Job 27:20 Meaning and Explanation
“Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Sudden terrors overwhelm the wicked like a flood, and a storm sweeps him away in the night.
What Does Job 27:20 Mean?
Job pictures the doom of the wicked as a deluge and a midnight storm. Terrors seize him like a flood of waters, overwhelming and inescapable, and a whirlwind carries him off under cover of darkness. The suddenness is the point: there is no warning, no time to prepare, no place to flee.
Where the godless trusted in wealth and ease, calamity comes upon them unbidden and total. This is the insecurity of a life with no refuge in God. By contrast, the one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High need not fear the terror by night or the flood of mighty waters. Job's storm-swept wicked man stands as a warning, and behind the warning lies an invitation: to take refuge now in the God who is a strong tower, so that when the floods rise the soul stands secure.
Job 27:20 in the Original Language
ballahah (בַּלָּהָה), 'terrors' -- sudden, overwhelming dread or destruction that seizes a person without warning.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 27:20
What does Job 27:20 mean?
Sudden terrors overwhelm the wicked like a flood, and a storm sweeps him away in the night.