Job 21:17
New International Version
“Yet how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in his anger?

New Living Translation
“Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?

English Standard Version
“How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger?

Berean Standard Bible
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?

King James Bible
How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger.

New King James Version
“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows God distributes in His anger?

New American Standard Bible
“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their disaster fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

NASB 1995
“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

NASB 1977
“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

Legacy Standard Bible
“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their disaster fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?

Amplified Bible
“How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, And that their disaster falls on them? Does God distribute pain and destruction and sorrow [to them] in His anger?

Christian Standard Bible
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come on them? Does he apportion destruction in his anger?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come on them? Does He apportion destruction in His anger?

American Standard Version
How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity cometh upon them? That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
How often the lamps of the wicked will be extinguished, and ruin will come upon them! He will distribute corruption in his anger!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Nevertheless, the lamp of the ungodly also shall be put out, and destruction shall come upon them, and pangs of vengeance shall seize them.

Contemporary English Version
How often does God become angry and send disaster and darkness to punish sinners?

Douay-Rheims Bible
How often shall the lamp of the wicked be put out, and a deluge come upon them, and he shall distribute the sorrows of his wrath?

English Revised Version
How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? that their calamity cometh upon them? that God distributeth sorrows in his anger?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"How often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does disaster happen to them? How often does an angry God give them pain?

Good News Translation
Was a wicked person's light ever put out? Did one of them ever meet with disaster? Did God ever punish the wicked in anger

International Standard Version
"How often do the wicked have their lights put out? Does calamity ever fall on them? Will God in his anger ever apportion their destruction?

JPS Tanakh 1917
How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity cometh upon them? That He distributeth pains in His anger?

Literal Standard Version
How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, | And their calamity comes on them? He apportions pangs in His anger.

Majority Standard Bible
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?

New American Bible
How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does destruction come upon them, the portion God allots in his anger?

NET Bible
"How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished? How often does their misfortune come upon them? How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger?

New Revised Standard Version
“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does calamity come upon them? How often does God distribute pains in his anger?

New Heart English Bible
"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, that their calamity comes on them, that he distributes sorrows in his anger?

Webster's Bible Translation
How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? and how oft cometh their destruction upon them? God distributeth sorrows in his anger.

World English Bible
“How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, that their calamity comes on them, that God distributes sorrows in his anger?

Young's Literal Translation
How oft is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He apportioneth in His anger.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: God will Punish the Wicked
16Still, their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked. 17How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction? 18Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?…

Cross References
Job 18:5
Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow.

Job 18:6
The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him goes out.

Job 21:30
Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of calamity, delivered from the day of wrath.

Job 31:2
For what is the allotment of God from above, or the heritage from the Almighty on high?

Job 31:3
Does not disaster come to the unjust and calamity to the workers of iniquity?

Proverbs 24:20
For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.


Treasury of Scripture

How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft comes their destruction on them! God distributes sorrows in his anger.

oft

Job 18:5,6,18
Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine…

Proverbs 13:9
The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

Proverbs 20:20
Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

candle.

Psalm 32:10
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.

Psalm 90:7-9
For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled…

Luke 12:46
The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Jump to Previous
Allots Anger Apportion Apportioneth Calamity Candle Destruction Distributes Distributeth Evil-Doers Fall Fate Frequently Lamp Oft Often Pains Pangs Snuffed Sorrows Trouble Wicked Wrath
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Allots Anger Apportion Apportioneth Calamity Candle Destruction Distributes Distributeth Evil-Doers Fall Fate Frequently Lamp Oft Often Pains Pangs Snuffed Sorrows Trouble Wicked Wrath
Job 21
1. Job shows that even in the judgment of man he has reason to be grieved
7. Sometimes the wicked prosper, though they despise God
16. Sometimes their destruction is manifest
21. The happy and unhappy are alike in death
27. The judgment of the wicked is in another world














(17) How oft is the candle of the wicked put out?--This and the following verse are either a concession on the part of Job, as much as to say, "I admit that it is as you say with the wicked;" or else they should be read interrogatively, "How often is it that we do see this? "

Verse 17. - How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? This is not an exclamation, but a question, and is well rendered in the Revised Version, "How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?" Is not the signal downfall of the wicked prosperous man a comparatively rare occur-fence? How oft cometh their destruction upon them*. When the problem here propounded came before Asaph, he seems to have solved it by the supposition that in all cases retribution visited the wicked in this life, and that they were cast down from their prosperity. "I went," he says, "into the sanctuary of God; then understood I the end of these men. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image" (Psalm 73:17-20). Job maintains that such a catastrophe happens but seldom, and that for the most part the wicked go down to the grave in peace. God distributeth sorrows in his anger. This is hot an independent clause. The sense runs on: How off is it that the candle of the wicked is put out and that destruction cometh upon them and God showers sorrows upon them in his anger? (compare the comment on the next verse).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
How often
כַּמָּ֤ה ׀ (kam·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is the lamp
נֵר־ (nêr-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5216: A lamp, light

of the wicked
רְשָׁ֘עִ֤ים (rə·šā·‘îm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

put out?
יִדְעָ֗ךְ (yiḏ·‘āḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1846: To be extinguished, to expire, be dried up

Does disaster
אֵידָ֑ם (’ê·ḏām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 343: Oppression, misfortune, ruin

come
וְיָבֹ֣א (wə·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

upon them?
עָלֵ֣ימוֹ (‘ā·lê·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

Does [God,] in His anger,
בְּאַפּֽוֹ׃ (bə·’ap·pōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

apportion
יְחַלֵּ֥ק (yə·ḥal·lêq)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2505: To be smooth, to apportion, separate

destruction?
חֲ֝בָלִ֗ים (ḥă·ḇā·lîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2256: A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin


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OT Poetry: Job 21:17 How often is it that the lamp (Jb)
Job 21:16
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