TRV
Translation
King James Version
The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
KJV (with Strong's)
The womb H7358 shall forget H7911 him; the worm H7415 shall feed sweetly H4988 on him; he shall be no more remembered H2142; and wickedness H5766 shall be broken H7665 as a tree H6086.
Complete Jewish Bible
May the womb forget them, may worms find them sweet, may they no longer be remembered -thus may iniquity be snapped like a stick.
Berean Standard Bible
The womb forgets them; the worm feeds on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is like a broken tree.
American Standard Version
The womb shall forget him; The worm shall feed sweetly on him; He shall be no more remembered; And unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree.
World English Bible Messianic
The womb shall forget him. The worm shall feed sweetly on him. He shall be no more remembered. Unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree.
Geneva Bible (1599)
The pitifull man shall forget him: the worme shall feele his sweetenes: he shalbe no more remembered, and the wicked shalbe broke like a tree.
Young's Literal Translation
Forget him doth the womb, Sweeten on him doth the worm, No more is he remembered, And broken as a tree is wickedness.
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In the KJVVerse 13,457 of 31,102
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Commentary on Job 24 verses 18–25
18 ¶ He is swift as the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth: he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.
19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.
20 The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
21 He evil entreateth the barren that beareth not: and doeth not good to the widow.
22 He draweth also the mighty with his power: he riseth up, and no man is sure of life.
23 Though it be given him to be in safety, whereon he resteth; yet his eyes are upon their ways.
24 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.
25 And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?
Job here, in the conclusion of his discourse,
I. Gives some further instances of the wickedness of these cruel bloody men. 1. Some are pirates and robbers at sea. To this many learned interpreters apply those difficult expressions (Job 24:18), He is swift upon the waters. Privateers choose those ships that are the best sailors. In these swift ships they cruise from one channel to another, to pick up prizes; and this brings them in so much wealth that their portion is cursed in the earth, and they behold not the way of the vineyards, that is (as bishop Patrick explains it), they despise the employment of those who till the ground and plant vineyards as poor and unprofitable. But others make this a further description of the conduct of those sinners that are afraid of the light: if they be discovered, they get away as fast as they can, and choose to lurk, not in the vineyards, for fear of being discovered, but in some cursed portion, a lonely and desolate place, which nobody looks after. 2. Some are abusive to those that are in trouble, and add affliction to the afflicted. Barrenness was looked upon as a great reproach, and those that fall under that affliction they upbraid with it, as Peninnah did Hannah, on purpose to vex them and make them to fret, which is a barbarous thing. This is evil entreating the barren that beareth not (Job 24:21), or those that are childless, and so want the arrows others have in their quiver, which enable them to deal with their enemy in the gate, Psa 127:5. They take that advantage against and are oppressive to them. As the fatherless, so the childless, are in some degree helpless. For the same reason it is a cruel thing to hurt the widow, to whom we ought to do good; and not doing good, when it is in our power, is doing hurt. 3. There are those who, by inuring themselves to cruelty, come at last to be so exceedingly boisterous that they are the terror of the mighty in the land of the living (Job 24:22): "He draws the mighty into a snare with his power; even the greatest are not able to stand before him when he is in his mad fits: he rises up in his passion, and lays about him with so much fury that no man is sure of his life; nor can he at the same time be sure of his own, for his hand is against every man and every man's hand against him," Gen 16:12. One would wonder how any man can take pleasure in making all about him afraid of him, yet there are those that do.
II. He shows that these daring sinners prosper, and are at ease for a while, nay, and often end their days in peace, as Ishmael, who, though he was a man of such a character as is here given, yet both lived and died in the presence of all his brethren, as we are told, Gen 16:12; Gen 25:18 : Of these sinners here it is said, 1. That it is given them to be in safety, Job 24:23. They seem to be under the special protection of the divine Providence; and one would wonder how they escape with life through so many dangers as they run themselves into. 2. That they rest upon this, that is, they rely upon this as sufficient to warrant all their violences. Because sentence against their evil works is not executed speedily they think that there is no great evil in them, and that God is not displeased with them, nor will ever call them to an account. Their prosperity is their security. 3. That they are exalted for a while. They seem to be the favourites of heaven, and value themselves as making the best figure on earth. They are set up in honour, set up (as they think) out of the reach of danger, and lifted up in the pride of their own spirits. 4. That, at length, they are carried out of the world very silently and gently, and without any remarkable disgrace or terror. "They go down to the grave as easily as snow-water sinks into the dry ground when it is melted by the sun;" so bishop Patrick explains Job 24:19. To the same purport he paraphrases Job 24:20, The womb shall forget him, etc. "God sets no such mark of his displeasure upon him but that his mother may soon forget him. The hand of justice does not hang him on a gibbet for the birds to feed on; but he is carried to his grave like other men, to be the sweet food of worms. There he lies quietly, and neither he nor his wickedness is any more remembered than a tree which is broken to shivers." And Job 24:24, They are taken out of the way as all others, that is, "they are shut up in their graves like all other men; nay, they die as easily (without those tedious pains which some endure) as an ear of corn is cropped with your hand." Compare this with Solomon's observation (Ecc 8:10), I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten.
