Job 5:22
in Job 5You will laugh at destruction and famine, and need not fear the beasts of the earth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
KJV
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
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This verse in Job 5
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAt destruction and famine thou shalt laugh - This most forcibly expresses the strongest security, and confidence in that security. “In the desolation of Sihon, and in the famine of the desert, thou shalt laugh; and of the camps of Og, who is compared to a wild beast of the earth, thou shalt not be afraid.” - Targum.
This site's exposition
He will rescue you from six calamities
on Job 5:19-23
Eliphaz counts deliverance in a rising number, covering famine, battle, destruction and wild beasts. Clarke notes the six-and-seven pattern as a Hebrew idiom for completeness. The promise hangs on Job's repentance, the friends' whole method: a sweeping future blessing made to argue backward for a present hidden sin.
This site's exposition
You will laugh at destruction and famine
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that Eliphaz promises laughter because destruction, famine and the beasts will stay away. Habakkuk 3:17 and 18 rejoice while the fig tree fails, and Matthew Henry sets Paul's taunt of death at 1 Corinthians 15:55 beside this verse. Faith can laugh in the famine itself.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
In destruction and famine thou shalt laugh. Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beast of the earth. For the lost shall then suffer 'destruction and famine,' when, being condemned in the last Judgment, they are parted asunder from the sight of 'the Bread' eternal. For it is written, Let the wicked be taken away, that he see not the glory of God. And the Lord declares by His own lips, I am the living Bread, Which came down from heaven.
A common danger threatens property either by the barrenness of the earth in time of famine, or by some devastation of the crops by the enemy. As to these trials he says, "And you shall laugh at destruction and famine." This means: you will have …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Blessed Paul laughed at destruction when he said, O death! where is thy sting? when, in the name of all the saints, he defied all the calamities of this present time to separate us from the love of God, concluding that in all these things we are more than conquerors, Rom. viii.
2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. 3 I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. 4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
famine thou shalt laugh--Not, in spite of destruction and famine, which is true (Hab 3:17, 18), though not the truth meant by Eliphaz, but because those calamities shall not come upon thee. A different Hebrew word from that in Job 5:20; there, famine in general; here, the languid state of those wanting proper nutriment [BARNES].
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh - That is thou shalt be perfectly safe and happy. They shall not come upon thee; and when they approach with threatening aspect, thou shalt smile with conscious security. The word here rendered famine (כפן kâphân) is an unusual word, and differs from that occurring in Job 5:20, רעב râ‛âb. This word is derived from כפן kâphan - to languish, to pine from hunger and thirst. It then means the languid and feeble state which exists where there is a lack of proper nutriment. A sentiment similar to that which is here expressed occurs in Martial, iv. 19, 4. Ridebis ventos line munere tectus, et imbres. “Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.” Wild beasts in new countries are always objects of dread, and in the fastnesses and deserts of Arabia, they were especially so. They abounded there; and one of the highest images of happiness there would be, that there would be perfect safety from them. A similar promise occurs in Psa 91:13: Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under foot. And a promise similar to this was made by the Savior to his disciples: “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.” The sentiment of Eliphaz is, that they who put their trust in God would find protection, and have the consciousness that they were secure wherever they were.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לְשֹׁ֣ד | leshod | to destruction | H7701 → | |
| וּלְכָפָ֣ן | ulekhafan | and to famine | H3720 → | |
| תִּשְׂחָ֑ק | tischak | you will laugh | H7832 → | 36 times |
| וּֽמֵחַיַּ֥ת | umechaiyat | and from [the] animal[s] of | H2416 → | 498 times |
| הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ | haaretz | the earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּירָֽא׃ | tira' | you be afraid | H3372 → | 315 times |
לְשֹׁ֣דto destruction
leshodH7701 →
וּלְכָפָ֣ןand to famine
ulekhafanH3720 →
תִּשְׂחָ֑קyou will laugh
tischakH7832 →36 times
וּֽמֵחַיַּ֥תand from [the] animal[s] of
umechaiyatH2416 →498 times
הָ֝אָ֗רֶץthe earth
haaretzH776 →2504 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תִּירָֽא׃you be afraid
tira'H3372 →315 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
Psalms 91:13You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.
it leads to
- Luke 10:19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.
- Daniel 6:22
My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O…
- Mark 16:18
they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”
- 1 Samuel 17:37
David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with…
- Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
- Luke 10:19
Through
Ezekiel 34:25I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
it leads to
- Isaiah 11:6–9
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 11:6–9
Through
Hosea 2:18On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 34:25
I will make with them a covenant of peace and rid the land of wild animals, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forest.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 23:6
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 34:25
Where this verse is studied
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); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book VI; Jamieson, Fausset & 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.