Job 18:21
in Job 18Surely such is the dwelling of the wicked and the place of one who does not know God.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, And this is the place of him that knoweth not God.
KJV
Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.
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This verse in Job 18
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked - The conclusion or sum of the whole matter. The meaning is, that the habitations of all that knew not God would be desolate - a declaration which Job could not but regard as aimed at himself; compare Job 20:29. This is the close of this harsh and severe speech. It is no wonder that Job should feel it keenly, and that he “did” feel it is apparent from the following chapter.
This site's exposition
Those in the west are appalled at his fate
on Job 18:20-21
Bildad's summary, "the place of one who does not know God", ties every image to one cause. Gill notes that Bildad never names Job, leaving the application to his conscience. The poem needs Job to accept the label pressed on him, and chapter 19 shows him refusing it.
This site's exposition
the place of one who does not know God
Bildad sums up the dwelling of the wicked. Clarke and Barnes both hear the one who does not know God as Job. Barnes calls it the close of a harsh and severe speech, and compares Zophar's summary at 20:29.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
Since he had premised some punishments of a sinner proper to the journey of the present life, but others which are proper to the end of the journey, death and the things which happen after death, he therefore adds as an epilogue, "These are the …
Surely, such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God. MORAL INTERPRETATION For he had said above; He shall drive him from fight into darkness, and translate him out of the world; and upon subjoining his miseries, he added; Surely, such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
In this he seems, all along, to have an eye to Job's complaints of the miserable condition he was in, that he was in the dark, bewildered, ensnared, terrified, and hastening out of the world. "This," says Bildad, "is the condition of a wicked man; and therefore thou art one." Second Address of Eliphaz.
): Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place (this the condition) of him that knows not God! See here what is the beginning, and what is the end, of the wickedness of this wicked world.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,.... As before described; as that the light should be dark in them; a wicked man's confidence should be rooted out of them; everything shocking and dreadful should dwell in them; brimstone should be scattered on them, they should be utterly consumed, and none remaining in them, Job 18:
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Such are the dwellings - This is the common lot of the wicked; and it shall be particularly the case with him who knoweth not God, that is Job, for it is evident he alludes to him. Poor Job! hard was thy lot, severe were thy sufferings. On the elephant hunt to which I have referred, Job 18:13, I shall borrow the following account extracted from Mr. Cordiner’s History of Ceylon, by Mr. Good: - “We have a curious description of the elephant hunt, which is pursued in a manner not essentially different from the preceding, except that the snares are pallisadoed with the strongest possible stakes, instead of being netted, and still farther fortified by interlacings. They are numerous, but connected together; every snare or inclosure growing gradually narrower, and opening into each other by a gate or two that will only admit the entrance of a single animal at a time. “The wood in which elephants are known to abound is first surrounded, excepting at the end where the foremost and widest inclosure is situated, with fires placed on moveable pedestals, which in every direction are drawn closer and closer, and, aided by loud and perpetual shouts, drive the animals forward till they enter into the outer snare. After which the same process is continued, and they are driven by fear into a second, into a third, and into a fourth; till at length the elephants become so much sub-divided, that by the aid of cordage fastened carefully round their limbs, and the management of decoy elephants, they are easily capable of being led away one by one, and tamed. A single hunt thus conducted will sometimes occupy not less than two months of unremitting labor; and the entrance of the elephants into the snares is regarded as an amusement or sport of the highest character, and as such is attended by all the principal families of the country.” Account of Ceylon, p. 218-226.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַךְ־ | ʾakh- | surely | H389 → | 161 times |
| אֵ֭לֶּה | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
| מִשְׁכְּנ֣וֹת | mishkenot | [are] [the] dwelling places of | H4908 → | 139 times |
| עַוָּ֑ל | ʾaval | an evil-doer | H5767 → | 5 times |
| וְ֝זֶ֗ה | vezeh | and this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| מְק֣וֹם | mekom | [is the] place of | H4725 → | 401 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | [one who] not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָדַֽע־ | yada'- | he knows | H3045 → | 945 times |
| אֵֽל׃ ס | ʾel | God | H410 → | 241 times |
אַךְ־surely
ʾakh-H389 →161 times
אֵ֭לֶּהthese
ʾelehH428 →746 times
מִשְׁכְּנ֣וֹת[are] [the] dwelling places of
mishkenotH4908 →139 times
עַוָּ֑לan evil-doer
ʾavalH5767 →5 times
וְ֝זֶ֗הand this
vezehH2088 →1180 times
מְק֣וֹם[is the] place of
mekomH4725 →401 times
לֹא־[one who] not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יָדַֽע־he knows
yada'-H3045 →945 times
אֵֽל׃ סGod
ʾelH410 →241 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
Titus 1:16They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:4
If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
- Isaiah 29:13
Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught…
- Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
- Ezekiel 33:31
So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest…
- 2 Timothy 3:5–8
having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
- 1 John 2:4
Through
2 Thessalonians 1:8in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 4:17
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
- 2 Peter 3:7
And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
- Hebrews 10:27
but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.
- 1 Peter 4:17
About Job
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XIV; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.