Job 8:16 They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden;

◄ Job 8:16 ►

Parallel Verses

New International Version
They are like a well-watered plant in the sunshine, spreading its shoots over the garden;

English Standard Version
He is a lush plant before the sun, and his shoots spread over his garden.

New American Standard Bible
"He thrives before the sun, And his shoots spread out over his garden.

King James Bible
He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He is a well-watered plant in the sunshine; his shoots spread out over his garden.

International Standard Version
He is a fresh sapling planted in the sunlight, spreading out its branches over its garden.

American Standard Version
He is green before the sun, And his shoots go forth over his garden.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He seemeth to have moisture before the sun cometh, and at his rising his blossom shall shoot forth.

Darby Bible Translation
He is full of sap before the sun, and his sprout shooteth forth over his garden;

Young's Literal Translation
Green he is before the sun, And over his garden his branch goeth out.

Commentaries

Matthew Henry's Commentary

8:8-19 Bildad discourses well of hypocrites and evil-doers, and the fatal end of all their hopes and joys. He proves this truth of the destruction of the hopes and joys of hypocrites, by an appeal to former times. Bildad refers to the testimony of the ancients. Those teach best that utter words out of their heart, that speak from an experience of spiritual and divine things. A rush growing in fenny ground, looking very green, but withering in dry weather, represents the hypocrite's profession, which is maintained only in times of prosperity. The spider's web, spun with great skill, but easily swept away, represents a man's pretensions to religion when without the grace of God in his heart. A formal professor flatters himself in his own eyes, doubts not of his salvation, is secure, and cheats the world with his vain confidences. The flourishing of the tree, planted in the garden, striking root to the rock, yet after a time cut down and thrown aside, represents wicked men, when most firmly established, suddenly thrown down and forgotten. This doctrine of the vanity of a hypocrite's confidence, or the prosperity of a wicked man, is sound; but it was not applicable to the case of Job, if confined to the present world.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

16. before the sun—that is, he (the godless) is green only before the sun rises; but he cannot bear its heat, and withers. So succulent plants like the gourd (Jon 4:7, 8). But the widespreading in the garden does not quite accord with this. Better, "in sunshine"; the sun representing the smiling fortune of the hypocrite, during which he wondrously progresses [Umbreit]. The image is that of weeds growing in rank luxuriance and spreading over even heaps of stones and walls, and then being speedily torn away.