What is the meaning of Job 24:23?

He gives them a sense of security

• The verse opens by acknowledging that any sense of safety the wicked enjoy is something God Himself “gives” (Job 12:6; Daniel 5:18–21).

• That security often looks convincing—prosperity, health, influence (Psalm 73:3–12; Job 21:7–13).

• Yet its very source exposes its fragility:

– It is temporary (Psalm 37:35–36; Proverbs 24:19–20).

– It is meant to reveal God’s patience, not His approval (Ecclesiastes 8:11; Romans 2:4).

• For believers who struggle with the apparent success of evil, the line reminds us that God is still sovereign over every advantage the ungodly seem to possess (Habakkuk 1:13; Luke 16:25).

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but His eyes are on their ways

• God’s “eyes” picture His continual, personal oversight (Proverbs 15:3; 2 Chronicles 16:9).

• Nothing in the wicked person’s “ways” escapes Him—motives, actions, or hidden schemes (Psalm 33:13–15; Hebrews 4:13).

• This watchfulness guarantees eventual justice:

– “They are exalted a little while, then they are gone” (Job 24:24).

– “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

• For the righteous, God’s all-seeing eye is a comfort; for the unrighteous, it is a warning (Jeremiah 16:17; Revelation 20:12).

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summary

Job 24:23 assures us that any security enjoyed apart from God’s righteousness is short-lived and borrowed. The same Lord who permits a fleeting sense of safety also watches every path, guaranteeing that justice will be done. Trust His timing, remain faithful, and remember that no deed—good or evil—ever slips past His gaze.