Job 24:16
New International Version
In the dark, thieves break into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they want nothing to do with the light.

New Living Translation
Thieves break into houses at night and sleep in the daytime. They are not acquainted with the light.

English Standard Version
In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light.

Berean Standard Bible
In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.

King James Bible
In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.

New King James Version
In the dark they break into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know the light.

New American Standard Bible
“In the darkness they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light.

NASB 1995
“In the dark they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light.

NASB 1977
“In the dark they dig into houses, They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light.

Legacy Standard Bible
In the dark they dig into houses; They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light.

Amplified Bible
“In the dark they dig into [the penetrable walls of] houses; They shut themselves up by day; They do not know the light [of day].

Christian Standard Bible
In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
In the dark they break into houses; by day they lock themselves in, never experiencing the light.

American Standard Version
In the dark they dig through houses: They shut themselves up in the day-time; They know not the light.

Contemporary English Version
Robbers hide during the day, then break in after dark because they reject the light.

English Revised Version
In the dark they dig through houses: they shut themselves up in the daytime; they know not the light.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the dark, they break into houses, [but] by day they lock themselves in. They do not [even] know the light,

Good News Translation
At night thieves break into houses, but by day they hide and avoid the light.

International Standard Version
They break into houses in the dark; during the day they remained sealed in. They don't know daylight.

Majority Standard Bible
In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.

NET Bible
In the dark the robber breaks into houses, but by day they shut themselves in; they do not know the light.

New Heart English Bible
In the dark they dig through houses. They shut themselves up in the daytime. They do not know the light.

Webster's Bible Translation
In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the day-time: they know not the light.

World English Bible
In the dark they dig through houses. They shut themselves up in the daytime. They don’t know the light.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He has dug in the darkness—houses; By day they shut themselves up, "" They have not known light.

Young's Literal Translation
He hath dug in the darkness -- houses; By day they shut themselves up, They have not known light.

Smith's Literal Translation
To break through houses in darkness in the day they shut up for themselves: they knew not light.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He diggeth through houses in the dark, as in the day they had appointed for themselves, and they have not known the light.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He passes through houses in the nighttime, just as they had agreed among themselves in the daytime; and they are ignorant of the light.

New American Bible
in the dark he breaks into houses; By day they shut themselves in; they do not know the light.

New Revised Standard Version
In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
In darkness he breaks into houses which he has marked in the daytime. The wicked know not the light.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He breaks into houses in darkness and by day marks them so that they will not see the light
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
In the dark they dig through houses; They shut themselves up in the day-time; They know not the light.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
In darkness he digs through houses: by day they conceal themselves securely: they know not the light.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: Judgment for the Wicked
15The eye of the adulterer watches for twilight. Thinking, ‘No eye will see me,’ he covers his face. 16In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light. 17For to them, deep darkness is their morning; surely they are friends with the terrors of darkness!…

Cross References
John 3:19-20
And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. / Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Ephesians 5:11-13
Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. / For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. / But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.

Luke 12:2-3
There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. / What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.

1 Thessalonians 5:7
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.

Romans 13:12-13
The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. / Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

Matthew 6:22-23
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. / But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Proverbs 7:9-10
at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night. / Then a woman came out to meet him, with the attire of a harlot and cunning of heart.

Isaiah 29:15
Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”

Micah 2:1
Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.

Jeremiah 23:24
“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.

Amos 5:12-13
For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate. / Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.

Psalm 10:8-9
He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless. / He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket; he lurks to seize the oppressed; he catches the lowly in his net.

Psalm 64:5-6
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say. / They devise injustice and say, “We have perfected a secret plan.” For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.

Proverbs 4:16-17
For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall. / For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

Proverbs 1:11-12
If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, / let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit.


