Job 20:24
New International Version
Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow pierces him.

New Living Translation
When they try to escape an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce them.

English Standard Version
He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through.

Berean Standard Bible
Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.

King James Bible
He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.

New King James Version
He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through.

New American Standard Bible
“He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.

NASB 1995
“He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.

NASB 1977
“He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.

Legacy Standard Bible
He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bronze bow will pierce him.

Amplified Bible
“He may flee from the iron weapon, But the bow of bronze will pierce him through.

Christian Standard Bible
If he flees from an iron weapon, an arrow from a bronze bow will pierce him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If he flees from an iron weapon, an arrow from a bronze bow will pierce him.

American Standard Version
He shall flee from the iron weapon, And the bow of brass shall strike him through.

Contemporary English Version
While running from iron spears, they will be killed by arrows of bronze,

English Revised Version
He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of brass shall strike him through.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If that person flees from an iron weapon, a bronze bow will pierce him.

Good News Translation
When they try to escape from an iron sword, a bronze bow will shoot them down.

International Standard Version
Though he dodges an iron weapon, a bronze arrow will pierce him.

Majority Standard Bible
Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.

NET Bible
If he flees from an iron weapon, then an arrow from a bronze bow pierces him.

New Heart English Bible
He shall flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow shall strike him through.

Webster's Bible Translation
He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.

World English Bible
He will flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow will strike him through.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He flees from an iron weapon, "" A bow of bronze passes through him.

Young's Literal Translation
He fleeth from an iron weapon, Pass through him doth a bow of brass.

Smith's Literal Translation
He shall flee from the weapon of iron, the bow of brass shall pierce him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
He shall flee from weapons of iron, and shall fall upon a bow of brass.

Catholic Public Domain Version
He will flee from weapons of iron, and he will fall in an arc of brass,

New American Bible
Should he escape an iron weapon, a bronze bow shall pierce him through;

New Revised Standard Version
They will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike them through.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For although he had escaped because of the breastplate of iron, the bow of brass shall pierce him through.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
For he fled from breastplates of iron, a bow of brass will shoot through him
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
If he flee from the iron weapon, The bow of brass shall strike him through.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he shall by no means escape from the power of the sword; let the brazen bow wound him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Zophar: Destruction Awaits the Wicked
23When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats. 24Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him. 25It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him.…

Cross References
Psalm 7:12-13
If one does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has bent and strung His bow. / He has prepared His deadly weapons; He ordains His arrows with fire.

Isaiah 24:17-18
Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. / Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Jeremiah 48:43-44
Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,” declares the LORD. / “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

Amos 5:19
It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.

Deuteronomy 32:23-25
I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend My arrows against them. / They will be wasted from hunger and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send the fangs of wild beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust. / Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man.

Lamentations 3:47
Panic and pitfall have come upon us—devastation and destruction.

Proverbs 11:8
The righteous man is delivered from trouble; in his place the wicked man goes in.

Isaiah 30:16-17
“No,” you say, “we will flee on horses.” Therefore you will flee! “We will ride swift horses,” but your pursuers will be faster. / A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee, until you are left alone like a pole on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.

Ezekiel 5:16-17
When I shower you with the deadly arrows of famine and destruction that I will send to destroy you, I will intensify the famine against you and cut off your supply of food. / I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will leave you childless. Plague and bloodshed will sweep through you, and I will bring a sword against you. I, the LORD, have spoken.”

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Revelation 6:15-17
Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. / And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. / For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

Luke 21:35-36
For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. / So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Romans 2:8-9
But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger. / There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek;

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
After all, it is only right for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, / and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels / in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ...


