What is the meaning of Job 21:32?

He is carried to the grave

• Job points out that the wicked often receive an honorable funeral. Friends and family physically “carry” him, a mark of dignity and value rather than disgrace (compare Genesis 50:7-9; 2 Chronicles 16:14).

• The verse undercuts the idea that calamity always strikes the unrighteous in this life. Instead, their bodies are respectfully laid to rest, echoing Ecclesiastes 8:10, “the wicked… received praise in the city.”

• Even in death their influence seems unshaken; like the rich man in Luke 16:22, they enjoy a ceremonious burial that can give the false impression of God’s favor.

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watch is kept over his tomb

• A “watch” suggests continual honor and protection—guards, mourners, or caretakers ensuring the grave remains undisturbed (compare Isaiah 14:18; Matthew 27:65-66).

• The wicked man’s legacy appears secure, with monuments or markers preserved so others remember him (Psalm 49:11).

• Job highlights the tension: outward respect does not equal inner righteousness. Though their tombs are tended, Hebrews 9:27 reminds that “people are appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

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summary

Job 21:32 shows that, in this fallen world, the wicked can experience apparent success even in death—honored processions, guarded tombs, lasting memorials. Yet these external trappings do not cancel the certainty of God’s final justice.