Job 21:25
in Job 21Yet another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, having never tasted prosperity.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And another dieth in bitterness of soul, And never tasteth of good.
KJV
And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure.
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This verse in Job 21
Commentary
7 notes on this verseVer. 23-25. One dieth in his full strength, being rich and prosperous. His inwards are full of fatness, and his bowels are moistened with marrow. And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and hath never any wealth. 62. These things being so, who may investigate the secrets of Almighty God, to find out wherefore He permits them so to be? Now to the Elect and the Lost, their life indeed is unlike, but the corruption of the flesh in death is no way unlike.
This site's exposition
bitterness of his soul
on Job 21:25-26
Job sets a second death beside the first. The line "But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both" states the leveling flatly, since the grave receives both men. The pairing is Job's closing evidence against reading moral worth from outward circumstance.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
He then speaks about the adversity of other men saying, "Another dies in the bitterness of his soul." This regards the interior pains which men conceive either from bodily harms or from unfortunate events. He adds, "without any riches," to show a defect of exterior …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Another - Another wicked man. So there is a great variety of God's dispensations; he distributes great prosperity to one, and great afflictions to another, according to his wise but secret counsel.
He overthrows the ground of their severe censures of him, by showing that the destruction of the wicked is reserved for the other world, and that they often escape to the last in this world (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
), in the betterness of his soul, such as poor Job was himself now in, and never eats with pleasure, has no appetite to his food nor any relish of it, through sickness, or age, or sorrow of mind. What great reason have those to be thankful that are in health and always eat with pleasure!
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul,....
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְזֶ֗ה | vezeh | and this [one] | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| יָ֭מוּת | yamut | he will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ | benefesh | with a soul | H5315 → | 754 times |
| מָרָ֑ה | marah | bitter | H4751 → | 37 times |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אָ֝כַ֗ל | ʾakhal | he has eaten | H398 → | 810 times |
| בַּטּוֹבָֽה׃ | batovah | in the good | H2896 → | 538 times |
וְזֶ֗הand this [one]
vezehH2088 →1180 times
יָ֭מוּתhe will die
yamutH4191 →839 times
בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁwith a soul
benefeshH5315 →754 times
מָרָ֑הbitter
marahH4751 →37 times
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
אָ֝כַ֗לhe has eaten
ʾakhalH398 →810 times
בַּטּוֹבָֽה׃in the good
batovahH2896 →538 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
Job 7:11Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
it leads to
- Psalms 40:9
I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O LORD, do know.
- 1 Samuel 1:10
In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.
- Job 10:1
“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Isaiah 38:15
What can I say? He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done this. I will walk slowly all my years because of the anguish of my soul.
- Psalms 40:9
Through
Proverbs 14:10The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares in its joy.
it leads to
- Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Proverbs 18:14
The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?
- John 14:18
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
- Philippians 4:7
Through
Job 9:18He does not let me catch my breath, but overwhelms me with bitterness.
it leads to
- Job 7:19
Will You never look away from me, or leave me alone to swallow my spittle?
- Job 7:19
About Job
This page draws on Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XV; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.