Job 20:27
in Job 20The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, And the earth shall rise up against him.
KJV
The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.
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This verse in Job 20
Commentary
10 notes on this verseVer. 27. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him. 37. What do we understand by 'the heavens,' but the righteous, and what by 'the earth,' but sinners? And hence in the Lord's prayer we pray; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, meaning this, that the will of our Creator, in the same way as it is accomplished in all the righteous, may also be fulfilled in all sinners as well. Moreover of the righteous it is said, The heavens declare the glory of God [Ps. 19, 1].
This site's exposition
Total darkness is reserved for his treasures
on Job 20:26-29
The speech closes with "A fire unfanned". The last line, "This is the wicked man’s portion from God", presents the catalogue as one doctrine, and Job is never named in it. Watson notes that this is Zophar's last speech, since he takes no turn in the friends' third round.
This site's exposition
The heavens will expose his iniquity
Barnes reads the verse as the whole creation arrayed against the wicked man. Wesley hears another reflection on Job's case and the fire from heaven, and Clarke an allusion to Korah in Numbers 16. Heaven and earth both testify.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
After he describes the punishments which the sinner will suffer in himself, he then adds the punishments which pertain to him according to what remains of him after death in this life. First, as to how the sinner remains in the memories of men he …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Heaven - God shall be a swift witness against him by extraordinary judgments; still he reflects upon Job's case, and the fire from heaven. Earth - All creatures upon earth shall conspire to destroy him. If the God of heaven and earth be his enemy, neither heaven nor earth will shew him any kindness, but all the host of both are, and will he at war with him.
) the heaven shall reveal his iniquity, that is, the God of heaven, who sees all the secret wickedness of the wicked, will, by some means or other, let all the world know what a base man he has been, that they may own the justice of God in all that is brought upon him.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
4 Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, 5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? 6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; 7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
The heaven shall reveal his iniquity,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The heaven shall reveal his iniquity - The meaning here is, that the whole creation would conspire against such a man. Heaven and earth would be arrayed against him. The course of events would be so ordered as to seem designed to bring his character out, and to show what he was. He would attempt to conceal his sin, but it would be in vain. He would hide it in his bosom, but it would be developed. He would put on the air of piety and innocence, but his secret sin would be known.
The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him - Another allusion, if I mistake not, to the destruction of Korah and his company. The heaven revealed their iniquity; God declared out of heaven his judgment of their rebellion. “And the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation;” Num 16:20, etc. And then the earth rose up against them. “The ground clave asunder that was under them, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up; and they went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them;” Num 16:31-33.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְגַלּ֣וּ | yegalu | they will reveal | H1540 → | 186 times |
| שָׁמַ֣יִם | shamayim | [the] heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| עֲוֹנ֑וֹ | avono | iniquity his | H5771 → | 233 times |
| וְ֝אֶ֗רֶץ | veeretz | and [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| מִתְקוֹמָ֘מָ֥ה | mitkomamah | [will] rise up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | to him |
יְגַלּ֣וּthey will reveal
yegaluH1540 →186 times
שָׁמַ֣יִם[the] heavens
shamayimH8064 →421 times
עֲוֹנ֑וֹiniquity his
avonoH5771 →233 times
וְ֝אֶ֗רֶץand [the] earth
veeretzH776 →2504 times
מִתְקוֹמָ֘מָ֥ה[will] rise up
mitkomamahH6965 →628 times
לֽוֹ׃to him
lo
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
Romans 2:16on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
- 1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each…
- Acts 17:31
For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
- Luke 8:17
For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.
- Acts 10:42
And He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the One appointed by God to judge the living and the dead.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
Through
Isaiah 26:21For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
it leads to
- Isaiah 13:11
I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
- Jude 1:14–15
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones
- Revelation 6:9–11
And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.
- Isaiah 13:11
About Job
This page draws on 9 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); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XV; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; R. A. Watson, The Book of Job, Expositor's Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.