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Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
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Easy-to-Read Version

Job 27:19

They might be rich when they go to bed, but when they open their eyes, all their riches will be gone.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Death;   Oppression;   Rich, the;   Wicked (People);   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Death of the Wicked, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Job;   Providence;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gather;   Job, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more;when he opens his eyes, it is gone.
Hebrew Names Version
He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.
King James Version
The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
English Standard Version
He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more; he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
New Century Version
The wicked are rich when they go to bed, but they are rich for the last time; when they open their eyes, everything is gone.
New English Translation
He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more. When he opens his eyes, it is all gone.
Amplified Bible
"He lies down rich, but never will again; He opens his eyes, and it is gone.
New American Standard Bible
"He lies down rich, but never again; He opens his eyes, and it no longer exists.
World English Bible
He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.
Geneva Bible (1587)
When the rich man sleepeth, he shal not be gathered to his fathers: they opened their eyes, and he was gone.
Legacy Standard Bible
He lies down rich, but never again;He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.
Berean Standard Bible
He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.
Contemporary English Version
Those sinners may go to bed rich, but they will wake up poor.
Complete Jewish Bible
He may lie down rich, but his wealth yields nothing; when he opens his eyes, it isn't there.
Darby Translation
He lieth down rich, but will do so no more; he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
George Lamsa Translation
The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not rise again; he opens his eyes, and he is gone.
Good News Translation
One last time they will lie down rich, and when they wake up, they will find their wealth gone.
Lexham English Bible
He goes to bed with wealth, but he will do so no more; he opens his eyes, and it is gone.
Literal Translation
The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered; he opens his eyes, and he is not.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
When the rich man dyeth, he carieth nothinge with him: he is gone in ye twincklynge of an eye.
American Standard Version
He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered to his fathers; He openeth his eyes, and he is not.
Bible in Basic English
He goes to rest full of wealth, but does so for the last time: on opening his eyes, he sees it there no longer.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He lieth down rich, but there shall be not to gather; he openeth his eyes, and his wealth is not.
King James Version (1611)
The rich man shall lie downe, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When the riche man sleepeth, he shall not be gathered [to his fathers,] they opened their eyes, and he was gone.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The rich man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened his eyes, and he is not.
English Revised Version
He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered; he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A riche man, whanne he schal die, schal bere no thing with hym; he schal opene hise iyen, and he schal fynde no thing.
Update Bible Version
He lies down rich, but he shall not be gathered [to his fathers]; He opens his eyes, and he is not.
Webster's Bible Translation
The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he [is] not.
New King James Version
The rich man will lie down,But not be gathered up; [fn] He opens his eyes,And he is no more.
New Living Translation
The wicked go to bed rich but wake to find that all their wealth is gone.
New Life Bible
He goes to bed rich, but will never again. When he opens his eyes, his riches are gone.
New Revised Standard
They go to bed with wealth, but will do so no more; they open their eyes, and it is gone.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The rich man, shall lie down, and not do it again, his eyes, hath he opened, and then is not.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The rich man when he shall sleep shall take away nothing with him: he shall open his eyes and find nothing.
Revised Standard Version
He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more; he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
Young's Literal Translation
Rich he lieth down, and he is not gathered, His eyes he hath opened, and he is not.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He lies down rich, but never again; He opens his eyes, and it is no longer.

Contextual Overview

11 "I will teach you about God's power. I will not hide anything about God All-Powerful. 12 But you have seen it all with your own eyes. So why do you say such useless things? 13 "Here is what God has planned for those who are evil. This is what cruel people will get from God All-Powerful. 14 They may have many children, but all of them will be killed in war. Or their children will not have enough to eat. 15 All those who are left will die, and the widows will not even cry for them. 16 Evil people collect silver as easily as dirt. They may have so many clothes that they are piled up like clay. 17 But their piles of clothes will be worn by those who have lived right. All that silver will be given to those who have done no wrong. 18 Evil people might build houses, but they will not last long. They will be like a spider's web or a guard's tent. 19 They might be rich when they go to bed, but when they open their eyes, all their riches will be gone. 20 Terrible fears will come over them like a flood, like a storm in the night that blows everything away.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

shall lie: Job 14:13-15, Job 21:23-26, Job 21:30, Job 30:23

gathered: Genesis 49:10, Jeremiah 8:2, Matthew 3:12, Matthew 23:37

he openeth: Job 20:7-9, Psalms 58:9, Psalms 73:19, Psalms 73:20

he is not: Job 8:22, Job 14:10, Job 14:12, Job 24:24, *marg.

Reciprocal: Job 21:20 - see Psalms 49:17 - he shall Proverbs 10:25 - the whirlwind

Cross-References

Genesis 25:25
The first baby was red. His skin was like a hairy robe. So he was named Esau.
Genesis 27:3
So take your bow and arrows and go hunting. Kill an animal for me to eat.
Genesis 27:4
Prepare the food that I love. Bring it to me, and I will eat it. Then I will bless you before I die."
Genesis 27:21
Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near to me so that I can feel you, my son. If I can feel you, I will know if you are really my son Esau."
Genesis 27:23
Isaac did not know it was Jacob, because his arms were hairy like Esau's. So Isaac blessed Jacob.
Genesis 27:24
Isaac said, "Are you really my son Esau?" Jacob answered, "Yes, I am."
Genesis 27:25
Then Isaac said, "Bring me the food. I will eat it and bless you." So Jacob gave him the food, and he ate it. Then Jacob gave him some wine, and he drank it.
1 Kings 13:18
The old prophet lied to him and said, "But I am a prophet like you. And an angel from the Lord came to me and told me to bring you home and give you something to eat and drink."
1 Kings 14:2
Jeroboam said to his wife, "Go to Shiloh and see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said that I would become king of Israel. Dress yourself so that people will not know that you are my wife.
Isaiah 28:15
You have said, "We have made an agreement with death. We have a contract with death. So we will not be punished. Punishment will pass us without hurting us. We will hide behind our tricks and lies."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered,.... That is, the wicked rich man; and the sense is, either he shall lie down upon his bed, but shall not be gathered to rest, shall get no sleep, the abundance of his riches, and the fear of losing them, or his life for them, will not suffer him to compose himself to sleep; or else it expresses his sudden loss of them, he "lies down" at night to take his rest, "and it is not gathered", his riches are not gathered or taken away from him, but remain with him:

