What is the meaning of Job 15:28? He will dwell Eliphaz is describing the ultimate fate of the wicked—“He will dwell…” (Job 15:28). The verb “dwell” shows a settled, inescapable condition rather than a temporary setback. What kind of life awaits the unrepentant? • Psalm 37:10–11 contrasts the fleeting presence of the wicked with the enduring inheritance of the righteous. • Proverbs 2:21–22 explains that the upright remain in the land, but the wicked are “uprooted.” Eliphaz’s picture begins with a man who must live with the consequences of his rebellion. …in ruined cities The setting is “ruined cities,” places once bustling with life but now silent testimonies to divine judgment. • Isaiah 13:19–22 shows Babylon, once glorious, reduced to ruins—a warning that no earthly power can shield from God’s hand. • Jeremiah 51:37 echoes the same fate: “Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals.” In Job 15 the ruined city is a symbol: the sinner’s achievements collapse, and the environment that remains mirrors the state of his soul—emptiness, loss, and isolation. …in abandoned houses Not only are the cities desolate, but the very houses stand empty. The wicked man thought to build a secure life, yet he ends up surrounded by abandonment. • Isaiah 5:8–9 pronounces woe on those who add “house to house,” for those houses will be left “without inhabitant.” • Zephaniah 1:13 warns that the wealth of sinners will become plunder, and “their houses a desolation.” The picture confronts us with a sobering irony: the harder people cling to possessions apart from God, the more certain those possessions slip through their fingers. …destined to become rubble The sentence closes with the future of those empty houses: they are “destined to become rubble.” Judgement is not just present; it is progressing. What stands today will crumble tomorrow. • Micah 3:12 foretells Jerusalem becoming “a heap of rubble” because of persistent sin. • Matthew 7:26–27 shows Jesus applying the same principle: a life built on sand will collapse under the storm. God’s justice moves relentlessly toward completion. If repentance is refused, deterioration is guaranteed. summary Job 15:28 portrays the downward spiral of the unrepentant: permanent residence (“He will dwell”) in places that reveal God’s displeasure (“ruined cities”), surrounded by the hollow shell of what once promised security (“abandoned houses”), all headed toward total collapse (“destined to become rubble”). Scripture affirms that sin’s apparent successes are temporary, but God’s verdict is final. The only safe dwelling is found by building on the solid rock of obedience to Him. |
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