Treasury of Scripture

He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.

flee from

1 Kings 20:30
But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.

Isaiah 24:18
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

Jeremiah 48:43,44
Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the LORD…

the bow

2 Samuel 22:35
He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

strike him

Proverbs 7:23
Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

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Job 20
1. Zophar shows the state and portion of the wicked














Though he flees
The phrase "though he flees" suggests an attempt to escape or avoid impending danger. In the Hebrew context, the word used here implies a sense of urgency and desperation. This reflects the human instinct to evade suffering or judgment. Biblically, it reminds us of the futility of trying to escape divine justice. Theologically, it underscores the omnipresence of God and the inescapability of His righteous judgment.

from an iron weapon
"Iron weapon" symbolizes strength and power. In ancient times, iron was a significant advancement in weaponry, representing formidable force. The use of "iron" here can be seen as a metaphor for the trials and judgments that are strong and unavoidable. Historically, iron weapons were feared and respected, much like the divine retribution that Zophar, the speaker, implies is inevitable for the wicked.

a bronze-tipped arrow
The "bronze-tipped arrow" signifies precision and deadly intent. Bronze, being a durable and reliable material, was often used in ancient weaponry for its effectiveness. This imagery suggests that even if one escapes a direct confrontation (iron weapon), a more precise and unavoidable judgment (bronze-tipped arrow) will find them. Theologically, it speaks to the certainty and precision of God's justice.

will pierce him
The phrase "will pierce him" conveys the inevitability and penetrating nature of divine judgment. The Hebrew root here implies a deep and inescapable impact. This serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the certainty of divine retribution. In a broader scriptural context, it emphasizes the need for repentance and righteousness, as God's judgment is both just and unavoidable.

(24) He shall flee from the iron weapon, and.--That is, if he escaped one mischance, another should overtake him.

Verse 24. - He shall flee from the iron weapon. This is no indication of the late authorship of Job. Iron was in use in Egypt at a very early date. A thin plate of it was found by Colonel Howard Vyse embedded in the masonry of the great pyramid; and iron implements and ornaments, iron spear-heads, iron sickles, iron gimlets, iron keys, iron bracelets, iron wire, have been found in the early tombs not infrequently (see the author's 'History of Ancient Egypt,' vol. 1. p. 505). That they are not more common is accounted for by the rapid oxidization of iron by exposure to the air, and its rapid decay in the nitrous soil of Egypt. The inhabitants of South-Western Asia were at no time much behind the Egyptians in their knowledge of the useful arts: and iron appears as a well-known metal in the Jewish Scriptures from the time of the Exodus (see Numbers 35:16; Deuteronomy 3:11; Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 8:9; Deuteronomy 28:23; Joshua 8:31). It is true that the principal weapons of war continued to be made ordinarily of bronze, both in South-Western Asia and in Egypt, till a comparatively late period; but Zophar may mean to assign to the slayer of the wicked man weapons of a superior character. And the bow of steel shall strike him through. It is uncertain whether steel was known in the ancient world. But, whether or no, "steel" is not meant here. The word used in the original is nehushtah, which undoubtedly means either "copper" or "bronze." As copper would be too soft a material for a bow, we may assume bronze to be intended. The bronze used in Egypt was extremely elastic, and there would have been little difficulty in fashioning bows of it (on the existence of such bows, see 2 Samuel 26:5; Psalm 18:34).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Though he flees
יִ֭בְרַח (yiḇ·raḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1272: To bolt, to flee suddenly

from an iron
בַּרְזֶ֑ל (bar·zel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1270: Iron, an iron implement

weapon,
מִנֵּ֣שֶׁק (min·nê·šeq)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5402: Military equipment, arms, an arsenal

a bronze-tipped
נְחוּשָֽׁה׃ (nə·ḥū·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5154: Copper, bronze

arrow
קֶ֣שֶׁת (qe·šeṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 7198: A bow, for, shooting, the iris

will pierce him.
תַּ֝חְלְפֵ֗הוּ (taḥ·lə·p̄ê·hū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2498: To slide by, to hasten away, pass on, spring up, pierce, change


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OT Poetry: Job 20:24 He shall flee from the iron weapon (Jb)
Job 20:23
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