Job 21:9
New International Version
Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not on them.

New Living Translation
Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them.

English Standard Version
Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them.

Berean Standard Bible
Their homes are safe from fear; no rod of punishment from God is upon them.

King James Bible
Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

New King James Version
Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them.

New American Standard Bible
Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them.

NASB 1995
Their houses are safe from fear, And the rod of God is not on them.

NASB 1977
Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God on them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Their houses are safe from dread, And the rod of God is not on them.

Amplified Bible
“Their houses are safe from fear; And the rod of God is not on them.

Christian Standard Bible
Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God strikes them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God strikes them.

American Standard Version
Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them.

Contemporary English Version
They have no worries at home, and God never punishes them.

English Revised Version
Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Their homes are free from fear, and God doesn't use his rod on them.

Good News Translation
God does not bring disaster on their homes; they never have to live in terror.

International Standard Version
Their houses are safe from fear, and God's chastisement never visits them.

Majority Standard Bible
Their homes are safe from fear; no rod of punishment from God is upon them.

NET Bible
Their houses are safe and without fear; and no rod of punishment from God is upon them.

New Heart English Bible
Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

World English Bible
Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Their houses [are] peace without fear, "" Nor [is] a rod of God on them.

Young's Literal Translation
Their houses are peace without fear, Nor is a rod of God upon them.

Smith's Literal Translation
Their houses peace from fear, and the rod of God not upon them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Their houses are secure and peaceable, and the rod of God is not upon them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Their houses have been secure and peaceable, and there is no staff of God over them.

New American Bible
Their homes are safe, without fear, and the rod of God is not upon them.

New Revised Standard Version
Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Their households are quieted of fear and there is no rod of God upon them
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Their houses are safe, without fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Their houses are prosperous, neither have they any where cause for fear, neither is there a scourge from the Lord upon them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job: God will Punish the Wicked
8Their descendants are established around them, and their offspring before their eyes. 9Their homes are safe from fear; no rod of punishment from God is upon them. 10Their bulls breed without fail; their cows bear calves and do not miscarry.…

Cross References
Psalm 73:3-12
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. / They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed. / They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men. ...

Jeremiah 12:1-2
Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead before You. Yet about Your judgments I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? / You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.

Psalm 37:35
I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,

Psalm 49:16-19
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. / Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper— ...

Ecclesiastes 8:14
There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

Malachi 3:15
So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”

Psalm 10:5-6
He is secure in his ways at all times; Your lofty judgments are far from him; he sneers at all his foes. / He says to himself, “I will not be moved; from age to age I am free of distress.”

Psalm 17:14
from such men, O LORD, by Your hand—from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.

Proverbs 1:32
For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.

Isaiah 57:1-2
The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous are taken away from the presence of evil. / Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death.

Luke 12:16-21
Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. / So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ / Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. ...

Matthew 5:45
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

James 5:5
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.

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.

2 Peter 2:13-14
The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you. / Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.


Treasury of Scripture

Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God on them.

safe from fear.

Job 15:21
A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

Job 18:11
Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.

Psalm 73:19
How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

the rod

Job 9:34
Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

Psalm 73:5
They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.

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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














Their homes
The Hebrew word for "homes" here is "בָּתֵּיהֶם" (battehem), which refers to the physical dwelling places of individuals. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a home was not just a structure but a symbol of stability, security, and familial prosperity. Job is observing that the wicked, whom he describes, seem to enjoy a life where their homes are intact and undisturbed, contrary to the expected divine justice. This challenges the retributive theology that suggests the wicked should suffer in this life.

are safe
The term "safe" is translated from the Hebrew "שָׁלוֹם" (shalom), which is often understood as peace, completeness, or welfare. In this context, it implies a state of being free from danger or fear. The use of "shalom" here is ironic, as it suggests that those who are morally corrupt are experiencing the peace and security that should be the reward of the righteous. This observation by Job is meant to provoke thought about the nature of divine justice and the apparent prosperity of the wicked.

from fear
The Hebrew word "מִפַּחַד" (mippachad) means "from fear" or "from dread." In the ancient world, fear was a common experience due to threats from enemies, natural disasters, or divine retribution. Job notes that the wicked live without the anxiety or dread that might be expected given their actions. This absence of fear in their lives further complicates the simplistic understanding of immediate divine justice.

the rod of God
The "rod" (שֵׁבֶט, shevet) is a symbol of discipline and correction, often used in the Bible to represent God's judgment or punishment. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, a rod was used by shepherds to guide and correct their sheep, and by extension, it became a metaphor for divine correction. Job's assertion that "the rod of God is not upon them" highlights the perplexing reality that those who defy God seem to escape His corrective measures, at least in this life.

is not upon them
This phrase underscores the absence of divine intervention or punishment in the lives of the wicked. The Hebrew construction suggests a deliberate withholding of judgment, which is contrary to the expectations of Job's friends who argue that suffering is a direct result of personal sin. Job's lament here is a profound theological challenge, questioning why the wicked prosper and why God's justice is not immediately evident.

(9) Their houses are safe from fear.--On the contrary, Zophar had just said that "a fire not blown should consume him" (Job 20:26), and Bildad (in Job 18:15) that "destruction should dwell in his tabernacle, and brimstone be scattered on his habitation."

Verse 9. - Their houses are safe from fear; literally, their houses are in peace without fear. Neither is the rod of God upon them. So Asaph, "They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men" (Psalm 73:5). The chastening rod of God does not seem to smite them.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Their homes
בָּתֵּיהֶ֣ם (bāt·tê·hem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1004: A house

are safe
שָׁל֣וֹם (šā·lō·wm)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7965: Safe, well, happy, friendly, welfare, health, prosperity, peace

from fear;
מִפָּ֑חַד (mip·pā·ḥaḏ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6343: A, alarm

the rod
שֵׁ֖בֶט (šê·ḇeṭ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7626: Rod, staff, club, scepter, tribe

of God
אֱל֣וֹהַּ (’ĕ·lō·w·ah)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 433: God -- a deity, the Deity

is not
וְלֹ֤א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

upon them.
עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃ (‘ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Poetry: Job 21:9 Their houses are safe from fear neither (Jb)
Job 21:8
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