, the advice of wise people, and the word of the prophets won’t disappear. Accuse him! Pay no attention to anything he says.”
- James 3:5In the same way the tongue is a small part of the body, but it can brag about doing important things. A large forest can be set on fire by a little flame.
- Psalms 91:5You do not need to fear terrors of the night, arrows that fly during the day,
Commentaries on Job 5:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue - The Targum refers this to the incantations of Balaam: "From injury by the tongue of Balaam thou shalt be hidden in the clouds; and thou shalt not fear from the blasting of the Midianites, when it shall come." Perhaps no evil is more dreadful than the scourge of the tongue: evil-speaking, detraction, backbiting, calumny, slander, tale-bearing, whispering, and scandalizing, are some of the terms which we…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue - Margin, Or, “when the tongue scourgeth.” The word rendered “scourge” - שׁוט shôṭ - means properly a whip. It is used of God when he scourges people by calamities and punishments; Isaiah 10:26; Job 9:23. See the use of the verb שׁוּט shûṭ in Job 2:7. Here it is used to denote a slanderous tongue, as being that which inflicts a severe wound upon the reputation and peace of an individual. The idea is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-27Verses 17-27 Eliphaz gives to Job a word of caution and exhortation: Despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. Call it a chastening, which comes from the Father's love, and is for the child's good; and notice it as a messenger from Heaven. Eliphaz also encourages Job to submit to his condition. A good man is happy though he be afflicted, for he has not lost his enjoyment of God, nor his title to heaven; nay, he is happy because he is afflicted…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-26Six calamities … in seven: This formula for wise sayings suggests a condition of completion (compare Proverbs 30:15–31). This list reflects the blessings and curses of the covenant God gave to Moses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). Eliphaz believed that people in a right relationship with God would avoid: Famine, meaning starving. (Job 5:20, 22; see Leviticus 26:4–5, 10; Deuteronomy 28:4–6, 8, 11–12). Battle and its destruction (Job 5:20; 5:21, 22; see…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. (Psa 31:20; Jr 18:18). Smite (Psalm 73. 9).Read the comment
Topics related to Job 5:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 5
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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