Job 15:28
in Job 15he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become rubble.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps;
KJV
And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.
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This verse in Job 15
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The class of wicked here described is that of robbers who plunder "cities," and seize on the houses of the banished citizens (Isa 13:20). Eliphaz chooses this class because Job had chosen the same (Job 12:6). heaps--of ruins.
This site's exposition
he has stretched out his hand against God
on Job 15:25-28
The poem pictures the wicked man's arrogance as an assault on God, "rushing headlong at Him with a thick, studded shield". Gill takes the "ruined cities" and "abandoned houses" of verse 28 as the wicked man's future dwelling, ruin overtaking the prosperity his fat face described.
This site's exposition
he will dwell in ruined cities
Barnes reads the line as the consequence of that attack on God: the man who lived in luxury will dwell in abandoned places. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown see robbers who seize the houses of banished citizens, the class Job had named at 12:6. His cities end as rubble.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
He describes the absolute solitude of the impious and says that because of their misery, they inhabit desolation instead of prosperous cities and houses. "In fact," Eliphaz says, "their wealth will not last."
The Medieval Church2 voices
Ver. 28. And he dwelleth in desolate communities, and in deserted houses, which are become heaps. For as a 'community' has its name from the intercourse of persons living together in common, 'desolate communities' are the actual throngs of wicked followers, by whose shouts this bad man is commended, when he is hurried away by his wickedness into evil deeds. Whence it is written; The sinner is commended in the desires of his soul, and he that doeth unrighteousness is blessed.
After Eliphaz shows the anxieties of fear which the wicked man suffers even when he is in the state of prosperity, he now speaks about the bitter things by which he is consumed when he has been cast down in adversity to answer Job's statement, …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Proud and cruel men take a strange pleasure in ruins, when they are of their own making, in destroying cities ( Ps. ix. 6 ) and triumphing in the destruction, since they cannot make them their own but by making them ready to become heaps, and frightening the inhabitants out of them.
11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? 12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, 13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he dwelleth in desolate cities,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
He dwelleth in desolate cities - It is sometimes the fate of a tyrant to be obliged to take up his habitation in some of those cities which have been ruined by his wars, and in a house so ruinous as to be ready to fall into heaps. Ancient and modern history afford abundance of examples to illustrate this.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And he dwelleth - Or rather, “therefore he shall dwell.” As a consequence of his opposing God, and devoting himself to a life of sensuality and ease, he shall dwell in a desolate place. Instead of living in affluence and in a splendid city, he shall be compelled to take up his abode in places that have been deserted and abandoned. Such places - like Petra or Babylon now - became the temporary lodgings of caravans and travelers, or the abodes of outcasts and robbers. The meaning here is, that the proud and wicked man shall be ejected from his palace, and compelled to seek a refuge far away from the usual haunts of men. Which are ready to become heaps - Which are just ready to tumble into ruin.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁכּ֤וֹן׀ | vaiyishkon | and he dwelt | H7931 → | 129 times |
| עָ֘רִ֤ים | ʾarim | cities | H5892 → | |
| נִכְחָד֗וֹת | nikhchadot | destroyed | H3582 → | 32 times |
| בָּ֭תִּים | batim | houses | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | [which] not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יֵ֣שְׁבוּ | yeshevu | people will dwell | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| לָ֑מוֹ | lamo | <for> themselves | ||
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הִתְעַתְּד֣וּ | hitatedu | they are destined | H6257 → | |
| לְגַלִּֽים׃ | legalim | for heaps of stones | H1530 → | 34 times |
וַיִּשְׁכּ֤וֹן׀and he dwelt
vaiyishkonH7931 →129 times
עָ֘רִ֤יםcities
ʾarimH5892 →
נִכְחָד֗וֹתdestroyed
nikhchadotH3582 →32 times
בָּ֭תִּיםhouses
batimH1004 →2046 times
לֹא־[which] not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יֵ֣שְׁבוּpeople will dwell
yeshevuH3427 →1079 times
לָ֑מוֹ<for> themselves
lamo
אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
הִתְעַתְּד֣וּthey are destined
hitateduH6257 →
לְגַלִּֽים׃for heaps of stones
legalimH1530 →34 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Micah 7:18Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion?
it leads to
- Isaiah 43:25
I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
- Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
- Ephesians 2:4–5
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
- Psalms 103:8–9
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
- Jeremiah 50:20
In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for…
- Isaiah 43:25
Through
Jeremiah 26:18“Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and told all the people of Judah that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Zion will be plowed like a…
it leads to
- Micah 1:1
This is the word of the LORD that came to Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem:
- Zechariah 8:3
This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be…
- Nehemiah 4:2
before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can…
- Micah 1:1
About Job
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XII; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Olympiodorus of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON JOB 15:28-29 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.