What is the meaning of Job 21:21? For what does he care Job pictures the prosperous unbeliever glancing at death’s horizon and shrugging. The question, “For what does he care…?” is rhetorical—he plainly does not. • Earlier in the chapter the same man is described as singing to the tambourine, spending “their days in prosperity” and saying to God, “Depart from us!” (Job 21:11–15). • Psalm 10:4 echoes the same indifference: “In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God”. • Jesus’ parable in Luke 12:19-20 shows the same mindset: a rich man plans to “eat, drink, and be merry,” yet God calls him a fool because “this very night your life will be required of you”. Taken together, Job’s question exposes a heart hardened by self-sufficiency. When life seems secure, the unrepentant see no need to reckon with God. about his household after him The verse continues, “…about his household after him…,” pointing to legacy. Even the natural pull to provide for family cannot pierce the wicked man’s apathy once he faces death. • Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 laments the same tragedy: “I hated all my toil… because I must leave it to the man who comes after me… Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort”. • Psalm 49:10-12 observes that both wise and foolish “leave their wealth to others… yet a man in his pomp will not endure”. • Job underlines how fleeting material success is; without faith, even concern for loved ones dissolves. The coming separation from possessions and people reveals how empty the godless life really is. when the number of his months has run out Death is certain and scheduled: “when the number of his months has run out.” • Job 14:5 states, “Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with You… he cannot exceed” those limits. • Psalm 90:12 urges, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom”, a direct contrast to the fool who refuses to count them. • James 4:14 reminds us, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”. • Hebrews 9:27 adds finality: “It is appointed for men to die once, and after that to face judgment”. Job’s point is stark: once life’s fixed allotment ends, repentance, stewardship, and influence are frozen. The godless person’s obsession with the present blinds him to this looming, unalterable boundary. summary Job 21:21 exposes the emptiness of a life lived without reference to God. The prosperous wicked man: • cares nothing about eternal accountability, • feels no concern for the family he will inevitably leave, • and forgets that his lifespan is divinely numbered. The verse challenges every reader to embrace wisdom, reckon with eternity, and live today in light of the certain appointment that awaits us all. |
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