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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Job 21:17 How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/job/21-17.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/19/18_Job_21_17.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Job 21:17 - Job: God will Punish the Wicked" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? 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How often does calamity come upon them, the fate God allots in his anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/job/21.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />“Yet the light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished. Do they ever have trouble? Does God distribute sorrows to them in anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/job/21.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />“How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/job/21.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/job/21.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and <i>how oft</i> cometh their destruction upon them! <i>God</i> distributeth sorrows in his anger.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/job/21.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? <i>How often</i> does their destruction come upon them, The sorrows <i>God</i> distributes in His anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/job/21.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their disaster fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/job/21.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/job/21.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or <i>does</i> their calamity fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/job/21.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, Or does their disaster fall on them? Does God apportion destruction in His anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/job/21.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“How often [then] is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, And that their disaster falls on them? Does God distribute pain <i>and</i> destruction <i>and</i> sorrow [to them] in His anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/job/21.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come on them? Does he apportion destruction in his anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/job/21.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come on them? Does He apportion destruction in His anger? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/job/21.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity cometh upon them? That God distributeth sorrows in his anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/job/21.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />How often does God become angry and send disaster and darkness to punish sinners? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/job/21.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? that their calamity cometh upon them? that God distributeth sorrows in his anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/job/21.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />"How often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out? How often does disaster happen to them? How often does an angry God give them pain?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/job/21.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Was a wicked person's light ever put out? Did one of them ever meet with disaster? Did God ever punish the wicked in anger <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/job/21.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"How often do the wicked have their lights put out? Does calamity ever fall on them? Will God in his anger ever apportion their destruction?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/job/21.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? Does disaster come upon them? Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/job/21.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />"How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished? How often does their misfortune come upon them? How often does God apportion pain to them in his anger? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/job/21.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />"How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, that their calamity comes on them, that he distributes sorrows in his anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/job/21.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />How oft is the candle of the wicked put out? and how oft cometh their destruction upon them? God distributeth sorrows in his anger.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/job/21.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />“How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out, that their calamity comes on them, that God distributes sorrows in his anger? <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/job/21.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, "" And their calamity comes on them? He apportions pangs in His anger.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/job/21.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> How oft is the lamp of the wicked extinguished, And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He apportioneth in His anger.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/job/21.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />How often the light of the unjust shall be extinguished, and their destruction will come upon them. He will distribute pains in his anger.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/job/21.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />How often shall the lamp of the wicked be put out, and a deluge come upon them, and he shall distribute the sorrows of his wrath? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/job/21.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />How often will the lamp of the wicked be extinguished, and a deluge overtake them, and how often will he distribute the afflictions of his wrath?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/job/21.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does destruction come upon them, the portion God allots in his anger? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/job/21.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />“How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does calamity come upon them? How often does God distribute pains in his anger?