Job 15:20the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
The setting
Ancient Uz, ~2000 BC. Eliphaz delivers his theological conclusion - the wicked suffer internally even when they appear successful externally.
The emotion here: confident but naive about life's complexities
The original word
rasha (רָשָׁע) — the wicked one, morally wrong, guilty of violating divine law
Why it matters
Ancient wisdom literature often taught immediate retribution - that evil always led to visible suffering in this life
Read with care
What most readers miss in Job 15:20
Eliphaz is speaking with absolute certainty about something he's never experienced - he's never been wicked
Common misconceptionPeople use this to comfort themselves that evil people are secretly miserable, but Jesus calls us to love our enemies, not wait for their suffering.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Job 15:20
Bible Genome reading
Job 15:20 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Job 15:20 comes from the book of Job, written during the Patriarchal period. These words are attributed to Eliphaz. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include judgment, suffering. Notable phrases: wicked man writhes; oppressor. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does Job 15:20 mean to you, today?
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