God gives them security, and they rest in it. His eyes are on their ways.
Parallel Translations
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God gives them security, and they rest in it. His eyes are on their ways.
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Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.
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Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth, yet His eyes are upon their ways.
Cross-references (20)
Passages linked to Job 24:23 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 15:3 Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman. Then they will in no way escape.
- Revelation 2:23 I will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
- Job 11:11 For he knows false men. He sees iniquity also, even though he doesn’t consider it.
- Job 12:6 The tents of robbers prosper. Those who provoke God are secure, who carry their god in their hands.
- Psalms 10:13-14 Why does the wicked person condemn God, and say in his heart, “God won’t call me into account?” But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless.
- Psalms 11:4-5 Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men. Yahweh examines the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and him who loves violence.
- Psalms 73:3-12 For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no struggles in their death, but their strength is firm. They are free from burdens of men, neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride is like a chain around their neck. Violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with fat. Their minds pass the limits of conceit. They scoff and speak with malice. In arrogance, they threaten oppression. They have set their mouth in the heavens. Their tongue walks through the earth. Therefore their people return to them, and they drink up waters of abundance. They say, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked. Being always at ease, they increase in riches.
- Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before Yahweh’s eyes. He examines all his paths.
- Proverbs 25:21-23 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and Yahweh will reward you. The north wind produces rain; so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, don’t marvel at the matter, for one official is eyed by a higher one, and there are officials over them.
- Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
- Isaiah 10:8-11 For he says, “Aren’t all of my princes kings? Isn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?” As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria; shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
- Isaiah 56:12 “Come,” say they, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”
- Jeremiah 12:1-3 You are righteous, Yahweh, when I contend with you; yet I would like to reason the cause with you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are they all at ease who deal very treacherously? You have planted them. Yes, they have taken root. They grow. Yes, they produce fruit. You are near in their mouth, and far from their heart. But you, Yahweh, know me. You see me, and test my heart toward you. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
- Amos 8:7 Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob, “Surely I will never forget any of their works.
- Amos 9:2 Though they dig into Sheol, there my hand will take them; and though they climb up to heaven, there I will bring them down.
- Habakkuk 1:13 You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity, why do you tolerate those who deal treacherously, and keep silent when the wicked swallows up the man who is more righteous than he,
- Luke 12:16-20 He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’
- Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My lord delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken,
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Job 24:23 [Though] it be given him [to be]…
Job 24:23 [Though] it be given him [to be] in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes [are] upon their ways.
Ver. 23. Though it be given him to be in safety] Heb. It is given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth. His safety and prosperity was given him for a better purpose; but (as if God had hired him to be wicked) he abuseth it to creature confidence, leaning too hard upon the arm of flesh.
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Yet his eyes are upon their ways] Nevertheless God prospereth them (according to Psa 34:11). Or, as others sense it, God eyeth their wicked ways, and designeth them to destruction. And the next verse seemeth to make for this interpretation.
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 Heb. He giveth to him to be in safety,…
Heb. He giveth to him to be in safety, or all things necessary for his safety, &c. This verse is understood either,
1. Of the oppressor; if the oppressor give a man his hand or promise that he shall live in safety by him, or if the oppressed give gifts to the oppressor to purchase his quiet and safety, and, as it follows, he resteth upon that assurance given him;
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yet his, i.e. the oppressor’s,
eyes are upon their ways; he watcheth for their halting, and seeks for all occasions to quarrel with them, and to destroy them. Or rather,
2. Of God; and so the words are fitly rendered thus, He, i.e. God, giveth or granteth to him, i.e. to the oppressor, to be in safety, i.e. to live a quiet and comfortable life, and he resteth secure, or he resteth or leaneth upon him, i.e. upon God; his former experience of God’s favour makes him confident of the continuance of it: so he is not only happy in his present enjoyments, but also in his freedom from distracting fears of future miseries; and his, i.e. God’s, eyes
are upon their ways, i.e. God blesseth and prospereth him in all his undertakings, as this phrase most commonly signifies, as Deu 11:12; Ezr 5:5; Psa 33:18. Or,
yet his eyes are upon their ways, i.e. although God giveth them such strange successes, this doth not proceed from his ignorance or regardlessness of their wicked actions; for he sees and observes them all, and will in due time punish them, though not always in this life, nor as soon as their sins are committed, but in such time and way as he in deep wisdom seeth most fit.
