Job 22 · Verse 24

Job 22:24

Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
Job 22:24, King James Version

Job 22:24 in other translations

BSBand consign your gold to the dust and the gold of Ophir to the stones of the ravines,
WEBLay your treasure in the dust, the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
ASVAnd lay thou thy treasure in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks;
YLTSo as to set on the dust a defence, And on a rock of the valleys a covering.
DARBYAnd put the precious ore with the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrents,
BBEAnd put your gold in the dust, even your gold of Ophir among the rocks of the valleys;
WebsterThen shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

What does Job 22:24 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
24. Rather, containing the protasis from the last clause of Job 22:23, "If thou regard the glittering metal as dust"; literally, "lay it on on the dust"; to regard it of as little value as the dust on which it lies. The apodosis is at Job 22:25, Then shall the Almighty be, &c. God will take the place of the wealth, in which thou didst formerly trust. gold--rather, "precious" or "glittering metal," parallel to "(gold) of Ophir," in the second clause [Umbreit and Maurer]. Ophir--derived from a Hebrew word "dust," namely, gold dust. Heeren thinks it a general name for the rich countries of the South, on the African, Indian, and especially the Arabian coast (where was the port Aphar. El Ophir, too, a city of Oman, was formerly the center of Arabian commerce). It is curious that the natives of Malacca still call their mines Ophirs. stones of the brooks--If thou dost let the gold of Ophir remain in its native valley among the stones of the brooks; that is, regard it as of little worth as the stones, &c. The gold was washed down by mountain torrents and lodged among the stones and sand of the valley.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust - The original is not fairly rendered in this translation, ושית על עפר בצר veshith al aphar batser, which Montanus renders: Et pone super pulverem munitionem, "And fix a tower upon the dust;" ובצור נחלים אופיר ubetsur nechalim Ophir, et in petra torrentes Ophir, "and in the rock, the torrents of Ophir." The Vulgate is widely different: Dabit pro terra silicem, et pro silice torrentes aureos, "He will give thee flint for earth: and torrents of gold for flint;" which Calmet thus paraphrases: "Instead of brick thou shalt build with solid stone; and for ornaments, instead of stone as formerly, thou shalt have massive gold!" All the versions are different. Mr. Good translates: "Then count thou treasure as dust: then shall he make fountains to gush forth amidst the rocks." Coverdale is different from all: We shal give the an harvest which, in plenty and abundance, shal exceade the dust of the earthe, and the golde of Ophir like ryver stones.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Job 22:21-30

The answer of Eliphaz wrongly implied that Job had hitherto not known God, and that prosperity in this life would follow his sincere conversion. The counsel Eliphaz here gives is good, though, as to Job, it was built upon a false supposition that he was a stranger and enemy to God. Let us beware of slandering our brethren; and if it be our lot to suffer in this manner, let us remember how Job was treated; yea, how…

Read the full comment on Job 22:21-30 →

Job 22:24 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְשִׁית\־ve.shit-and putH7896
עַל\־'al-onH5921
עָפָ֥ר'a.Far[the] dustH6083
בָּ֑צֶרBa.tzergoldH1220
וּבְצ֖וּרu.ve.Tzurand among [the] rock[s] ofH6697
נְחָלִ֣יםne.cha.LimwadisH5158
אוֹפִֽיר\׃'o.Firgold of OphirH211

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Job 22:24

  • 1 Kings 9:28

    And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

  • Isaiah 13:12

    I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

  • Psalms 45:9

    Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

  • Genesis 10:29

    And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

  • 2 Chronicles 9:10

    And the servants also of Huram, and the servants of Solomon, which brought gold from Ophir, brought algum trees and precious stones.

  • 1 Kings 10:21

    And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

  • Job 31:25

    If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;

  • 1 Kings 22:48

    Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Ezion–geber.

  • 2 Chronicles 1:5

    Moreover the brasen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the Lord: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.

  • 2 Chronicles 9:27

    And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
lay up.
1Ki 10:21; 2Ch 1:5; 9:10,27
as dust. or, on the dust. Ophir.
Ge 10:29; 1Ki 9:28; 22:48; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Job 22:23

    If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

  • Job 22:24

    Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

  • Job 22:25

    Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

Read all of Job 22

Job 22:24 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y tendrás más oro que tierra, y como piedras de arroyos oro de Ophir;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et que tu mettes l’or avec la poussière, et l’or d’Ophir parmi les cailloux des torrents,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und lege das Golderz in den Staub und das Gold von Ophir unter den Kies der Bäche;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dabit pro terra silicem, et pro silice torrentes aureos.