Another dies in bitterness of soul, and never tastes of good.
Parallel Translations
-
Another dies in bitterness of soul, and never tastes of good.
-
And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.
-
And another dieth in bitterness of soul, and hath never tasted of good.
Cross-references (12)
Passages linked to Job 21:25 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Ezekiel 4:16-17 Moreover he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight, and with fearfulness. They will drink water by measure, and in dismay; that they may lack bread and water, be dismayed one with another, and pine away in their iniquity.
- Job 7:11 “Therefore I will not keep silent. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
- 2 Samuel 17:8 Hushai said moreover, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are fierce in their minds, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Your father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.
- 1 Kings 17:12 She said, “As Yahweh your God lives, I don’t have a cake, but a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
- Job 3:20 “Why is light given to him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul,
- Job 9:18 He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness.
- Job 10:1 “My soul is weary of my life. I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Job 20:23 When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath on him. It will rain on him while he is eating.
- Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness and joy; he will not share these with a stranger.
- Ecclesiastes 6:2 a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
- Isaiah 38:15-17 What will I say? He has both spoken to me, and himself has done it. I will walk carefully all my years because of the anguish of my soul. Lord, men live by these things; and my spirit finds life in all of them: you restore me, and cause me to live. Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
- Ezekiel 12:18 “Son of man, eat your bread with quaking, and drink your water with trembling and with fearfulness.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain To wit, the godly.
To wit, the godly.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Job 21:25 And another dieth in the bitterness of…
Job 21:25 And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.
Ver. 25. And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul] Heb. And this dieth with a bitter soul; in a sad and sorrowful condition; having suffered many a little death all his life long (as godly men especially use to do, being destitute, afflicted, tormented, Heb 11:37, seldom without a cross on their backs), and then dieth not only in the sorrows of death, but in the sorrows of life which to him hath been a lifeless life, because a joyless life.
Read full note →
And never eateth with pleasure] Either because he hath but prisoners’ pittance, which will neither keep him alive nor suffer him to die; or, if he sit at a full table, yet his body is so ill affected by sickness, or his mind with sorrow, that he finds no good relish in what he eateth. That it is better with any of us, see a mercy and be thankful.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Another; either,
Another; either,
1. Another wicked man. Or,
Read full note →
2. Any other man promiscuously considered, either good or bad. So hereby he shows how indifferently and alike God deals the concerns of this life to one and another, to good and bad. So he shows that there is a great variety in God’s dispensations; that he distributes great prosperity to one, and great afflictions to another no worse than he, according to his wise but secret counsel.
In the bitterness of his soul, i.e. with heart-breaking pains and sorrows.
Never eateth with pleasure, i.e. hath no pleasure in his life, no, not so much as at meal-time, when men usually are most free and pleasant.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain They shall lie down alike in the dust,.... Such…
They shall lie down alike in the dust,.... Such as have lived and died in great outward prosperity, or in more unhappy circumstances; these are levelled by death, and brought into the same state and condition; are laid on dusty beds, where there is no difference between them, their rest together is in the dust; here they dwell, and here they lie and sleep until they are awaked in the morning of the resurrection:
and the worms shall cover them; these are the companions alike unto them, and sweetly feed on the one as on the other; the earth is their bed, and worms are their covering; even such who used to lie on beds of down, and were covered with coverings of silk, have now the same bed and covering as those who used to lie on beds of straw, and scarce any thing to cover them; worms are spread under them, and are spread upon them; they are both their bed and their covering, Isa 14:11.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Another - Another wicked man. So there is a…
Another - Another wicked man. So there is a great variety of God's dispensations; he distributes great prosperity to one, and great afflictions to another, according to his wise but secret counsel.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Job 21:25-26. Another dieth — Another wicked man, or…
Job 21:25-26. Another dieth — Another wicked man, or any other man promiscuously considered, either good or bad. In the bitterness of his soul — With heart-breaking pains and sorrows; and never eateth with pleasure — Hath no pleasure in his life, no, not so much as at meal-time, when men usually are most free and pleasant. So he shows there is a great variety in God’s dispensations; he distributes great prosperity to one, and great afflictions to another, according to his wise but secret counsel. They shall lie down alike in the dust — All these worldly differences are ended by death, and they lie in the grave without any distinction till the time of the general resurrection. So that no man can tell who is good and who is bad, by events which befall them in this life. And if one wicked man die in a palace, and another in a dungeon, they will meet in the congregation of the dead and damned; and the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched, will be the same to both: which makes those differences inconsiderable, and not worth perplexing ourselves about.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Any. Hebrew, "ever having eaten with pleasure." (Haydock)
Any. Hebrew, "ever having eaten with pleasure." (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 25. Another — The good man. Never eateth, etc.…
25. Another — The good man. Never eateth, etc. — Rather, Has not enjoyed the good: the oft recurring שׂובה, that is, the so-called greatest good of life.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 25. A different history; cf. Job’s words of himself,…