<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/job/21.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />How often is it that the wicked are left without an heir! how often their destruction comes upon them! God distributes sorrows in his anger.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/job/21.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />How often the lamps of the wicked will be extinguished, and ruin will come upon them! He will distribute corruption in his anger!<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/job/21.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity cometh upon them? That He distributeth pains in His anger?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/job/21.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Nevertheless, the lamp of the ungodly also shall be put out, and destruction shall come upon them, and pangs of vengeance shall seize them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/job/21-17.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAwuD5NuZq0?start=3263" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/job/21.htm">Job: God will Punish the Wicked</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">16</span>Still, their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stay far from the counsel of the wicked. <span class="reftext">17</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/4100.htm" title="4100: kam·māh (Interrog) -- What? how? anything. ">How often</a> <a href="/hebrew/5216.htm" title="5216: nêr- (N-msc) -- A lamp. Or nir; also neyr; or ner; or nerah; from a primitive root properly, meaning to glisten; a lamp or light.">is the lamp</a> <a href="/hebrew/7563.htm" title="7563: rə·šā·‘îm (Adj-mp) -- Wicked, criminal. From rasha'; morally wrong; concretely, an bad person.">of the wicked</a> <a href="/hebrew/1846.htm" title="1846: yiḏ·‘āḵ (V-Qal-Imperf-3ms) -- To go out, be extinguished. A primitive root; to be extinguished; figuratively, to expire or be dried up.">put out?</a> <a href="/hebrew/343.htm" title="343: ’ê·ḏām (N-msc:: 3mp) -- Distress, calamity. From the same as 'uwd; oppression; by implication misfortune, ruin.">Does disaster</a> <a href="/hebrew/935.htm" title="935: wə·yā·ḇō (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjImperf-3ms) -- To come in, come, go in, go. A primitive root; to go or come.">come</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·lê·mōw (Prep:: 3mp) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">upon them?</a> <a href="/hebrew/639.htm" title="639: bə·’ap·pōw (Prep-b:: N-msc:: 3ms) -- A nostril, nose, face, anger. From 'anaph; properly, the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also ire.">Does God, in His anger,</a> <a href="/hebrew/2505.htm" title="2505: yə·ḥal·lêq (V-Piel-Imperf-3ms) -- To be smooth, to apportion, separate. A primitive root; to be smooth; by implication to apportion or separate.">apportion</a> <a href="/hebrew/2256.htm" title="2256: ḥă·ḇā·lîm (N-mp) -- A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin.">destruction?</a> </span><span class="reftext">18</span>Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/13-9.htm">Proverbs 13:9</a></span><br />The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is extinguished.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/24-20.htm">Proverbs 24:20</a></span><br />For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/37-20.htm">Psalm 37:20</a></span><br />But the wicked and enemies of the LORD will perish like the glory of the fields. They will vanish; like smoke they will fade away.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/73-18.htm">Psalm 73:18-19</a></span><br />Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. / How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/11-6.htm">Psalm 11:6</a></span><br />On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/50-11.htm">Isaiah 50:11</a></span><br />Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who array yourselves with firebrands, walk in the light of your fire and of the firebrands you have lit! This is what you will receive from My hand: You will lie down in a place of torment.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/30-33.htm">Isaiah 30:33</a></span><br />For Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its funeral pyre is deep and wide, with plenty of fire and wood. The breath of the LORD, like a torrent of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/57-20.htm">Isaiah 57:20-21</a></span><br />But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck. / “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/32-7.htm">Ezekiel 32:7-8</a></span><br />When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. / All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you, and I will bring darkness upon your land,’ declares the Lord GOD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/malachi/4-1.htm">Malachi 4:1</a></span><br />“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/7-13.htm">Matthew 7:13-14</a></span><br />Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. / But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/25-41.htm">Matthew 25:41</a></span><br />Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/12-20.htm">Luke 12:20</a></span><br />But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/16-25.htm">Luke 16:25</a></span><br />But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/3-36.htm">John 3:36</a></span><br />Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft comes their destruction on them! God distributes sorrows in his anger.</p><p class="hdg">oft</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/18-5.htm">Job 18:5,6,18</a></b></br> Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/13-9.htm">Proverbs 13:9</a></b></br> The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/20-20.htm">Proverbs 20:20</a></b></br> Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.</p><p class="hdg">candle.