III. He foresees their fall however, and that their death, though they die in ease and honour, will be their ruin. God's eyes are upon their ways, Job 24:23. Though he keep silence, and seem to connive at them, yet he takes notice, and keeps account of all their wickedness, and will make it to appear shortly that their most secret sins, which they thought no eye should see (Job 24:15), were under his eye and will be called over again. Here is no mention of the punishment of these sinners in the other world, but it is intimated in the particular notice taken of the consequences of their death. 1. The consumption of the body in the grave, though common to all, yet to them is in the nature of a punishment for their sin. The grave shall consume those that have sinned; that land of darkness will be the lot of those that love darkness rather than light. The bodies they pampered shall be a feast for worms, which shall feed as sweetly on them as ever they fed on the pleasures and gains of their sins. 2. Though they thought to make themselves a great name by their wealth, and power, and mighty achievements, yet their memorial perished with them, Psa 9:6. He that made himself so much talked of shall, when he is dead, be no more remembered with honour; his name shall rot, Pro 10:7. Those that durst not give him his due character while he lived shall not spare him when he is dead; so that the womb that bore him, his own mother, shall forget him, that is, shall avoid making mention of him, and shall think that the greatest kindness she can do him, since no good can be said of him. That honour which is got by sin will soon turn into shame. 3. The wickedness they thought to establish in their families shall be broken as a tree; all their wicked projects shall be blasted, and all their wicked hopes dashed and buried with them. 4. Their pride shall be brought down and laid in the dust (Job 24:24); and, in mercy to the world, they shall be taken out of the way, and all their power and prosperity shall be cut off. You may seek them, and they shall not be found. Job owns that wicked people will be miserable at last, miserable on the other side death, but utterly denies what his friends asserted, that ordinarily they are miserable in this life.
IV. He concludes with a bold challenge to all that were present to disprove what he had said if they could (Job 24:25): "If it be not so now, as I have declared, and if it do not thence follow that I am unjustly condemned and censured, let those that can undertake to prove that my discourse is either, 1. False in itself, and then they prove me a liar; or, 2. Foreign, and nothing to the purpose, and then they prove my speech frivolous and nothing worth." That indeed which is false is nothing worth; where there is not truth, how can there be goodness? But those that speak the words of truth and soberness need not fear having what they say brought to the test, but can cheerfully submit it to a fair examination, as Job does here.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 18–25. Public domain.
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Gregory the DialogistAD 604
Almighty God’s mercy is said to ‘forget him,’ who has forgotten Almighty God’s justice, in that whoever does not fear Him now as just, can never find him merciful afterward. Which same sentence is not only held out against him, who abandons the preachings of true faith, but against him likewise, who being in the right faith lives a carnal life, in that the vengeance of eternal condemnation is not got quit of, whether sin lie in faith or practice. For though the kind of condemnation be unequal, yet guilt which is not wiped away by repentance, there is no means supplied for the absolving thereof. It goes on;
The worm is his sweetness.
83. Whoever desires to make his way prosperous in this world, to surpass the rest of the world, to swell high with substance and honours, to this man no doubt worldly business is a delight, and repose a labour. For he is very much tired if the business of the world be lacking wherewith to be tired. Now because it belongs to the nature of worms to be put in motion unceasingly every moment, restlessness of thoughts is not unjustly denoted by the name of ‘worms.’ And so ‘the worm is the sweetness’ of the wicked soul, in that he is fed to his satisfaction from the same source whence he is unceasingly agitated in restlessness. Moreover it may be that by the title of the ‘worm’ the flesh may be more plainly denoted. Hence it is said further on, How much less man that is a worm? or the son of man which is a worm? [c.17, 14. and 25, 6] And so of everyone that is full of lust and devoted to the pleasures of the flesh, how great is the blindness is shown, when it is said, The worm, is his sweetness. For what is our flesh but ‘rottenness’ and ‘the worm?’ And whosoever pants with carnal desires, what else does he but love ‘the worm?’ For what the substance of the flesh is, our graves bear witness. What parent, what faithful friend can bear to touch the flesh of one however beloved fraught with worms? And so when the flesh is lusted after, let it be considered what it is when lifeless, and it is understood what it is that is loved. For nothing has so much efficacy to subdue the appetite of carnal desire, as for every one to consider, what that which he loves alive will be when dead. For when we consider the corruption of the flesh, we see in a moment, that when the flesh is unlawfully lusted after, corruption is desired. Therefore it is well said of the mind of the lustful man, the worm is his sweetness, in that he who is on fire with the desire of carnal corruption, pants after the stink of rottenness.
