Job 20:20

20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.

Job 20:20 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
20 Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.
English Standard Version (ESV)
20 "Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
New Living Translation (NLT)
20 They were always greedy and never satisfied. Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
The Message Bible (MSG)
20 "Such God-denying people are never content with what they have or who they are; their greed drives them relentlessly.
American Standard Version (ASV)
20 Because he knew no quietness within him, He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
20 He will never know peace in his heart. He will never allow anything he desires to escape [his grasp].
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
20 Because his appetite is never satisfied, he does not escape his desires.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
20 "No matter how much they have, they always long for more. But their treasure can't save them.

Job 20:20 Meaning and Commentary

Job 20:20

Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly
Or happiness in his children, so some in Bar Tzemach; rather shall have no satisfaction in his substance; though his belly is filled with hid treasure, it shall give him no contentment; he shall be a stranger to that divine art, but ever have a restless craving after more, which is his sin; but rather punishment is here meant, and the sense is, that he shall have no quiet in his conscience, no peace of mind, because of his sin in getting riches in an unlawful way:

he shall not save of that which he desired;
of his desirable things, his goods, his wealth, his riches, and even his children, all being gone, and none saved; respect may be had particularly to Job's case, who was stripped of everything, of all his substance and his children.

Job 20:20 In-Context

18 What he toiled for he must give back uneaten; he will not enjoy the profit from his trading.
19 For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build.
20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.
21 Nothing is left for him to devour; his prosperity will not endure.
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake him; the full force of misery will come upon him.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Ecclesiastes 5:12-14
  • 2. S ver 10; Proverbs 11:4; Zephaniah 1:18; Luke 12:15
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