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/32-10.htm">Psalm 32:10</a></b></br> Many sorrows <i>shall be</i> to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/90-7.htm">Psalm 90:7-9</a></b></br> For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/luke/12-46.htm">Luke 12:46</a></b></br> The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for <i>him</i>, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/job/20-29.htm">Allots</a> <a href="/job/20-28.htm">Anger</a> <a href="/2_chronicles/31-14.htm">Apportion</a> <a href="/genesis/49-27.htm">Apportioneth</a> <a href="/job/18-12.htm">Calamity</a> <a href="/job/18-6.htm">Candle</a> <a href="/job/20-26.htm">Destruction</a> <a href="/luke/11-22.htm">Distributes</a> <a href="/1_chronicles/24-3.htm">Distributeth</a> <a href="/job/21-16.htm">Evil-Doers</a> <a href="/job/18-12.htm">Fall</a> <a href="/job/20-29.htm">Fate</a> <a href="/job/16-2.htm">Frequently</a> <a href="/job/12-5.htm">Lamp</a> <a href="/2_chronicles/12-11.htm">Oft</a> <a href="/2_chronicles/36-15.htm">Often</a> <a href="/job/14-22.htm">Pains</a> <a href="/1_samuel/25-31.htm">Pangs</a> <a href="/job/18-5.htm">Snuffed</a> <a href="/job/9-28.htm">Sorrows</a> <a href="/job/21-13.htm">Trouble</a> <a href="/job/21-16.htm">Wicked</a> <a href="/job/20-28.htm">Wrath</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/job/27-13.htm">Allots</a> <a href="/job/32-2.htm">Anger</a> <a href="/job/27-17.htm">Apportion</a> <a href="/psalms/68-12.htm">Apportioneth</a> <a href="/job/21-30.htm">Calamity</a> <a href="/job/29-3.htm">Candle</a> <a href="/job/21-20.htm">Destruction</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-17.htm">Distributes</a> <a href="/luke/11-22.htm">Distributeth</a> <a href="/job/22-18.htm">Evil-Doers</a> <a href="/job/29-24.htm">Fall</a> <a href="/job/27-13.htm">Fate</a> <a href="/job/21-18.htm">Frequently</a> <a href="/job/29-3.htm">Lamp</a> <a href="/job/39-25.htm">Oft</a> <a href="/job/21-18.htm">Often</a> <a href="/job/30-17.htm">Pains</a> <a href="/job/39-3.htm">Pangs</a> <a href="/proverbs/13-9.htm">Snuffed</a> <a href="/job/39-3.htm">Sorrows</a> <a href="/job/21-20.htm">Trouble</a> <a href="/job/21-28.htm">Wicked</a> <a href="/job/21-20.htm">Wrath</a><div class="vheading2">Job 21</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/21-1.htm">Job shows that even in the judgment of man he has reason to be grieved</a></span><br><span class="reftext">7. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/21-7.htm">Sometimes the wicked prosper, though they despise God</a></span><br><span class="reftext">16. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/21-16.htm">Sometimes their destruction is manifest</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/21-21.htm">The happy and unhappy are alike in death</a></span><br><span class="reftext">27. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/21-27.htm">The judgment of the wicked is in another world</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/21.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/job/21.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>How often is the lamp of the wicked put out?</b><br>In biblical literature, the "lamp" often symbolizes life, prosperity, or guidance. The imagery of a lamp being extinguished suggests the end of life or the cessation of prosperity. In the context of Job, this question challenges the assumption that the wicked always face immediate judgment. The "lamp" of the wicked being put out is a metaphor for their eventual downfall, but Job questions the frequency and timing of this event. This reflects the broader theme of theodicy in the book, where the righteous suffer while the wicked seem to prosper. The imagery is also seen in <a href="/proverbs/13-9.htm">Proverbs 13:9</a>, where the light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out, indicating eventual divine justice.<p><b>Does disaster come upon them?</b><br>This phrase questions the immediate retribution of the wicked. In the cultural and historical context of the Ancient Near East, there was a prevalent belief in retributive justice, where good was rewarded, and evil was punished swiftly. Job's rhetorical question challenges this belief, as he observes that the wicked often live in peace and prosperity without immediate disaster. This is a central theme in Job, contrasting with the views of his friends who insist that suffering is a direct result of personal sin. The question also echoes the sentiments found in <a href="/psalms/73.htm">Psalm 73</a>, where the psalmist struggles with the prosperity of the wicked.<p><b>Does God, in His anger, apportion destruction?</b><br>This phrase addresses the role of divine justice and the timing of God's judgment. The concept of God apportioning destruction in His anger suggests a deliberate and measured response to wickedness. However, Job's experience and observations lead him to question the consistency and timing of this divine retribution. Theologically, this raises questions about God's sovereignty and justice, themes that are explored throughout the book. The idea of God apportioning destruction is also seen in prophetic literature, such as in <a href="/isaiah/13-9.htm">Isaiah 13:9</a>, where God's wrath leads to the destruction of the wicked. This phrase invites reflection on the nature of divine justice and the mystery of God's timing in dealing with human sin.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/job.htm">Job</a></b><br>The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and patience who undergoes severe trials and questions the justice of God in the face of suffering.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_wicked.htm">The Wicked</a></b><br>A general term used to describe those who live in opposition to God's ways, often experiencing temporary prosperity.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a></b><br>The sovereign Creator who is questioned by Job regarding the justice and timing of His judgments.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/d/disaster_and_destruction.htm">Disaster and Destruction</a></b><br>Events or outcomes that are seen as divine retribution or judgment upon the wicked.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/j/job's_friends.htm">Job's Friends</a></b><br>Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who argue that suffering is a direct result of personal sin, a view Job challenges.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_mystery_of_divine_justice.htm">The Mystery of Divine Justice</a></b><br>God's timing and methods of justice are often beyond human understanding. We must trust in His ultimate wisdom and righteousness.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_temporary_nature_of_wicked_prosperity.htm">The Temporary Nature of Wicked Prosperity</a></b><br>The prosperity of the wicked is fleeting. Believers should focus on eternal values rather than temporary success.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/p/patience_in_suffering.htm">Patience in Suffering</a></b><br>Like Job, we may not always understand our suffering, but we are called to remain faithful and patient, trusting in God's plan.