properly · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
way
דַּרְכּ֑וֹdar.Ko
H1870
a road (as trodden) · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
face
פָּנָ֣יוpa.Nav
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
repay
יְשַׁלֶּםye.sha.lem-
H7999
to be safe (in mind · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
done
עָ֝שָׂ֗ה'a.Sah
H6213
to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd 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
Deuteronomy 7:10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
Galatians 2:11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
2 Samuel 12:7-12 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of…
1 Kings 21:19-24 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, sayi…
Job 21:19 God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it.
Job 41:11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
Psalms 50:21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 21:27–end
In these verses,
I. Job opposes the opinion of his friends, which he saw they still adhered to, that the wicked are sure to fall into such visible and remarkable ruin as Job had now fallen into, and none but the wicked, upon which principle they condemned Job as a wicked man. "I know your thoughts," says Job (Job 21:27); "I know you will not agree with me; for your judgments are tinctured and biassed by your piques and prejudices against me, and the devices which you wrongfully imagine against my comfort and honour: and how can such men be convinced?" Job's friends were ready to say, in answer to his discourse concerning the prosperity of the wicked, "Where is the house of the prince? Job 21…
That is, who dares to charge him openly with his bad ways? namely, in this present life. He shall, I grant (Job 21:30), be "repaid" hereafter.
John Gill on Job 21:31
Who shall declare his way to his face?.... Jarchi and Aben Ezra think that Job here returns to God, and speaks of him, as in Job 21:22; signifying that no man can or ought to presume to charge the ways of God in his providence with inequality or injustice, in sparing the wicked now, and reserving them to wrath and destruction hereafter; since he is a sovereign Being, and does what he pleases, and none can hinder him, nor ought any to say to him, what dost thou? nor does he give an account of his matters to the children of men; but this respects the wicked man, and describes his state and condition in this life, as being possessed of such wealth and riches, and living in such grandeur and spl…
27 Behold I know your thoughts
And the stratagems, with which ye overpower me!
28 When ye say: Where is the house of the tyrant,
And where the pavilions of the wicked - :
29 Have ye not asked those who travel,
Their memorable things ye could surely not disown:
30 That the wicked was spared in the day of calamity,
In the day of the outburst of wrath they were led away.
31 Who liketh to declare to him his way to his face?
And hath he done aught, who will recompense it to him?
Their thoughts which he sees through, are their secret thoughts that he is such an evil-doer reaping the reward of his deeds. מזמּות (which occurs both of right measures, good wise designs, Pro 5:2; Pro 8:12, and of artfu…
The Church Fathers
"Who, in His presence, will reveal His ways?" No one but God dares before the ungodly to repeat the ungodliness of their ways, for these may answer.
Ver. 31. Who shall reprove his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done? 69. Often that wrath of God, which the wicked man is to suffer for ever, even while placed in this life too he is made to experience, whilst he loses the good fortune that he loves, and meets with the adversity that he dreads. And though even in prosperity he may be rebuked for his wickednesses by the tongue of the righteous, yet we know that it is when his evil deeds bring the bad man to the earth, that the reproof of the righteous gains force. But in what sense is it now said, Who shall reprove his way to his face? seeing that the righteous even holding their peace this too is well known, that so often is 'the way of the wicked man reproved to his face' here, as often as his prosperity is disturbed by adversity intervening. But blessed Job, while he was speaking of the body of all the wicked, suddenly turns his words to the head of all the wicked. [PROPHETICAL INTERPRETATION] For he saw that at the end of the world Satan entering into the man, whom Holy Scripture calls Antichrist, is lifted up with such exaltation, lords it with such power, is exalted with such wonderful signs and marvels in the exhibiting of holiness, that his deeds cannot be charged home to him by man, in that with the power of terribleness he likewise unites the signs of holiness which is exhibited, and he says, Who shall reprove his way to his face? 'Who,' that is to say, 'of mankind may dare to rebuke him? whose face does he dread to endure?' Yet not only Elijah and Enoch who are brought forward for the rebuking of him, but even all the Elect 'reprove his way to his face,' whilst they shew contempt, and whilst by excellence of mind they oppose his wickedness. But because this they do by divine grace and not by their own powers, it is rightly said now, Who shall reprove his way before his face? For 'who' is there save God, by whose aid the Elect are supported to have power to withstand him? For sometimes in Holy Scripture, when in asking a question the word 'who' is put, the Almighty is denoted. Hence it is written, Who shall raise him up? [Gen. 49. 9] Of Whom it is said by Paul, Whom God raised from the dead. [Gal. 1, 1] In respect then that holy men oppose themselves to his wickedness, it is not themselves, that 'reprove his way,' but it is He, by Whose grace they are strengthened, and whereas…
Dictionary and topics
Pride · 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).
houses have vanished because of their sins: Job was echoing Bildad (8:22), Eliphaz (15:34), and Zophar (20:26).
Rashi on Job 21:31
Who will tell His way to His face Who is the great king who will tell His way to His face and will not fear Him? How exalted He is! That is the Holy One, blessed be He, Who did.
and who will requite Him Who will requite Him with the recompense for His wickedness?