Job 27:16
New International Version
Though he heaps up silver like dust and clothes like piles of clay,

New Living Translation
“Evil people may have piles of money and may store away mounds of clothing.

English Standard Version
Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay,

Berean Standard Bible
Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay,

King James Bible
Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

New King James Version
Though he heaps up silver like dust, And piles up clothing like clay—

New American Standard Bible
“Though he piles up silver like dust, And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,

NASB 1995
“Though he piles up silver like dust And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,

NASB 1977
“Though he piles up silver like dust, And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay;

Legacy Standard Bible
Though he piles up silver like dust And prepares garments as plentiful as the clay,

Amplified Bible
“Though he heaps up silver like dust And piles up clothing like clay,

Christian Standard Bible
Though he piles up silver like dust and heaps up fine clothing like clay —

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Though he piles up silver like dust and heaps up a wardrobe like clay—

American Standard Version
Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare raiment as the clay;

Contemporary English Version
The wicked may collect riches and clothes in abundance as easily as clay.

English Revised Version
Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Though he collects silver like dust and piles up clothing like dirt,

Good News Translation
The wicked may have too much silver to count and more clothes than anyone needs;

International Standard Version
"Though he hoards silver like dust, and stores away garments like clay,

Majority Standard Bible
Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay,

NET Bible
If he piles up silver like dust and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,

New Heart English Bible
Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;

Webster's Bible Translation
Though he should heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay?

World English Bible
Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
If he heaps up silver as dust, "" And prepares clothing as clay,

Young's Literal Translation
If he heap up as dust silver, And as clay prepare clothing,

Smith's Literal Translation
If he shall heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as clay;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
If he shall heap together silver as earth, and prepare raiment as clay,

Catholic Public Domain Version
If he will amass silver as if it were dirt and fabricate garments as if they were clay,

New American Bible
Though he heap up silver like dust and store away mounds of clothing,

New Revised Standard Version
Though they heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay—
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Though they heap up silver like dust and accumulate clothes like clay,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
If they will gather money like dust, and would prepare clothing like clay
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare raiment as the clay;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Even if he should gather silver as earth, and prepare gold as clay;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Wicked Man's Portion
15His survivors will be buried by the plague, and their widows will not weep for them. 16Though he heaps up silver like dust and piles up a wardrobe like clay, 17what he lays up, the righteous will wear, and his silver will be divided by the innocent.…

Cross References
Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.

Ecclesiastes 2:26
To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Psalm 39:6
Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.

Proverbs 28:8
He who increases his wealth by interest and usury lays it up for one who is kind to the poor.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile. / When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?

James 5:1-3
Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you. / Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes. / Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

Matthew 6:19-20
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Luke 12:20-21
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ / This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Proverbs 23:4-5
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself. / When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

Psalm 49:16-17
Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases. / For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.

1 Timothy 6:9-10
Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. / For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Proverbs 11:4
Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

Ecclesiastes 6:2
God gives a man riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires; but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a grievous affliction.

Luke 16:19-31
Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. / And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores / and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. ...

1 Timothy 6:17-19
Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. / Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share, / treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.


Treasury of Scripture

Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;

heap up

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

1 Kings 10:27
And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.

Habakkuk 2:6
Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

Matthew 6:19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

James 5:2
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

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Clay Clothes Clothing Dust Garments Great Heap Heaps Pile Piles Plentiful Prepare Prepares Raiment Ready Silver Stores Together
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Clay Clothes Clothing Dust Garments Great Heap Heaps Pile Piles Plentiful Prepare Prepares Raiment Ready Silver Stores Together
Job 27
1. Job protests his sincerity
8. The hypocrite is without hope
11. The blessings which the wicked have are turned into curses














Though he heaps up silver like dust
The phrase "heaps up silver" suggests an accumulation of wealth, which in the ancient Near Eastern context, was often measured by precious metals like silver. The Hebrew word for "heaps" (צָבַר, tsabar) implies gathering or amassing in large quantities. This imagery of silver being as common as "dust" underscores the futility of material wealth when it is pursued for its own sake. Dust, in biblical literature, often symbolizes something transient and insignificant (Genesis 3:19). The conservative Christian perspective sees this as a reminder that earthly riches are temporary and cannot provide true security or fulfillment. The pursuit of wealth, when it becomes an end in itself, is ultimately meaningless, echoing the wisdom literature's theme that true value lies in spiritual, not material, wealth.

and piles up a wardrobe like clay
The "wardrobe" here refers to garments, which in ancient times were considered a sign of wealth and status. The Hebrew word for "wardrobe" (מַלְבּוּשׁ, malbush) can denote clothing or attire. The comparison to "clay" suggests something that is easily molded and shaped but also fragile and impermanent. Clay, while useful, is not enduring, and this metaphor highlights the transient nature of material possessions. In the historical context, garments were valuable commodities, often used in trade and as gifts. However, like clay, they are subject to decay and destruction. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this serves as a caution against placing trust in material goods, which can be as easily lost as they are gained. The verse encourages believers to seek treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys (Matthew 6:19-20), emphasizing the eternal over the temporal.

Verse 16. - Though he heap up silver as the dust. The city of Tyro, we are told by Zechariah, "heaped up silver as the dust" (Zechariah 9:3), i.e. in vast quantities, beyond count. So might the wicked man do. He might also prepare raiment as the clay; i.e. fill his house with rich dresses, partly for his own wear, partly to be given as robes of honour to his friends and boon companions (setup. Genesis 45:22; 2 Kings 5:22; 2 Kings 10:22, Matthew 6:19; James 5:2). Robes of honour are still kept in store by Eastern monarchs, and presented as marks of favour to visitors of importance,

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Though
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

he heaps up
יִצְבֹּ֣ר (yiṣ·bōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6651: To aggregate

silver
כָּ֑סֶף (kā·sep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701: Silver, money

like dust
כֶּעָפָ֣ר (ke·‘ā·p̄ār)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

and piles up
יָכִ֥ין (yā·ḵîn)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3559: To be erect

a wardrobe
מַלְבּֽוּשׁ׃ (mal·būš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4403: A garment, clothing

like clay,
וְ֝כַחֹ֗מֶר (wə·ḵa·ḥō·mer)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2563: A bubbling up, of water, a wave, of earth, mire, clay, a heap, a chomer, dry measure


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OT Poetry: Job 27:16 Though he heap up silver as (Jb)
Job 27:15
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