All this, as I remember that I promised in the beginning of this third part, I have run over in brief, that the things which follow after in this work, as they are involved in great obscurity, may with God’s aid be more fully gone into.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
1. As often as in the history of the holy man we betake ourselves in a new book to unravel the mystery of the typical explanation, it must be either from that man’s name or course of suffering that we mainly draw out the mystical interpretation, so that after the manner of dwelling houses, whilst we set forth a superscription of the title on the very front of the door post, whereas it is known whose house it is, one may enter with greater security. Now I remember that I have often said that blessed Job, both by his course of suffering and his name, marked out the sufferings of our Redeemer, and of His Body, i.e. Holy Church. For ‘Job’ is by interpretation ‘Grieving.’ And who else is represented in this grieving one saving He, concerning Whom it is written, Surely He hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows. [Is. 53, 4] Concerning Whom again it is written, And with His bruise we are healed? [ib. 5] But his friends bear the likeness of heretics, who, as we have often said already, while they set themselves to defend, only offend God. Thus let the holy man by words and wounds so tell things of his own as at the same time to set forth ours also, and most often, by the spirit of prophecy, relate things to come, surmount things present, yet sometimes so tell of those present as to be silent touching those future, The keeping then of this exercise of discernment being understood in accordance with the altering of his voice, let our understanding likewise turn about, that it may agree the more truly with his ideas in proportion as it also shifts itself with his accents. Thus by the preceding words the holy man, in sentences eloquently formed by the art of wisdom, set forth the offences of the bad man of whatever kind, and represented how damnable his conduct was, of whose punishment he directly adds, saying,
Let him not be in remembrance; let him be crushed like an unfruitful stump.
2. For he is not brought back into the ‘remembrance’ of his Creator, whosoever to the very end of his life is in subjection to evil habits. Since if the recollection of the regard from Above did make itself felt on such an one, assuredly it would recall him from his wickedness. For his deserts require that he should be utterly blotted out from his Maker’s remembrance. But it is to be borne in mind that God can never strictly be said to ‘remember;’ for One Who cannot forget, in what way is it possible for Him to remember? But whereas it is our way that those whom we remember we embrace, but those whom we forget we part far from, after the usage of man God is both said to ‘remember,’ when He bestows gifts, and to forget, when He forsakes one in guilt. But because He weighs all things, views all without any alternating of intermission, He both remembers the good, whom still He never forgets, and no wise remembers the bad, whom nevertheless in judgment He does ever behold. For He as it were returns to the recollection of the good, which same nevertheless He never quitted, and as it were He never regards the bad, whose deeds howsoever He has an eye on, but reserves for the last scene the judgment of condemnation thereupon. For hence it is written, The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. [Prov. 15, 3] Hence it is said by the Psalmist, The face of the Lord is upon them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. [Ps. 34, 16] Therefore the persons for Him to punish He does regard, but those very persons before He did not see, in that He ‘knows them not.’ For He shall say to some at the end, I know You not whence ye are; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. [Luke 13, 27] Thus, in a wonderful way, He both beholds and forgets the life of bad men, in that those whom by severity of sentence He judges, as regards the remembrance of mercy He is ignorant of.
