Job 20:26

26 All darknesses (shall) be hid in his privates; fire, which is not tended, shall devour him; he shall be tormented (who is) left in his tabernacle. (All darkness shall be hid in his secret place; a fire, which is not tended, shall devour him; he who is left in his tent, shall be tormented.)

Job 20:26 Meaning and Commentary

Job 20:26

All darkness [shall be] hid in his secret places
In such places of secrecy, where he may promise himself safety, he shall find more calamities of all sorts; or every kind of judgments shall find him out, and come upon him, sometimes signified by darkness, see ( Isaiah 8:22 ) ; or utter darkness, the blackness of darkness; everlasting wrath, ruin, and destruction, are laid up and reserved in God's secret places for him, and lie hid among his treasures of vengeance, which he in due time will bring forth from thence, and punish the guilty sinner with, ( Jude 1:13 ) ( Deuteronomy 32:34 Deuteronomy 32:35 ) ; or all this shall be because of secret sins, as Ben Gersom interprets it; and so Mr. Broughton renders the words, "for his store"; that is, for the store of his sins, as he explains it, which, however privately and secretly committed, shall be brought into judgment; and there the hidden things of darkness will be brought to light, and sentence pass upon men for them:

a fire not blown shall consume him;
not blown by man, but by God himself; which some understand of thunder and lightning, such as fell on Job's sheep and servants, and consumed them, and which may be glanced at; and others of some fiery distemper, a burning fever, hot ulcers, carbuncles such as were at this time on Job's body; but the Targum, better, of the fire of hell; and so many of the Jewish commentators F7, as well as Christian; the Septuagint version renders it, "unquenchable fire"; and so Mr. Broughton; and such the fire of hell is said to be, ( Matthew 3:12 ) ( Mark 9:43 ) and which is a fire kindled by the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, ( Isaiah 30:33 ) ;

it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle;
not only it shall go ill with the wicked man himself, but with those he leaves behind him, that dwell in the house he formerly lived in, with his posterity; God sometimes punishing the iniquities of the fathers upon the children.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Jarchi, Sephorno, and others.

Job 20:26 In-Context

24 He shall flee iron armours, and he shall fall into a brazen bow. (He shall flee from iron arms, or weapons, and he shall fall by a bronze bow.)
25 Which is led, or taken out of his sheath, or case, and this bow going out, and shining as lightning, shall smite him in bitterness; horrible fears shall go (forth), and come upon him. (Which is taken out of its sheath, or its case, and this bow going out, and shining like lightning, shall strike him in his gall bladder; horrible fears shall go forth, and shall come upon him.)
26 All darknesses (shall) be hid in his privates; fire, which is not tended, shall devour him; he shall be tormented (who is) left in his tabernacle. (All darkness shall be hid in his secret place; a fire, which is not tended, shall devour him; he who is left in his tent, shall be tormented.)
27 Heavens shall show his wickedness; and earth shall rise up (al)together against him. (The heavens shall show his wickedness; and the earth shall altogether rise up against him.)
28 The seed, or generation, of his house shall be open (All that he hath in his house shall be destroyed); it shall be drawn down in the day of the strong vengeance of the Lord.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.