he openeth his eyes: in the morning, when he awakes from sleep:

and it [is] not; by one providence or another he is stripped of all substance; or rather this is to be understood of his death, and of what befalls him at that time: death is often in Scripture signified by lying down, sleeping, and taking rest, as on a bed, see Job 14:10; rich men die as well as others; their riches cannot profit them, or be of any avail to them to ward off the stroke of death, and their death is miserable; he is "not gathered", or "shall not gather" m, he cannot gather up his riches, and carry it with him, Psalms 49:15 1 Timothy 6:7; "he openeth his eyes" in another world, "and it is not", his riches are not with him; or, as the Vulgate Latin version, "he shall find nothing"; or rather the meaning is, he is "not gathered"; to his grave, as Jarchi and Ben Gersom; and so Mr. Broughton, "he is not taken up", that is, as he interprets it, to be honestly buried. He is not buried in the sepulchres of his ancestors, which is often in Scripture signified by a man being gathered to his people, or to his fathers; but here it is suggested, that, notwithstanding all his riches, he should have no burial, or, what is worse than that, when he dies he should not be gathered to the saints and people of God, or into God's garner, into heaven and happiness: "but he openeth his eyes"; in hell, as the rich man is said to do, and finds himself in inexpressible torment: "and he is not"; on earth, in his palace he built, nor among his numerous family, friends, and acquaintance, and in the possession of his earthly riches, but is in hell in the most miserable and distressed condition that can be conceived of. Some think this last clause respects the suddenness of his death, one "opens his eyes", and looks at him, "and he is not"; he is dead, in the twinkling of an eye, and is no more in the land of the living; but the former sense is best.

m ויאסף "nihil secum auferet", V. L.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The rich man - That is, the rich man who is wicked.

Shall lie down - Shalt die - for so the connection demands.

But he shall not be gathered - In an honorable burial. The slain in battle are gathered together for burial; but he shall be unburied. The expressions “to be gathered,” “to be gathered to one’s fathers,” frequently occur in the Scriptures, and seem to be used to denote a peaceful and happy death and an honorable burial. There was the idea of a happy union with departed friends; of being honorably placed by their side in the grave, and admitted to companionship with them again in the unseen world; compare Genesis 25:8; Genesis 35:29; Genesis 49:29, Genesis 49:33; Numbers 27:13; Deuteronomy 32:50; Judges 2:10; 2 Kings 22:20. Among the ancients, the opinion prevailed that the souls of those who were not buried in the customary manner, were not permitted to enter Hades, or the abodes of the dead, but were doomed to wander for an hundred years upon the banks of the river Styx. Thus, Homer (Iliad, 23:71, following) represents the spirit of Patroclus as appearing to Achilles, and praying him that he would commit his body with proper honors to the earth. So Palinurus is represented by Virgil (Aeneid, vi. 365) as saying, “Cast earth upon me, that I may have a calm repose in death.” The Hindoos, says Dr. Ward, believe that the souls of those who are unburied wander about and find no rest. It is possible that such views may have prevailed in the time of Job. The sentiment here is, that such an honored death would be denied the rich man of oppression and wickedness.

He openeth his eyes, and he is not - That is, in the twinkling of an eye he is no more. From the midst of his affluence he is suddenly cut off, and hurried away in a moment.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 27:19. The rich man shall lie down — In the grave.

But he shall not be gathered — Neither have a respectable burial among men, nor be gathered with the righteous in the kingdom of God. It may be that Job alludes here to an opinion relative to the state of certain persons after death, prevalent in all nations in ancient times, viz., that those whose funeral rites had not been duly performed, wander about as ghosts, and find no rest.

He openeth his eyes — In the morning of the resurrection.

And he is not. — He is utterly lost and undone for ever. This seems to be the plain sense of the passage; and so all the versions appear to have understood it; but Reiske and some others, by making יאסף yeaseph an Arabic word, signifying, not the idea of gathering, but care, anxiety, c., have quite altered this sense of the passage and Mr. Good, who copies them, translates thus: Let the rich man lie down, and care not. I see no manner of occasion to resort to this interpretation, which, in my judgment, gives a sense inferior to that given above, or to the following: The rich man shall lie down-go to his rest, fully persuaded that his property is in perfect safety; but he shall not be gathered, or he shall not gather-make any farther addition to his stores: he openeth his eyes in the morning, when he is not-marauders in the night have stripped him of all his property, as in the case of Job himself; a case quite probable, and not unfrequent in Arabia, when a hostile tribe makes a sudden incursion, and carries off an immense booty. But I prefer the first meaning, as it is obtained without crucifying the text. Coverdale translates: When the rich man dyeth, he carieth nothinge with him: he is gone in the twincklinge of an eye.


 
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