Treasury of Scripture

In the dark they dig through houses, which they had marked for themselves in the daytime: they know not the light.

in the dark

Exodus 22:2,3
If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him…

Ezekiel 12:5-7,12
Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby…

Matthew 24:43
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

they know

Job 24:13
They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

Job 38:12,13
Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; …

John 3:20
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

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Break Dark Darkness Daytime Day-Time Dig Dug Holes Houses Light Makes Marked Shut Shutting Themselves Walls Want
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Break Dark Darkness Daytime Day-Time Dig Dug Holes Houses Light Makes Marked Shut Shutting Themselves Walls Want
Job 24
1. Wickedness often goes unpunished
17. There is a secret judgment for the wicked














In the dark
This phrase highlights the cover of darkness as a time when evil deeds are often perpetrated. In the Hebrew context, "dark" (חֹשֶׁךְ, choshekh) is not just the absence of light but symbolizes chaos, ignorance, and evil. Biblically, darkness is often associated with sin and separation from God (John 3:19-20). The imagery here suggests that those who commit these acts prefer the concealment that darkness provides, avoiding the exposure and accountability that light brings.

they dig through houses
The act of digging through houses implies a deliberate and invasive action. The Hebrew verb used here, "חָתַר" (chathar), can mean to dig or to break through, suggesting a forceful entry. This reflects the lawlessness and violation of personal sanctity, as homes were considered places of safety and refuge. Historically, homes in ancient times were often made of mud bricks, making them susceptible to such break-ins. This phrase underscores the moral decay and the lengths to which individuals will go to fulfill their desires at the expense of others.

by day they shut themselves in
This phrase indicates a stark contrast between their nocturnal activities and their daytime behavior. The Hebrew word "סָגַר" (sagar) means to shut or close, suggesting a self-imposed isolation. By day, these individuals hide away, avoiding the light and the scrutiny it brings. This behavior reflects a duplicitous nature, living a life of secrecy and deceit. It also implies a fear of being discovered or held accountable for their actions.

never to experience the light
The phrase "never to experience the light" speaks to a spiritual and moral blindness. In the Hebrew context, "light" (אוֹר, or) is often associated with truth, righteousness, and the presence of God (Psalm 27:1). To never experience the light is to live in perpetual darkness, both physically and spiritually. This suggests a willful rejection of truth and righteousness, choosing instead to remain in sin. Theologically, this can be seen as a metaphor for the state of those who reject God's ways, living in spiritual darkness and separated from His truth and guidance.

(16) Which they had marked for themselves in the daytime.--Or, as some understand, they seal (i.e., shut) themselves up in the daytime. It is said that it is still the custom in Eastern cities for such persons to endeavour to obtain access to the harem in female attire.

They know not the light.--Compared with Job 24:13, shows strongly the different usage of the expression in the two cases.

Verse 16. - In the dark they dig through houses. In ancient times, burglary commonly took this form. Windows were few, and high up in the walls; doors were strongly fastened with bolts and bars. But the walls, being of clay, or rubble, or sun-dried brick, were weak and easily penetrable. This was especially the case with party walls; and if burglars entered an unoccupied house, nothing was easier than to break through the slight partition which separated it from the house next door. The Greek word for "burglar" is τοιχώρυχος" he who digs through a wall." Which they had marked for themselves in the daytime; rather, they shut themselves up in the daytime; literally, they seal themselves up; the meaning being that they carefully keep themselves close. Professor Lee, however, defends the Authorized Version. They know not the light; i.e. they avoid it, keep away from it, will have nothing to do with it.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
In the dark
בַּחֹ֗שֶׁךְ (ba·ḥō·šeḵ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness

they dig through
חָתַ֥ר (ḥā·ṯar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2864: To force a, passage, as by burglary, with oars

houses;
בָּ֫תִּ֥ים (bāt·tîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1004: A house

by day
יוֹמָ֥ם (yō·w·mām)
Adverb
Strong's 3119: Daytime, by day

they shut themselves in,
חִתְּמוּ־ (ḥit·tə·mū-)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2856: To seal, affix a seal, seal up

never
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to experience
יָ֥דְעוּ (yā·ḏə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

the light.
אֽוֹר׃ (’ō·wr)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 216: Illumination, luminary


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OT Poetry: Job 24:16 In the dark they dig through houses (Jb)
Job 24:15
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