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 Though it be given him to be in safety,....…
Though it be given him to be in safety,.... Or "he gives him" (g), that is, it is God gives the wicked man to be in safety, notwithstanding all his wickedness; for Job, having described the wicked man, now represents him as in the greatest prosperity: safety is of God in every respect, not only the safety of good men, both in a way of providence and in a way of grace, but even of bad men; those are often preserved from the incursions and depredations of others, and their goods are kept, and they possess them in peace, and they dwell secure and confidently without care. The Vulgate Latin version is widely different,
"God gives him place of repentance, and he abuses it to pride;''
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though the Targum somewhat agrees with it,
"he gives to him repentance, that he may trust, or be confident and be supported:''
so God gave space to repent to the old world; to whose case some Jewish writers apply the context, see Gen 6:3;
whereon he resteth; being in prosperity and safety, he trusts to it, and depends upon it it will ever be the case; he has much goods laid up for many years, and therefore sings "requiem" to his soul, saying, "take thine ease"; tomorrow will be as this day, and much more abundant; things will always be as they are, or better:
yet his eyes are upon their ways; or, "and his eyes" (h), that is, the eyes of God, which are upon all men, good and bad, and upon all their ways and works; these are upon the wicked man and all his courses; not to punish him now for his sins; for, though he sees all his wicked actions, not one escapes his notice, yet he lays not folly to him, nor charges him with it, nor inflicts punishment on him for it; nay, his eyes are upon him to prosper and succeed him in all he does; which is the usual sense of the phrase, unless where there is an explanation, or anything said to show the contrary; see Deu 11:12. Some give a different sense of the words, as that such that fear the wicked man give him gifts, that they may be in safety, in which they trust; or he gives them his hand, or his word, or both, that they shall be, on which they rely; but his eyes are upon them, watching their ways and works, to take every opportunity and advantage against them; but the former is best.
(g) "dat ei", Piscator, Mercerus, i.e., Deus, Beza, Drusius, Michaelis. (h) "et ejus", Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Beza, Cocceius, Schultens.
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 Yet - Yet his eyes are upon their ways:…
Yet - Yet his eyes are upon their ways: although God gives them such strange successes, yet he sees and observes them all, and will in due time punish them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 23. Though it be given him to be…
Verse 23. Though it be given him to be in safety] The Vulgate gives this verse a singular turn: Dedit ei Deus locum paenitentiae, et ille abutitur eo in superbiam, "God gave him space for repentance, but he has abused it through pride." This is by no means conformable to the original. I think the words should be translated thus: "He gives them (i.e., the guards) to him for security, and he leans upon them; yet his eyes are upon their ways." Though he have taken the guards, mentioned in the preceding verse, for his personal defence, and for this purpose he uses them; yet he is full of diffidence, and he is continually watching them lest they should be plotting his destruction. The true picture of an Eastern tyrant. Without are fightings; within are fears.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Job 24:23. Though it be given him — Namely,…
Job 24:23. Though it be given him — Namely, of God; to be in safety — That is, Though God granteth to the oppressor to be for a time in apparent safety, and to live a comfortable life; whereon he resteth — His former experience of God’s long-suffering makes him confident of the continuance of it, so that he is not only happy in his present enjoyments, but also in his freedom from distracting fears of future miseries; yet his eyes are upon their ways — That is, the eyes of God, who, although he gives wicked men such strange successes and great prosperity, yet he sees and observes them all, and marks their whole conduct, and will in due time punish them severely.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Though it be given him to be in safety…
Though it be given him to be in safety - That is, God gives him safety. The name God is often understood, or not expressed. The meaning is, that God gives this wicked man, or oppressor, safety. He is permitted to live a life of security and tranquility.
Whereon he resteth - Or, rather, “And he is sustained, or upheld” - (וישׁען veyshâ‛an). The meaning is, that he is sustained or upheld by God.
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Yet his eyes are upon their ways - “And the eyes of God are upon the ways of such men.” That is, God guards and defends them. He seems to smile upon them, and to prosper all their enterprises.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain God. Septuagint, "being sick, let him not expect to…
God. Septuagint, "being sick, let him not expect to be healed, but he shall fall under sickness." Hebrew, "Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth, yet his eyes are upon their ways," (Protestants) or "he has given (Haydock) himself, or appointed them (guards) for his defence, and rests on them; yet his eyes," &c. He suspects the fidelity of his servants. (Calmet) --- Pride. Man abuseth by his free-will the time which God had allowed him to repent from former sins, Romans ii. (Worthington)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Literally, "He (God omitted, as often; Job 3:20; Ecc…
Literally, "He (God omitted, as often; Job 3:20; Ecc 9:9; reverentially) giveth to him (the wicked, to be) in safety, or security."
yet--Job means, How strange that God should so favor them, and yet have His eyes all the time open to their wicked ways (Pro 15:3; Psa 73:4)!
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 23. Given… in safety, etc. — Rather, He (God)…
23. Given… in safety, etc. — Rather, He (God) giveth him to be in safety, and he is sustained.
His eyes — God’s eyes are upon their ways, in order to keep and preserve them.
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 23. though it be given] Rather, he giveth them…
23. though it be given] Rather, he giveth them to be in safety. God makes the tents of the violent men to be secure, ch. Job_12:6; He watches over them, His eyes being upon their ways; comp. ch. Job_10:3, “He shines upon the counsel of the wicked.”
