What is the meaning of Job 27:23? It claps its hands Job pictures the same tempest he described in verses 20–22 reaching a dramatic crescendo. The “clap” recalls the crack of thunder as God’s judgment seals the fate of the wicked. Scripture often uses hand-clapping to show scornful glee over a fallen enemy—see Nahum 3:19; Ezekiel 25:6; Lamentations 2:15. Creation itself is applauding the justice of God, confirming what Job has already said about divine retribution (Job 27:13–20). at him The target is personal. “Him” refers to the individual evildoer whose short-lived prosperity Job has cataloged (Job 27:13–16). Divine judgment is never abstract; it lands on real people who have spurned righteousness. Other passages underline this personal reckoning: Psalm 73:18–19 shows God setting the wicked “on slippery places,” and Job 20:5 reminds us that their triumph is “short.” The focus keeps us from thinking sin is merely a societal flaw—it is a personal offense that draws a personal response. and hisses him The same storm now “hisses,” a word used elsewhere for contemptuous whistling at ruin (Jeremiah 19:8; 49:17; Lamentations 2:15). What thunder began, the eerie whistle of the wind finishes, mocking the one who once mocked God. The image of hissing underscores not only destruction but public disgrace: the wicked become an object lesson, just as 1 Kings 9:8 foretold for those who abandon the LORD. out of his place The storm drives the sinner away from everything familiar—house, position, legacy. Verse 21 already said, “The east wind carries him off… it sweeps him from his place.” Job 18:18, Psalm 52:5, and Proverbs 2:22 echo the same truth: God uproots the wicked. All earthly anchors fail; only those who fear the LORD remain secure (Psalm 37:9, 34). summary Job 27:23 caps Job’s portrait of the wicked man’s fate. God’s judgment thunders (“claps”), openly shames (“hisses”), and finally uproots (“out of his place”) the one who trusted in evil gain. The verse reassures the righteous that the moral order of the universe stands intact and warns every heart that no refuge exists outside humble obedience to the LORD. |
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