Job 24:18 Commentary and Bible Study

As explained in the comments on verse 1 of this chapter these verses present a problem because they appear to blatantly contradict what Job had said before. Job must be understood to be saying that the wicked do eventually meet with justice. He did not deny that the wicked are finally punished; all that he says in verse 18-24 can just as easily be understood to refer to the final end of the wicked. His contention is that they are not promptly punished in this life and therefore no one can judge a man’s character by the experiences he meets on earth. But he does not deny that they are finally swept away to eternal destruction, and therefore it is perfectly consistent for him to say that their success on earth is fleeting and passing, that they are swept away in a moment, and viewed from the perspective of eternity they hardly possessed the earthly treasures which they exulted in. It is therefore better to take the straight future tense rendering of the KJV.Some see these words as a description of those who practice robberies on the high sea, but this thought would be such a sudden change of subject that it does not fit. The word ‘swift’ also means ‘light’ in the sense of ‘not heavy’. The words should be interpreted in the context of the vanity of the lives of the wicked and their passing rapidly from the scene. They may best be understood as a comparison between the speed at which waters, or objects floating on the surface of water, flow through rapids, and the speed at which the wicked are removed from the earth and their evil works are no more. The speed with which they are removed is a judgment against them, for it shows that that although they saw themselves as established forever, they are nothing in God’s sight. The wicked does not behold the way of the vineyards. These are tranquil places on earth which are full of beauty but which take time to mature. There is a planting and a reaping and the latter comes long after the former. Figuratively, the sudden end of the wicked does not allow them to see the end of their labours on earth, for death interrupts all their plans. Job is not necessarily denying that the wicked enjoy the fruits of their labours for a brief time, but compared to eternity this is no time at all.He uses another figure of the transience of the wicked in verse 19. They are like melted snow waters, which seem to promise refreshment to those who drink them, but soon get swallowed up by the dry earth as they flow into hotter regions (Job 6:15-17). The wicked have great expectations but they come to nothing. The womb of his mother shall forget him, for if she were alive, she would have to release her hold on one who had been so totally removed by the judgment of God. So impossible would it be for her ever to retrieve him from the depths of hell that even a mother’s love must let go. On the other hand, the worm shall embrace him, for he is delivered into the hands of the consuming worm that has no feeling or compassion. All memory of the man will be lost from the world and the wickedness which seemed so triumphant for a time must instead be judged by its final end.