Job 21:11

They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
forth	יְשַׁלְּח֣וּ ye.sha.le.Chu	H7971	to send away · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
ones	עֲוִילֵיהֶ֑ם 'a.vi.lei.Hem	H5759	a babe · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
flock	כַ֭צֹּאן Kha.tzon	H6629	a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats) · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
children	וְ֝יַלְדֵיהֶ֗ם ve.yal.dei.Hem	H3206	something born · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
dance	יְרַקֵּדֽוּן ye.ra.ke.Dun	H7540	properly · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + paragogic nun

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 107:41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.
Psalms 127:3-5 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 21:7-16

All Job's three friends, in their last discourses, had been very copious in describing the miserable condition of a wicked man in this world. "It is true," says Job, "remarkable judgments are sometimes brought upon notorious sinners, but not always; for we have many instances of the great and long prosperity of those that are openly and avowedly wicked; though they are hardened in their wickedness by their prosperity, yet they are still suffered to prosper." I. He here describes their prosperity in the height, and breadth, and length of it. "If this be true, as you say, pray tell me wherefore do the wicked live?" Job 21:7. 1. The matter of fact is taken for granted, for we see instances of i…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 21:11

send forth--namely, out of doors, to their happy sports under the skies, like a joyful flock sent to the pastures. little ones--like lambkins. children--somewhat older than the former. dance--not formal dances; but skip, like lambs, in joyous and healthful play.

John Gill on Job 21:11

They send forth their little ones like a flock,.... Of sheep, which are creatures very increasing, and become very numerous, Psalm 144:13; to which a large increase of families may be compared, Psalm 107:41, for this is not to be interpreted of their kine sending or bringing forth such numbers as to be like a flock of sheep; but of the families of wicked men being increased in like manner; and the sending them forth to be understood either of the birth of their children being sent out or proceeding from them as plants out of the earth, or branches from a tree; or of their being sent out not to school to be instructed in useful learning, but into the streets to play, and pipe, and dance; and…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Job 21:7-11

7 Wherefore do the wicked live, Become old, yea, become mighty in power? 8 Their posterity is established before them about them, And their offspring before their eyes. 9 Their houses have peace without fear, And the rod of Eloah cometh not upon them. 10 His (the evil-doer's) bull gendereth and faileth not; His cow calveth easily, and casteth not her calf. 11 They let their little ones run about as a flock, And their children jump about. The question in Job 21:7 is the same as that which Jeremiah also puts forth, Job 12:1-3. It is the antithesis of Zophar's thesis, Job 20:5, and seeks the reason of the fact established by experience which had also well-nigh proved the ruin of Asaph (Ps 73: c…

The Church Fathers

"And their flocks subsist as far as old age permits. As much as old age allows, because they will not always be.
— Augustine of Hippo, ANNOTATIONS ON THE BOOK OF JOB (tr. J. Litteral, draft)

Ver. 11. Their little ones go forth like flocks, and their children revel in sports. 48. That as there are greater stores bestowed on them to have the possession of, so great numbers may spring up to keep them safe. But whereas he said, revel in sports, lest we should imagine that the mere sport of the children in the house of the wicked by itself was too mean and poor, he adds, saying.
— Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XV

"And they remain as eternal sheep." What is the meaning of these words? They are those words that Christ spoke, "My sheep hear my voice, and I give them eternal life." The faithful are the eternal sheep; the heretics are imitators. They want to imitate the flock of Christ. They ordain their own bishops, presbyters, deacons, doctors, congregation and catechumens, and by imitating the eternal sheep they fulfill the prediction, "And they appear as eternal sheep." They clearly are not eternal sheep but "appear as eternal sheep."
— Origen of Alexandria, FRAGMENTS ON JOB 15.23

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Dance — Found in Judg. 21:21, 23; Ps. 30:11; 149:3; 150:4; Jer. 31:4, 13, etc., as the translation of hul, which points to the whirling motion of Oriental sacred dances. It is the rendering of a word…
Dancing · 11:34;21:19-21; — 11:34;21:19-21;
Harp · Used in festivities — Used in festivities
Rich, The · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Sin · The wicked: Encouraged in, by prosperity — The wicked: Encouraged in, by prosperity
Worldliness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Job 21:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 21:7-16

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 21:11

John Gill on Job 21:11

Keil & Delitzsch on Job 21:7-11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Job 21:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Job 21:7-16

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Job 21:11

John Gill on Job 21:11

Keil & Delitzsch on Job 21:7-11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Job 21:8

Rashi on Job 21:11