Job 24:19
New International Version
As heat and drought snatch away the melted snow, so the grave snatches away those who have sinned.

New Living Translation
The grave consumes sinners just as drought and heat consume snow.

English Standard Version
Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned.

Berean Standard Bible
As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.

King James Bible
Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.

New King James Version
As drought and heat consume the snow waters, So the grave consumes those who have sinned.

New American Standard Bible
“Dryness and heat snatch away the snow waters, As Sheol snatches those who have sinned.

NASB 1995
“Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned.

NASB 1977
“Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned.

Legacy Standard Bible
Drought and heat seize the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned.

Amplified Bible
“Drought and heat consume the snow waters; So does Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) [consume] those who have sinned.

Christian Standard Bible
As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
As dry ground and heat snatch away the melted snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.

American Standard Version
Drought and heat consume the snow waters: So doth Sheol those that have sinned.

Contemporary English Version
Just as the heat of summer swallows the snow, the world of the dead swallows those who sin.

English Revised Version
Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth Sheol those which have sinned.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
[Just as] drought and heat steal water from snow, so the grave steals people who sin.

Good News Translation
As snow vanishes in heat and drought, so sinners vanish from the land of the living.

International Standard Version
As drought and heat evaporate melting snow, that's what Sheol does with sinners.

Majority Standard Bible
As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.

NET Bible
The drought as well as the heat carry away the melted snow; so the grave takes away those who have sinned.

New Heart English Bible
Drought and heat consume the snow waters, so does Sheol those who have sinned.

Webster's Bible Translation
Drouth and heat consume the snow-waters: so doth the grave those who have sinned.

World English Bible
Drought and heat consume the snow waters, so does Sheol those who have sinned.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Drought—also heat—consume snow-waters, "" Sheol—[those who] have sinned.

Young's Literal Translation
Drought -- also heat -- consume snow-waters, Sheol those who have sinned.

Smith's Literal Translation
Dryness, also heat, will strip the snow waters: hades him sinning.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let him pass from the snow waters to excessive heat, and his sin even to hell.

Catholic Public Domain Version
May he cross from the snowy waters to excessive heat, and his sin, all the way to hell.

New American Bible
Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters, Sheol, those who have sinned.

New Revised Standard Version
Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Drought and heat consume the snow waters; for they have sinned in Sheol.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Drought and heat will seize the waters of the snow, into Sheol they have sinned
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Drought and heat consume the snow waters; So doth the nether-world those that have sinned.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let them be withered upon the earth; for they have plundered the sheaves of the fatherless.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: Judgment for the Wicked
18They are but foam on the surface of the water; their portion of the land is cursed, so that no one turns toward their vineyards. 19As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned. 20The womb forgets them; the worm feeds on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is like a broken tree.…

Cross References
Proverbs 10:25
When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.

Hosea 13:3
Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window.

Psalm 58:7-8
May they vanish like water that runs off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted. / Like a slug that dissolves in its slime, like a woman’s stillborn child, may they never see the sun.

Isaiah 40:7-8
The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. / The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

James 1:11
For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Psalm 1:4
Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

Matthew 7:26-27
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

Isaiah 64:6
Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Psalm 37:20
But the wicked and enemies of the LORD will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish; like smoke they will fade away.

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

Isaiah 5:24
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Psalm 73:19
How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!

2 Peter 3:10
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.

Isaiah 40:24
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.


Treasury of Scripture

Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so does the grave those which have sinned.

Drought

Job 6:15-17
My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away; …

consume.

Job 21:23,32-34
One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet…

Psalm 49:14
Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

Psalm 58:8,9
As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun…

Jump to Previous
Consume Drought Drouth Dry Grave Heat Melted Nether-World Sheol Sinned Sinners Snatch Snatches Snow Underworld Waters
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Consume Drought Drouth Dry Grave Heat Melted Nether-World Sheol Sinned Sinners Snatch Snatches Snow Underworld Waters
Job 24
1. Wickedness often goes unpunished
17. There is a secret judgment for the wicked














As drought and heat consume the melting snow
This phrase uses vivid imagery to describe the inevitability and thoroughness of certain natural processes. In the ancient Near East, drought and heat were common and powerful forces that could devastate the land, much like the melting of snow in the mountains. The melting snow represents something temporary and fleeting, much like human life. The imagery suggests a natural order and inevitability, reflecting the transient nature of life and the certainty of death. This can be connected to other biblical passages that speak of the brevity of life, such as Psalm 103:15-16, which compares human life to grass that withers.

so Sheol steals those who have sinned
Sheol, in the Hebrew Bible, is often understood as the realm of the dead, a place where all souls go after death. It is depicted as a shadowy existence, not necessarily a place of punishment, but rather a state of separation from the living. The use of the word "steals" implies an unexpected or unwelcome taking, emphasizing the inevitability of death for those who have sinned. This reflects the biblical theme of sin leading to death, as seen in Romans 6:23, which states, "For the wages of sin is death." Theologically, this can be seen as a precursor to the New Testament understanding of Jesus Christ's victory over death and sin, offering eternal life to believers. The inevitability of Sheol for sinners underscores the need for redemption and the hope found in Christ's resurrection.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and patience who endures immense suffering and questions the justice of God.

2. Sheol
In Hebrew thought, Sheol is the realm of the dead, often depicted as a place of darkness and shadow where the departed spirits reside.

3. Drought and Heat
Natural phenomena that symbolize destruction and the relentless passage of time, consuming what is temporary.

4. Melting Snow
Represents something transient and temporary, easily consumed by the heat, symbolizing the fleeting nature of life.

5. Sinners
Those who have turned away from God's commandments, facing the inevitable consequence of their actions.
Teaching Points
The Inevitability of Judgment
Just as natural forces consume the snow, so too does divine justice inevitably address sin. This serves as a reminder of the certainty of God's judgment.

The Transience of Life
Life is fleeting, much like melting snow. We are called to live with an eternal perspective, valuing what is lasting and eternal over temporary pleasures.

The Consequences of Sin
Sin leads to spiritual death and separation from God. This passage encourages believers to seek repentance and live in obedience to God's commandments.

Hope in Redemption
While the passage highlights the fate of sinners, it also points to the hope found in Christ, who offers redemption and eternal life to those who believe.

Living Wisely
Understanding the brevity of life should motivate us to live wisely, making choices that honor God and reflect His righteousness.(19) So doth the grave those which have sinned.--Job had already spoken of the sudden death of the wicked as a blessing (Job 9:23; Job 21:13), as compared with the lingering torture he himself was called upon to undergo.

Verse 19. - Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so doth the grave those which have sinned. This rendering is further confirmed by the next verse. Accepting it, we must suppose Job to pass at this point to the consideration of the ultimate end of the wicked, though in ver. 21 he returns to the consideration of their ill doings. The heat and drought of summer, he says, consume and dry up all the water which comes from the melting of the winter's snows. So does Shoel, or the grave, absorb, and as it were consume, the wicked.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
As drought
צִיָּ֤ה (ṣî·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6723: Aridity, a desert

and
גַם־ (ḡam-)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

heat
חֹ֗ם (ḥōm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2527: Heat

consume
יִגְזְל֥וּ (yiḡ·zə·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1497: To pluck off, to flay, strip, rob

the melting snow,
שֶׁ֗לֶג (še·leḡ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7950: Snow

so Sheol
שְׁא֣וֹל (šə·’ō·wl)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death)

steals those who have sinned.
חָטָֽאוּ׃ (ḥā·ṭā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2398: To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn


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OT Poetry: Job 24:19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters (Jb)
Job 24:18
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