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“You say, ‘He is foam on the face of the waters; their portion of the land is cursed so that no one goes to their vineyard. 19The drought as well as the heat carry away the melted snow; so the grave takes away those who have sinned. The womb forgets him, the worm feasts on him, no longer will he be remembered. Like a tree, wickedness will be broken down. 21He preys on the barren and childless woman, and does not treat the widow well. 22But God drags off the mighty by his power; when God rises up against him, he has no faith in his 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 cry to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My Mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
• Job 19:26And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God,
• Proverbs 10:7The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the reputation of the wicked will rot.
• Ecclesiastes 8:10Not only that, but I have seen the wicked approaching and entering the temple, and as they left the holy temple, they boasted in the city that they had done so. This also is an enigma.
• Isaiah 26:14The dead do not come back to life, the spirits of the dead do not rise. That is because you came in judgment and destroyed them, you wiped out all memory of them.
• Job 14:7“But there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.
• Job 18:16Below his roots dry up, and his branches wither above.
• Daniel 4:14He called out loudly as follows: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches! Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit! Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches!
• Matthew 3:10Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be 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