What is the meaning of Job 27:20? Terrors overtake him Job pictures the wicked suddenly ambushed by frightful realities they cannot outrun. • “Terrors frighten him on every side and harass his feet” (Job 18:11). • Psalm 73:19 echoes, “How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!” These verses affirm that God’s justice closes in without warning. Sin always carries a built-in payday; the unrepentant cannot negotiate a truce with holiness. Like a flood A flood is relentless, unstoppable, and all-embracing. • Isaiah 59:19 warns, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” • Nahum 1:8 says God “will make an end of Nineveh with an overwhelming flood.” The image assures us that divine judgment is never partial or hesitant. It rushes in, covering every hiding place, leaving no room for excuses. A tempest sweeps him away Here the picture shifts from water to wind—another force no one can harness. • Proverbs 10:25 observes, “When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.” • Psalm 83:15 asks God to “pursue them with Your tempest and terrify them with Your storm.” The wicked may build impressive fortresses of wealth or influence, yet a single gust of God’s storm dismantles them in an instant. In the night Night represents the moment we least expect disaster—when we assume we are safe and unseen. • Luke 12:20 records God’s verdict on the self-satisfied rich man: “You fool! This very night your life will be required of you.” • 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 adds, “The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night… while people are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ destruction will come upon them suddenly.” The timing underscores God’s sovereign prerogative. Judgment is neither random nor delayed; it comes precisely when His wisdom deems it most fitting. summary Job 27:20 paints a fourfold portrait of the wicked’s demise: sudden terror, overwhelming flood, irresistible storm, and unexpected timing. Together they affirm that God’s judgment is comprehensive, decisive, and perfectly timed. The verse calls readers to forsake presumption, turn from sin, and rest in the righteousness that alone withstands every flood and tempest. |
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