Job 34 · Verse 20

Job 34:20

In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.
Job 34:20, King James Version

Job 34:20 in other translations

BSBThey die in an instant, in the middle of the night. The people convulse and pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.
WEBIn a moment they die, even at midnight. The people are shaken and pass away. The mighty are taken away without a hand.
ASVIn a moment they die, even at midnight; The people are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without hand.
YLTIn a moment they die, and at midnight Shake do people, and they pass away, And they remove the mighty without hand.
DARBYIn a moment they die, even at midnight the people are convulsed and pass away; and the strong are taken away without hand.
BBESuddenly they come to an end, even in the middle of the night: the blow comes on the men of wealth, and they are gone, and the strong are taken away without the hand of man.
WebsterIn a moment they shall die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.

What does Job 34:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
20. they--"the rich" and "princes" who offend God. the people--namely, of the guilty princes: guilty also themselves. at midnight--image from a night attack of an enemy on a camp, which becomes an easy prey (Ex 12:29, 30). without hand--without visible agency, by the mere word of God (so Job 20:26; Zec 4:6; Da 2:34).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 20 In a moment shall they die - Both are equally dependent on the Almighty for their breath and being; the mighty as well as the poor. If the great men of the earth have abused their power, he sometimes cuts them off by the most sudden and unexpected death; and even at midnight, when in security, and least capable of defense, they are cut off by the people whom they have oppressed, or by the invisible hand of the angel of death. This appears to be spoken in reference to Eastern tyrants, who seldom die a natural death.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Job 34:16-30

Elihu appeals directly to Job himself. Could he suppose that God was like those earthly princes, who hate right, who are unfit to rule, and prove the scourges of mankind? It is daring presumption to condemn God's proceedings, as Job had done by his discontents. Elihu suggests divers considerations to Job, to produce in him high thoughts of God, and so to persuade him to submit. Job had often wished to plead his…

Read the full comment on Job 34:16-30 →

Job 34:20 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.

רֶ֤גַע\׀Re.ga'a momentH7281
יָמֻתוּ֮ya.mu.Tuthey dieH4191
וַחֲצ֪וֹתva.cha.Tzotand [the] middle ofH2676
לָ֥יְלָהLa.ye.lah[the] nightH3915
יְגֹעֲשׁ֣וּye.go.'a.Shuthey are shakenH1607
עָ֣ם'ama peopleH5971
וְיַעֲבֹ֑רוּve.ya.'a.Vo.ruso they may pass awayH5674
וְיָסִ֥ירוּve·ya·Si·ruand people may removeH5493
אַ֝בִּ֗יר'a.Bir[the] mightyH47
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
בְיָֽד\׃ve.Yadby a handH3027

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

Cross references for Job 34:20

  • Psalms 73:19

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

  • Isaiah 30:30-33

    And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod. And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it. For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

  • 1 Samuel 25:37-39

    But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died. And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

  • Luke 12:20

    But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

  • Isaiah 30:13

    Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.

  • Isaiah 37:38

    And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar–haddon his son reigned in his stead.

  • 2 Peter 2:3

    And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:2

    For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

  • Isaiah 10:16-19

    Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.

  • Acts 12:23

    And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

  • Job 36:20

    Desire not the night, when people are cut off in their place.

  • Job 12:19

    He leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a moment.
Ps 73:19; Isa 30:13; 37:38; Da 5:30; Lu 12:20; Ac 12:23; 1Th 5:2
2Pe 2:3
troubled.
Ex 12:29,30; Isa 37:36; Mt 25:6; Lu 17:26-29
the mighty shall be taken away. Heb. they shall take awaythe mighty. without.
1Sa 25:37-39; 26:10; Isa 10:16-19; 30:30-33; Da 2:34,44,45
Zec 4:6

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

Context

  • Job 34:19

    How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.

  • Job 34:20

    In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.

  • Job 34:21

    For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

Read all of Job 34

Job 34:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		En un momento morirán, y á media noche se alborotarán los pueblos, y pasarán, y sin mano será quitado el poderoso.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ils mourront en un moment; au milieu de la nuit les peuples chancellent et s’en vont, et les puissants sont retirés sans main.
German
Elberfelder 1871		In einem Augenblick sterben sie; und in der Mitte der Nacht wird ein Volk erschüttert und vergeht, und Mächtige werden beseitigt ohne Hand.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Subito morientur, et in media nocte turbabuntur populi: et pertransibunt, et auferent violentum absque manu.