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_faith_in_uncertainty.htm">The Role of Faith in Uncertainty</a></b><br>Faith involves trusting God even when His actions or timing seem unclear. This trust is foundational to a believer's life.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_righteous_living.htm">The Importance of Righteous Living</a></b><br>While the wicked may prosper temporarily, a life lived in righteousness aligns with God's eternal purposes and promises.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_job_21.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Job 21</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_reformed_epistemology.htm">What does 'lamp of the wicked' mean in Proverbs?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_is_'lamp_of_the_wicked'_in_proverbs.htm">What does "lamp of the wicked" mean in Proverbs?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_do_the_wicked_prosper_in_job_21_7.htm">In Job 21:7, how can the wicked seemingly live long and prosper if divine justice is supposed to hold them accountable?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_do_wicked_people_often_prosper.htm">Job 18:5-6: If the wicked are supposedly extinguished like a fading lamp, why do corrupt individuals throughout history often prosper?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/job/21.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(17) <span class= "bld">How oft is the candle of the wicked put out?</span>--This and the following verse are either a concession on the part of Job, as much as to say, "I admit that it is as you say with the wicked;" or else they should be read interrogatively, "How often is it that we do see this? "<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/job/21.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 17.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">How oft is the candle of the wicked put out?</span> This is not an exclamation, but a question, and is well rendered in the Revised Version, "How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out?" Is not the signal downfall of the wicked prosperous man a comparatively rare occur-fence? How oft cometh their destruction upon them*. When the problem here propounded came before Asaph, he seems to have solved it by the supposition that in all cases retribution visited the wicked in this life, and that they were cast down from their prosperity. "I went," he says, "into the sanctuary of God; then understood I the end of these men. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image" (<a href="/psalms/73-17.htm">Psalm 73:17-20</a>). Job maintains that such a catastrophe happens but seldom, and that for the most part the wicked go down to the grave in peace. God distributeth sorrows in his anger. This is hot an independent clause. The sense runs on: <span class="accented">How off is it that the candle of the wicked is put out</span> <span class="accented">and that destruction cometh upon them</span> <span class="accented">and God showers sorrows upon them in his anger</span>? (compare the comment on the next verse). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/job/21-17.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">How often</span><br /><span class="heb">כַּמָּ֤ה ׀</span> <span class="translit">(kam·māh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4100.htm">Strong's 4100: </a> </span><span class="str2">What?, what!, indefinitely what</span><br /><br /><span class="word">is the lamp</span><br /><span class="heb">נֵר־</span> <span class="translit">(nêr-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5216.htm">Strong's 5216: </a> </span><span class="str2">A lamp, light</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of the wicked</span><br /><span class="heb">רְשָׁ֘עִ֤ים</span> <span class="translit">(rə·šā·‘îm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7563.htm">Strong's 7563: </a> </span><span class="str2">Wrong, an, bad person</span><br /><br /><span class="word">put out?</span><br /><span class="heb">יִדְעָ֗ךְ</span> <span class="translit">(yiḏ·‘āḵ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1846.htm">Strong's 1846: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be extinguished, to expire, be dried up</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Does disaster</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵידָ֑ם</span> <span class="translit">(’ê·ḏām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_343.htm">Strong's 343: </a> </span><span class="str2">Oppression, misfortune, ruin</span><br /><br /><span class="word">come</span><br /><span class="heb">וְיָבֹ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(wə·yā·ḇō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_935.htm">Strong's 935: </a> </span><span class="str2">To come in, come, go in, go</span><br /><br /><span class="word">upon them?</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלֵ֣ימוֹ</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·lê·mōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Does [God,] in His anger,</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּאַפּֽוֹ׃</span> <span class="translit">(bə·’ap·pōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_639.htm">Strong's 639: </a> </span><span class="str2">The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire</span><br /><br /><span class="word">apportion</span><br /><span class="heb">יְחַלֵּ֥ק</span> <span class="translit">(yə·ḥal·lêq)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2505.htm">Strong's 2505: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be smooth, to apportion, separate</span><br /><br /><span class="word">destruction?</span><br /><span class="heb">חֲ֝בָלִ֗ים</span> <span class="translit">(ḥă·ḇā·lîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2256.htm">Strong's 2256: </a> </span><span class="str2">A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/job/21-17.htm">Job 21:17 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/job/21-17.htm">OT Poetry: Job 21:17 How often is it that the lamp (Jb) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/job/21-16.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 21:16"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 21:16" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/job/21-18.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 21:18"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 21:18" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>