Job 24:24
New International Version
For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.

New Living Translation
And though they are great now, in a moment they will be gone like all others, cut off like heads of grain.

English Standard Version
They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like the heads of grain.

Berean Standard Bible
They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.

King James Bible
They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

New King James Version
They are exalted for a little while, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain.

New American Standard Bible
“They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low, and like everything they are gathered up; Like the heads of grain they wither.

NASB 1995
“They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up; Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

NASB 1977
“They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up; Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

Legacy Standard Bible
They are exalted a little while, then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low and like everything gathered up; Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

Amplified Bible
“They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone; Moreover, they are brought low and like everything [they are] gathered up and taken out of the way; Even like the heads of grain they are cut off.

Christian Standard Bible
They are exalted for a moment, then gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and shrivel up like everything else. They wither like heads of grain.

American Standard Version
They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.

Contemporary English Version
Great for a while; gone forever! Sinners are mowed down like weeds, then they wither and die.

English Revised Version
They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all other, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
[Such people] may be prosperous for a little while, but then they're gone. They are brought down low and disappear like everything else. They wither like heads of grain.

Good News Translation
For a while the wicked prosper, but then they wither like weeds, like stalks of grain that have been cut down.

International Standard Version
They're exalted momentarily, but then they are gone; they are humbled, just like all the others. They are cut down like heads of corn.

Majority Standard Bible
They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain.

NET Bible
They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone, they are brought low like all others, and gathered in, and like a head of grain they are cut off.'

New Heart English Bible
They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone. Yes, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.

Webster's Bible Translation
They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

World English Bible
They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone. Yes, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They were high [for] a little, and they are not, "" And they have been brought low. They are shut up as all [others], "" And cut off as the head of an ear of grain.

Young's Literal Translation
High they were for a little, and they are not, And they have been brought low. As all others they are shut up, And as the head of an ear of corn cut off.

Smith's Literal Translation
They were lifted up a little while, and they are not, and they were brought low; as all they will be drawn together, and as the head of an ear of grain they shall be cut off.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They are lifted up for a little while and shall not stand, and shall be brought down as all things, and shall be taken away, and as the tops of the ears of corn they shall be broken.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They are lifted up for a little while, but they will not continue, and they will be brought low, just like all things, and they will be taken away, and, like the tops of the ears of grain, they will be crushed.

New American Bible
They are exalted for a while, and then are no more; laid low, like everyone else they are gathered up; like ears of grain they shrivel.

New Revised Standard Version
They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they wither and fade like the mallow; they are cut off like the heads of grain.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Such men are exalted for a little while, but soon are no more; yea, all the provokers shall be brought low and destroyed; they wither and are shaken out like the heads of grain.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They will be lifted up a little and they are not, and they will be humbled and all the provokers will be destroyed, and like the head of blades of wheat they dry out and will be crumbled
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They are exalted for a little while, and they are gone; Yea, they are brought low, they are gathered in as all others, And wither as the tops of the ears of corn.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For his exaltation has hurt many; but he has withered as mallows in the heat, or as an ear of corn falling off of itself from the stalk.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: Judgment for the Wicked
23He gives them a sense of security, but His eyes are on their ways. 24They are exalted for a moment, then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain. 25If this is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my words to nothing?”…

Cross References
Psalm 37:10
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

Psalm 37:35-36
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree, / yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.

Psalm 73:18-20
Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. / How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! / Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.

Psalm 92:7
that though the wicked sprout like grass, and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed.

Psalm 103:15-16
As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; / when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

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.

Isaiah 41:11-12
Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish. / You will seek them but will not find them. Those who wage war against you will come to nothing.

Isaiah 47:9
These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.

Jeremiah 12:2
You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.

Jeremiah 17:11
Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.”

Matthew 13:49-50
So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous / and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:39
And they were oblivious until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Luke 12:20
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

Luke 17:27
People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

John 15:6
If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.


Treasury of Scripture

They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

are exalted

Job 20:5
That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?

Psalm 37:10,35,36
For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be

Psalm 73:19
How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

gone.

