Job 24:17 Meaning and Explanation
“For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death: if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →To these night-dwellers the morning feels like deadly darkness, for daylight threatens to expose them to deep terror.
What Does Job 24:17 Mean?
Job sums up the inner world of those who love the dark. Morning, which gladdens honest hearts, is to them like the shadow of death, for the light they dread might reveal their crimes. To be recognized is their nightmare; exposure fills them with the terrors of deepest gloom.
Here is the strange bondage of a life given to evil: the very dawn becomes a horror. Scripture observes that the wicked flee when no one pursues, hounded by a guilty conscience. Yet the gospel offers release from this terror, for in Christ the light no longer condemns those who come to it but cleanses them. He who walked out of the tomb at dawn turns the shadow of death into morning for all who trust Him.
Job 24:17 in the Original Language
tsalmavet (צַלְמָוֶת), 'shadow of death' -- thick, deathly darkness; the same word colors the valley of Psalm 23.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 24:17
What does Job 24:17 mean?
To these night-dwellers the morning feels like deadly darkness, for daylight threatens to expose them to deep terror.