Job 27:13 vs Prov 11:21: Wicked's fate?
Compare Job 27:13 with Proverbs 11:21 on the fate of the wicked.

Verses in Focus

Job 27:13 – “This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.”

Proverbs 11:21 – “Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered.”


Immediate Context

Job 27 records Job’s firm conviction that, whatever his friends believe about him, God will ultimately judge the truly wicked.

Proverbs 11 gathers Solomon’s concise wisdom, contrasting righteous living with sinful rebellion and stressing certain outcomes.


Shared Truths About the Wicked

• Certainty of Judgment

– Both passages declare that God Himself guarantees consequences.

• Divine Origin of Consequences

– Job: “from God…from the Almighty.”

– Proverbs: “will not go unpunished” presumes God’s direct action.

• Inheritance Language

– Job uses “portion” and “heritage,” portraying judgment as the “legacy” wicked people have earned.

– Proverbs pictures punishment as just as sure as a legal outcome in court.


Nuanced Differences

• Job highlights the present earthly portion and future destiny of the wicked, stressing how even apparent success collapses (cf. Job 27:14-23).

• Proverbs draws a sharper contrast between wicked punishment and righteous preservation, promising deliverance “for the offspring of the righteous.”

• Job centers on God’s sovereignty amid personal suffering; Proverbs offers a general principle of moral cause-and-effect.


Reinforcing Scriptures

Psalm 37:9-10 – “For evildoers will be cut off…yet a little while and the wicked will be no more.”

Psalm 73:18-19 – “Surely You set them on slippery ground…they are utterly swept away.”

Galatians 6:7 – “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”

Revelation 20:12-15 – Final White Throne judgment confirms the same end.


Why These Truths Matter Today

• God’s justice is not abstract; it is personal, inevitable, and perfectly timed.

• The righteous can rest in God’s protection—even if wickedness appears unchecked—knowing a sure separation is coming.

• The “heritage” of the wicked warns us against flirting with sin; the promise of deliverance urges steadfast faithfulness (Hebrews 10:35-36).

How can Job 27:13 guide us in understanding the consequences of wickedness?
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