Job 8:22
They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

taken out.

Isaiah 17:5,6
And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim…

Revelation 14:14-20
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle…

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Job 24
1. Wickedness often goes unpunished
17. There is a secret judgment for the wicked














They are exalted for a moment
The phrase "They are exalted" suggests a temporary elevation or success. In the Hebrew context, the word used here can imply being lifted up or raised in status. Historically, this reflects the transient nature of human achievements and power, which is a recurring theme in the wisdom literature of the Bible. The phrase "for a moment" emphasizes the fleeting nature of worldly success, reminding us that earthly glory is temporary and ultimately insignificant in the grand scheme of God's eternal plan.

then they are gone
This phrase underscores the suddenness and inevitability of the downfall of the wicked. The Hebrew root here conveys a sense of disappearance or vanishing, akin to a vapor that dissipates quickly. It serves as a sobering reminder of the impermanence of life and the futility of relying on temporal power or wealth. In the broader scriptural context, this aligns with the teachings found in Psalms and Ecclesiastes about the brevity of life.

they are brought low
The imagery here is of being humbled or reduced in status. The Hebrew word can also mean to be made small or insignificant. This reflects the divine justice that ultimately humbles the proud and exalts the humble, a theme prevalent throughout the Bible. It serves as a warning against pride and a call to humility before God.

and gathered up like all others
This phrase suggests a common fate shared by all humanity, regardless of their earthly status. The act of being "gathered up" can be seen as a metaphor for death, where all people, regardless of their achievements, face the same end. This echoes the biblical teaching that death is the great equalizer, bringing both the mighty and the lowly to the same place.

they are cut off like heads of grain
The imagery of being "cut off" like grain is a powerful metaphor for the suddenness and finality of death. In ancient agricultural societies, the harvest was a familiar and vivid image. Just as grain is harvested at the appointed time, so too are lives ended according to God's sovereign will. This serves as a reminder of God's ultimate authority over life and death and the importance of living a life aligned with His will.

Verse 24. - They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; rather, they are exalted: after a little while they are gone they are brought low. Job has to admit that death comes upon wicked men at last; but he minimizes the terrors of their death, and exaggerates its alleviations. First, it comes on them when they have risen to eminence, have gained themselves a reputation, and "are exalted." Next, it is sudden and painless, preceded by no long, lingering illness, but just a sinking into non-existence; a tranquil passing away. Thirdly, it is at a ripe age, when they have reached the full term of human life, and are as ears of corn ripe for the harvest. Further, it is the common fate: They are taken out of the way as all other (comp. Job 9:22; Job 21:13), and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn. We may gather from this expression that the reaping in the land of Uz was conducted in Job's time much in the same way as it was in Egypt under the early Pharaohs, viz. by cutting the stalk with a sharp sickle almost immediately below the ear, and collecting the ears in baskets (see the author's 'Hist. of Ancient Egypt,' vol. 1. p. 162; and his 'Herodotus,' vol. 2. p. 59, 3rd edit.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They are exalted
ר֤וֹמּוּ (rō·wm·mū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7426: To be exalted

for a moment,
מְּעַ֨ט ׀ (mə·‘aṭ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 4592: A little, fewness, a few

then they are gone;
וְֽאֵינֶ֗נּוּ (wə·’ê·nen·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb | third person masculine singular
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

they are brought low
וְֽהֻמְּכ֗וּ (wə·hum·mə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hofal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 4355: To be low or humiliated

and gathered up
יִקָּפְצ֑וּן (yiq·qā·p̄ə·ṣūn)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 7092: To draw together, close, to leap, to die

like all others;
כַּכֹּ֥ל (kak·kōl)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

they are cut off
יִמָּֽלוּ׃ (yim·mā·lū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5243: Branch to be cut down off, circumcise

like heads
וּכְרֹ֖אשׁ (ū·ḵə·rōš)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7218: The head

of grain.
שִׁבֹּ֣לֶת (šib·bō·leṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7641: A stream, an ear of grain, a branch


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OT Poetry: Job 24:24 They are exalted (Jb)
Job 24:23
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