to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
God
לָ֭אֵלLa.'el
H410
strength · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Depart
ס֣וּרsur
H5493
to turn off (literal or figurative) · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
desire
חָפָֽצְנוּcha.Fa.tze.nu
H2654
properly · verb, qal perfect, 1st person common plural
knowledge
וְדַ֥עַתve.Da.'at
H1847
knowledge · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular construct
ways
דְּ֝רָכֶ֗יךָde.ra.Khei.kha
H1870
a road (as trodden) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
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
Job 22:17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Psalms 10:4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be save…
Proverbs 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
John 3:19-20 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
John 15:23-24 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having it…
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…
Therefore--rather, "And yet they are such as say," &c., that is, say, not in so many words, but virtually, by their conduct (so the Gergesenes, Mat 8:34). How differently the godly (Isa 2:3).
ways--The course of action, which God points out; as in Psa 50:23, Margin.
John Gill on Job 21:14
Therefore they say unto God,.... While in health and life, amidst all their outward prosperity, and because of it; for worldly riches have this tendency, to make men proud and insolent, and not only to behave ill to their fellow creatures, and to slight and despise them; but even to forsake God, and lightly esteem their Creator and benefactor; yea, even to kick against him, and oppose him, to set their mouths against him, and speak very contemptuously and blasphemously of him, as in the following words; which though not expressly uttered and pronounced, which yet may have been by some, however are conceived in the mind, and inwardly spoken; and by their lives and conversations outwardly decl…
12 They raise their voice with the playing of timbrel aud harp,
And rejoice at the sound of the pipe
13 They enjoy their days in prosperity,
And in a moment they go down to Sehol.
14 And yet they said to God: "Depart from us!
We desire not the knowledge of Thy ways.
15 What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? -
And what doth it profit us that we should importune Him?" -
16 Lo! they have not their prosperity by their own hand,
The thought of the wicked be far from me!
קולם is to be supplied to ישׂאוּ in Isa 42:11, and instead of בּתף with בּ of the musical accompaniment (as Psa 4:1, Psa 49:5), it is to be read כּתף after the Masora with Kimchi, Ramban, Ralbag, and Farisol,
(Note: The…
The Church Fathers
Ver. 14. Who say unto God, Depart from us. 50. To say this in words even foolish men have not the boldness, yet all wicked persons say to God, not by their words but by their ways, Depart from us. For they that do those things which Almighty God forbids, what else are they doing but shutting up their soul against the Almighty. For just as to think of His precepts, is to introduce Him into one's self, so to resist His commandments is to keep Him away from the dwelling-place of the heart. And so they say, Depart from us, who refuse to yield Him an approach to them; and assail Him with wicked deeds, even if they seem to praise Him in words. Moreover they say; For we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways. 51. And that by this alone, that they are too indifferent to acquire the knowledge of Him. For there be some who from this that 'Truth' saith; And that servant, which knoweth not his Lord's will, and doth things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. But he that knoweth his Lord's will, and did not according to it, shall be beaten with many [Luke 12, 47. 48.]; choose not to know what they should do, and reckon as if they will be beaten less, if they are ignorant of what they ought to have put in practice. Yet it is one thing not to have known, and another thing not to have chosen to know. For he knoweth not, who is willing to make the acquisition, but is not able. But he who, that he may not know, turns away his ear from the voice of truth, such a person is brought in, not one in ignorance, but a despiser. Now 'the way' of God is peace, 'the way' of God is humility, 'the way' of God is patience. But whilst the wicked disregard all these, they say, We desire not the knowledge of Thy ways. For whilst they are big with pride in this life, whilst they are swollen with honours, whilst, even if they have not, they covet, they slight 'the ways' of God in the thoughts of their hearts. For because God's way in this world was humility, this very Lord and God, the Redeemer of us men, came to reproaches, to mockery, to the Passion; and He underwent the adverse treatment of this world with patience, resolutely eschewed its good fortune, that He might both teach the prosperity of the eternal life to be aimed at, and the adversities of the present life not to be dreaded. But because the wicked covet the glory of the present life, and eschew disgrace, they are described…
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
Amusements And Pleasures, Worldly · Lead to: Rejection of God — Lead to: Rejection of God
Amusements And Worldly Pleasures · Lead to rejection of God — Lead to rejection of God
Blasphemy · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Ignorance Of God · The wicked choose — The wicked choose
Infidelity · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Prayerlessness · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
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).
In spite of assertions by Eliphaz (5:4), Bildad (18:19), and Zophar (20:10), Job noted that the wicked enjoy children and grandchildren, which should be the reward of the righteous (Prov 17:6) but was apparently not going to be his own reward (Job 1:18-19; but see 42:13-16).
Rashi on Job 21:13
and in a moment they descend to the grave When his dying day arrived, he would die in a moment, easily, without suffering.
they descend Heb. יחתו, they descend, which is in Targum נחיתוּ.