3. And these same, because they do not come into His remembrance, like an unfruitful slump are broken to pieces by His judgment. For the earth supported them with a temporal outfitting, the shower of preaching poured down on them from above. But because their life never put forth the fruit of good works, the husbandman in anger cut it clean away, that according to the sentence of Truth it might not cumber the space, which another may occupy for fruit. Of which same ‘unfruitful stump’ it is said by John, And now also the axe is laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. [Matt. 3, 10. Luke 3, 9] But in this place, in order that the eternal punishments of the lost sinner may be denoted, the tree is not said to be cut away, but to be broken to pieces, in that the death indeed of the flesh cuts off the reprobate, but the punishment ensuing breaks them in pieces. For here it is as it were cut down, when he is severed from the present life. But in hell it is broken in pieces, when he is tortured with everlasting damnation. But the holy man, as he set forth the strict punishment of the froward one, at once falls back to the sin, that by the immensity of the unjustness he may effectually teach that that excessive damnation of him was not unjust.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Job 24:20 presents a stark and somber declaration from Job regarding the ultimate, inescapable fate of the wicked, offering a profound counterpoint to his earlier laments about their apparent earthly prosperity. This verse encapsulates themes of absolute mortality, complete oblivion, and the decisive destruction of evil, asserting that despite any temporary success, divine justice will ultimately prevail, erasing the wicked from memory and dismantling their influence. It stands as a powerful, albeit grim, affirmation of God's eventual sovereignty over all injustice.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 24:20 is rich in Imagery, painting vivid pictures of decay and destruction. The phrase "the worm shall feed sweetly on him" is a prime example, evoking a visceral sense of physical dissolution and the ultimate indignity of death. This specific image also employs Irony, as the "sweetness" of the feeding is grotesque and paradoxical when applied to a decaying corpse, highlighting the bitter reality of the wicked's end. Furthermore, the verse concludes with a powerful Metaphor: "wickedness shall be broken as a tree." This comparison likens the decisive and irreversible judgment upon the wicked to the felling or shattering of a tree, conveying the finality and totality of their destruction and the end of their influence. These devices collectively amplify the verse's somber message of inevitable judgment and oblivion for those who persist in evil.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 24:20 stands as a profound theological statement on divine justice, mortality, and the ultimate futility of a life lived in wickedness. While Job grapples with the apparent prosperity of the wicked in the world, this verse serves as his declaration that such prosperity is ephemeral and that a just God will, in due time, bring about a decisive end to evil. It challenges the human tendency to focus solely on immediate, visible consequences, pointing instead to a deeper, ultimate reckoning where earthly distinctions vanish in the face of death and divine judgment. The verse underscores that true legacy is not found in fleeting power or wealth, but in alignment with God's righteousness, for even the memory of the wicked perishes.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 24:20 serves as a powerful and sobering reminder of the universal realities of mortality, the transient nature of earthly power, and the ultimate certainty of divine justice. In a world where injustice often seems to prevail and the wicked appear to flourish, this verse offers a vital perspective: no earthly success, wealth, or influence can ultimately escape the grave, nor can it circumvent God's final judgment. It challenges us to examine our own lives and priorities, asking what kind of legacy we are building—one that is fleeting and forgotten, or one that is rooted in eternal values and righteousness. It compels us to live with an awareness of our mortality, not in despair, but with a renewed urgency to align our lives with God's will, knowing that true remembrance and lasting significance are found only in Him. The verse also provides a measure of comfort for those who suffer under the hands of the wicked, assuring them that ultimate justice will indeed be served, even if it is not immediately apparent.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Job 24:20 contradict Job's earlier arguments about the wicked prospering without immediate punishment?
Answer: Not necessarily a contradiction, but rather a crucial development or a shift in emphasis within Job's complex argument. Earlier, Job vehemently challenged his friends' simplistic theology by pointing out the observable reality that the wicked often live long, prosperous lives, and die in peace, seemingly unpunished (Job 21:7-15). Job 24:20, especially within the context of Job 24:18-24, shifts to the ultimate and inevitable fate of the wicked. It's as if Job is saying, "While they may escape immediate earthly retribution, their end is certain: oblivion, physical decay, and the decisive breaking of their wickedness by divine decree." This demonstrates Job's nuanced understanding of divine justice, which may not always operate on a human timetable but is nonetheless absolute and sure.
What is the significance of "the womb shall forget him" in this verse?
Answer: The phrase "the womb shall forget him" is a profound and culturally significant expression of absolute oblivion. In ancient Near Eastern societies, remembrance, particularly by one's family and descendants, was a vital aspect of one's legacy and a form of continued existence beyond death. To be forgotten, especially by the very source of one's life (the mother's womb), signified the most complete and humiliating erasure from human memory and significance. It implies that the wicked person's life was so devoid of lasting positive impact, or so steeped in evil, that even the deepest, most enduring human bonds would be severed in memory, leaving no trace or legacy behind. It's a stark contrast to the hope of a good name enduring for the righteous (e.g., Proverbs 10:7).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 24:20, with its stark pronouncements of mortality, oblivion, and the breaking of wickedness, finds its ultimate and transformative fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The verse highlights humanity's inescapable return to dust and the futility of a life lived apart from God, where even the "womb shall forget" the wicked. However, in Christ, the curse of oblivion is reversed. Jesus, through His death and resurrection, conquered the power of death and the grave, ensuring that those who are "in Christ" are not forgotten but are eternally remembered in the Lamb's Book of Life. While the worm may feed on all human bodies, Christ's resurrection is the promise of a glorious, incorruptible body for believers (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). Furthermore, the "breaking of wickedness as a tree" foreshadows Christ's decisive victory over sin and evil. On the cross, where He was "hanged on a tree" (Galatians 3:13), Jesus bore the full weight of human wickedness, breaking its power and rendering it ultimately impotent for those who trust in Him. He is the ultimate judge who will finally and perfectly execute justice, not merely breaking wickedness, but utterly destroying it and establishing His eternal kingdom where "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain" (Revelation 21:4). Thus, Job's lament about the wicked's end points forward to the definitive work of Christ, who transforms the despair of oblivion into the hope of eternal life and perfect justice.