Job 21:13 Meaning and Explanation
“They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The wicked pass their days in prosperity and then die peacefully, descending to the grave in an instant.
What Does Job 21:13 Mean?
Job reaches the climax of his observation: not only do the wicked live well, but many of them die well too, slipping into death swiftly and without prolonged agony. Their whole course, from life to death, can appear untroubled.
This is the sharpest edge of Job's challenge to his friends. Yet the verse also quietly names the limit of all such ease: 'in a moment go down to the grave.' Wealth cannot purchase a single hour past one's appointed time. Death levels every fortune. The believer reads this not with envy but with sober hope, for beyond the grave stands the God who raises the dead and before whom every life is finally accounted.
Job 21:13 in the Original Language
sheol (שְׁאוֹל), 'the grave' -- the realm of the dead, the common destination of all who die.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 21:13
What does Job 21:13 mean?
The wicked pass their days in prosperity and then die peacefully, descending to the grave in an instant.