25. A different history; cf. Job’s words of himself, ch. Job_3:20, Job_7:11.
never eateth with pleasure] Rather, and hath not tasted (lit. eaten) of good.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul.…
And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul. Others have to suffer terribly before death comes to them. Their whole life is wretched, and their spirit is embittered by their misfortunes. And never eateth with pleasure ; rather, and never tasteth of good (see the Revised Version).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Job_21:23; Job_21:25-26
Job_21:23; Job_21:25-26
One dieth in his full strength . . . Another dieth in the bitterness of his soul.
Read full note →
Providence vindicated against the superficial observer
That which hampers men most in understanding providence is its tremendous extent. It is like a great poem, and all that one life or one observer can read is a few words, or at most, a few lines. God does not always show His hand. Sometimes He does, and when it suits Him better, He hides it. It is expedient that some mystery hang over the dispensations of this life. Whatever is unsatisfactory, therefore, at present plainly suggests that the scheme is yet unfinished. The unsatisfactory nature of the present suggests a future. Revelation steps in to tell us that this life is but the vestibule of existence. One or two considerations will modify our hasty conclusions in regard to the real fortunes of those who live and die around us, whether their circumstances be apparently prosperous or depressed.
1. Happiness and misery are by no means always according to appearance. They depend more upon the inner state of the soul than its outward surroundings, and are therefore put, to some extent, within the power of everyone.
2. Men make their judgments too much from the outside. It is the outside look of providence that puzzles us, and makes understanding difficult.
We arrive at the following conclusions--
1. God is no indifferent spectator of human fortunes, but manages them on a perfectly righteous plan.
2. The deceptive character of appearances makes it necessary to subtract a good deal from the apparent happiness and misery of the world at the outset of our investigations.
3. Physical disadvantages, and deprivation of the members and senses are capable of compensation in the other world.
4. The difficulty in understanding aright the providence of God, arises from the complex nature of many of His acts, which may have various distinct branches or departments, as penal, disciplinary, merciful, and even remunerative, all in a single stroke.
5. We can understand enough of the Divine doings to enable us to trust for the remainder.
6. The root of all happiness is a good conscience, and this is put within the reach of all.
7. A good conscience can only be had and maintained by seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness with all the means in our power.
8. And for all the purposes of practical piety, it is rather necessary we should remember the superintending arm of the great Worker, than that we should understand what He is doing. (William Isaac Keay.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Job continues speaking to his friends.
Read full note →
Another man dies
Job contrasts this man to the man who dies in peace in Job 21:23.
in bitterness of soul
Here sorrow is spoken of as if it tasted bitter, and "soul" refers to the whole man. AT: "with anger and resentment" or "after living a sad life" (See: Metaphor and Synecdoche)
has never experienced anything good
This can be stated in positive form. AT: "has experienced only bad things"
They lie down alike in the dust
This is a polite way to say that they died. AT: "They both die and people bury them" (See: Euphemism)
the worms cover them both
Worms are associated with decay of dead bodies. AT: "the worms in the dirt eat their dead bodies" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
soul
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 21:25 in bitter poverty: Job repeatedly complained about the…
21:25 in bitter poverty: Job repeatedly complained about the apparent futility of existence (3:20; 7:11; 9:18; 10:1).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.