Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, April 27th, 2025
Second Sunday after Easter
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Job 9:23

Is it God who laughs when a disaster kills innocent people?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Doubting;   God;   Scourging;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Job, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Laughter;   Mock;   Scourge;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 21;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When catastrophe brings sudden death,he mocks the despair of the innocent.
Hebrew Names Version
If the scourge kills suddenly, He will mock at the trial of the innocent.
King James Version
If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
English Standard Version
When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
New Century Version
If the whip brings sudden death, God will laugh at the suffering of the innocent.
New English Translation
If a scourge brings sudden death, he mocks at the despair of the innocent.
Amplified Bible
"When [His] scourge kills suddenly, He mocks at the despair of the innocent.
New American Standard Bible
"If the whip kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
World English Bible
If the scourge kills suddenly, He will mock at the trial of the innocent.
Geneva Bible (1587)
If the scourge should suddely slay, should God laugh at the punishment of the innocent?
Legacy Standard Bible
If the scourge puts to death suddenly,He mocks the despair of the innocent.
Berean Standard Bible
When the scourge brings sudden death, He mocks the despair of the innocent.
Contemporary English Version
When a good person dies a sudden death, God sits back and laughs.
Complete Jewish Bible
When disaster brings sudden death, he laughs at the plight of the innocent.
Darby Translation
If the scourge kill suddenly, he mocketh at the trial of the innocent.
George Lamsa Translation
If his rod slays suddenly, he will laugh at the foolishness of the innocent.
Good News Translation
When an innocent person suddenly dies, God laughs.
Lexham English Bible
When the whip kills suddenly, he mocks at the despair of the innocent.
Literal Translation
If the whip kills suddenly, He will mock at the testing of the innocent.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And though he slaye sodenly wt the scourge, yet laugheth he at the punyshment of the innocent.
American Standard Version
If the scourge slay suddenly, He will mock at the trial of the innocent.
Bible in Basic English
If death comes suddenly through disease, he makes sport of the fate of those who have done no wrong.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If the scourge slay suddenly, He will mock at the calamity of the guiltless.
King James Version (1611)
If the scourge slay suddenly, hee will laugh at the triall of the innocent.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And though he slay sodaynly with the scourge, yet will he laugh at the punishment of the innocent.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For the worthless die, but the righteous are laughed to scorn.
English Revised Version
If the scourge slay suddenly, he will mock at the trial of the innocent.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If he betith, sle he onys, and leiye he not of the peynes of innocent men.
Update Bible Version
If the scourge slays suddenly, He will mock at the trial of the innocent.
Webster's Bible Translation
If the scourge shall slay suddenly, he will laugh at the trial of the innocent.
New King James Version
If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent.
New Living Translation
When a plague sweeps through, he laughs at the death of the innocent.
New Life Bible
If death comes fast by disease, He makes fun of the trouble of those who have done no wrong.
New Revised Standard
When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If, a scourge, slay suddenly, at the despair of innocent ones, he mocketh.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If he scourge, let him kill at once, and not laugh at the pains of the innocent.
Revised Standard Version
When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent.
Young's Literal Translation
If a scourge doth put to death suddenly, At the trial of the innocent He laugheth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If the scourge kills suddenly, He mocks the despair of the innocent.

Contextual Overview

22 So I say, ‘Does it make any difference? God destroys the innocent as well as the guilty.' 23 Is it God who laughs when a disaster kills innocent people? 24 Is it God who keeps the leaders from seeing when an evil person takes control? If it is not God, then who is it?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

If the: Job 1:13-19, Job 2:7

he will: Job 4:7, Job 8:20, 2 Samuel 14:15, 2 Samuel 14:17, Psalms 44:22, Ezekiel 14:19-21, Ezekiel 21:13, Hebrews 11:36, Hebrews 11:37

Reciprocal: Genesis 14:12 - who Genesis 18:25 - that the Job 1:8 - a perfect Job 22:19 - innocent Job 33:9 - innocent Job 34:9 - It Ecclesiastes 7:15 - there is a just