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.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (23) Though it be given.—“Yea, he, that is each…
(23) Though it be given.—“Yea, he, that is each of them, giveth him tribute, &c., that he may be secure and stable.”
Yet his eyes—that is, the great tyrant’s eyes—are upon their ways.—They are exalted for a little while, but are soon gone, and are taken out of the way like all others. Some understand the subject of the first verb, “he giveth him to be in security,” to be God, and that also makes very good sense, for while God so allows him to be secure, His eyes are on their ways, the ways of all of them. In this case, however, Job_24:24 does not correspond so well with what Job has already said of the impunity with which the wicked are wicked, unless indeed the suddenness of their fate is the main point of his remarks, as in Job_24:19.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Though it be given him to be in safety,…
Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; rather, he (i.e. God) granteth him to be in security and thereon he resteth; i.e. God allows the escape of the wicked man from his trouble, and lets him live on, safe and secure, and the man himself rests on the security thus afforded him, quite contented with it. Yet his eyes are upon their ways. God"s eyes are still upon the ways of the wicked: they are, or seem to be, the objects of a special providential care.
Vers. 23, 24. The prosperity of the wicked unsolved.
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In the midst of many apparent anomalies in the method of the Divine dealing with evil-doing, there shines out one obvious indication of the Divine judgment against the evil-doer. "They are exalted for a little while," but suddenly they "are gone and brought low." Patiently the good Ruler waits, giving opportunity for repentance and amendment; but if the wicked return not, he will bend his bow and make ready his arrow upon the string. Iniquity shall not go wholly unpunished; nor shall that punishment be merely a hidden one it shall be made apparent. Such is the general testimony and experience; but there are many striking instances which seem to contradict this view, and Job adduces the frequent prosperity of the evildoer.
I THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED IS AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY. Even with the clearer light that now shines on human life it is not possible wholly to divest the mind of the feeling of surprise at the anomalous instances of prospering wickedness and suffering virtue.
II THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED A FURTHER EXERCISE TO THE PATIENCE AND FAITH OF THE GODLY. It demands that the eye of faith be turned upwards to God. Events do not explain themselves. Nor are men able to find the Divine purposes revealed by events. More and more must the tried and tempted believer look off from the uncertain event, and place his faith in God alone. That faith is strained, but it grows thereby.
III THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED IS NO GUARANTEE OF DEFENCE FROM JUDGMENT. Judgment lingers. It is even hidden. The good Lord of all would fain altogether restrain it. He rejoices in mercy. Wickedness often takes advantage of the withholding of judgment; but in this is no assurance that the judgment which is held back shall not be revealed.
IV THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED NEEDS THE SOLUTION OF THE FUTURE. It points to a future judgment when men must give account, and seems to demand it. In that future what is mysterious in history will doubtless be made plain. No work can be fairly estimated until its completion. If it ever please the Lord of all to justify his dealings with men, he will do it in that dread judgment when each shall receive the due reward of his deeds.
V THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED MAY BE A MERCIFUL FORBEARANCE IN THE HOPE OF REPENTANCE. God is kind, and waiteth long for the returning one, in hope that even the goodness of God may lead him to repentance. How often is this abused! but such is the spirit of wrong that it abuses the best of God"s gifts, and is indifferent to the kindest of God"s dealings. The Book of Job represents the entanglement of human affairs, but it throws light upon it and helps to resolve it. We live in clearer light, but the clearest light of all has yet to shine when we shall see light in his light. For this we must prepare and patiently wait. R.G.
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 Yet His eyes are upon thy ways.
Job_24:23
Yet His eyes are upon thy ways.
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God observes the ways of the wicked
To call them to account for them. We have here a threefold act of providence about wicked oppressors, whom yet God suffereth to prosper.
1. That Gods eye is upon them, to mark all their debordings.
2. That after their exaltation for a little while, they are cut off.
3. That yet this is done but in an ordinary way, as befalls all others. As the tops of the ripe ears of corn are cut down and gathered in.
Learn--
1. Outward safety is in itself a mercy. Therefore men ought to improve this mercy aright, and should be sensible of their ill-improvement thereof, when they are deprived of it.
2. Safety is from God, and gifted by Him. No man can secure himself without God.
3. God in His long suffering and indulgence may set the wicked in safety for a time, for a snare upon them.
4. It is a plague upon the wicked that they rest and secure in the enjoyment of outward mercies.
5. It is, in particular, a plague upon the wicked, that their outward security and safety quiets all their fears, so that they have no doubt of Gods favour, or of their own good estate, so long as they are in such a condition.
6. God does not give safety to wicked men because He approves of them or seeth not their wickedness; but He hath an eye upon them all the while, and particularly notices how they abuse these providences.
7. Albeit the Lord be not still punishing the wicked, yet this is sad, that He is still observing and marking all their ways, to call them to account for them in a day of reckoning. (George Hutcheson.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.