Cross-References

Exodus 20:12
"You must honor and respect your father and your mother. Do this so that you will have a full life in the land that the Lord your God gives you.
Leviticus 19:32
"Show honor to old people. Stand up when they come into the room. And show respect to your leaders. I am the Lord .
Romans 13:7
Give everyone what you owe them. If you owe them any kind of tax, then pay it. Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor.
Galatians 6:1
Brothers and sisters, someone in your group might do something wrong. You who are following the Spirit should go to the one who is sinning. Help make that person right again, and do it in a gentle way. But be careful, because you might be tempted to sin too.
1 Timothy 5:1
Don't speak angrily to an older man. But talk to him as if he were your father. Treat the younger men like brothers.
1 Timothy 5:17
The elders who lead the church in a good way should receive double honor—in particular, those who do the work of counseling and teaching.
1 Timothy 5:19
Don't listen to someone who accuses an elder. You should listen to them only if there are two or three others who can say what the elder did wrong.
1 Peter 2:17
Show respect for all people. Love your brothers and sisters in God's family. Respect God, and honor the king.
1 Peter 4:8
Most important of all, love each other deeply, because love makes you willing to forgive many sins.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If the scourge slay suddenly,.... Not Satan, as Jarchi and Bar Tzemach; but any sore calamity which surrounds a man, lashes, cuts, and distresses him, as a whip or scourge; such as any of God's sore judgments, the sword, famine, pestilence, or evil beasts, which sometimes come suddenly, unawares, unthought of, and unexpected; and are sometimes only chastisements in love, the scourgings of a father, though generally in wrath and hot displeasure, and are an overflowing scourge, which carry all before them; and therefore some restrain it to wicked men, as the Septuagint version; and some understand it as if they were more mildly and gently dealt with, by being suddenly and at once slain with such a scourge, in their persons, families, and substance, while others have their afflictions protracted, and linger long under them, as in the next clause:

he will laugh at the trial of the innocent; not that are free from sin entirely; for there are none such, no, not newborn infants; though they may be comparatively so, yet they are not in an absolute sense, being conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity: besides, here it means adult persons, good men, that are truly gracious, sincere, upright, harmless in their lives and conversations, whose afflictions are "trials" of their faith and patience, and other graces; and when God is said to "laugh" at them, who seems to be designed here, this must be understood consistent with his pity to his people, his sympathy with them under all their afflictions, he not willingly afflicting or grieving the children of men; nor can it be thought that he has them in derision and contempt, or laughs at their calamities, or in reality, as he does at wicked men; but that he carries it so oftentimes, in the dispensations of his providence, as if he made no difference between them, but mocked at the one as well as the other; seemingly giving no heed to their cries; not hastening to their help and deliverance, but lengthening out their troubles for the trial of their graces; and so indeed is greatly delighted with the exercise of them under them, and with seeing them bear them with so much patience, courage, and greatness of mind and submission to his will. Some interpret this of a wicked man laughing at the calamities of the righteous, as the Ammonites and Edomites rejoiced at the destruction of the Jews; the church's enemy at her fall, and as the Papists will at the witnesses being slain; but the former sense seems best; rather the scourge itself laughs at the trial of the innocent; so Schultens.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If the scourge slay suddenly - If calamity comes in a sudden and unexpected manner. Dr. Good, following Reiske, translates this,” if he suddenly slay the oppressor,” understanding the word scourge שׁוט shôṭ as meaning an oppressor, or one whom God employs as a scourge of nations. But this is contrary to all the ancient versions. The word שׁוט shôṭ means properly a whip, a scourge (compare the notes at Job 5:21), and then calamity or affliction sent by God upon men. Such is clearly the case here.

He will laugh at the trial of the innocent - That is, he seems to disregard or to be pleased with their trials. He does not interpose to rescue them. He seems to look calmly on, and suffers them to be overwhelmed with others. This is a poetic expression, and cannot mean that God derides the trials of the innocent, or mocks their sufferings. It means that he seems to be inattentive to them; he suffers the righteous and the wicked to be swept away together as if he were regardless of character.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile