Job 5:14

Verse

Berean Standard Bible

They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.

American Standard Version (1901)

They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night.

Bible in Basic English

In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.

Free Bible Version

In the daytime they're in the dark, and they stumble around at noon like it's night.

King James (Authorized) Version

They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

Translation for Translators

It is as though even in the daytime they are covered by darkness, and grope around trying to find the road at noontime like people do at night.

Unlocked Literal Bible

They encounter darkness in the daytime, and grope at noonday as if it were night.

Noah Webster Bible

They meet with darkness in the day-time, and grope in the noon-day as in the night.

World English Bible

They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope at noonday as in the night.

Young's Literal Translation

By day they meet darkness, And as night — they grope at noon.

Context

Eliphaz Continues: God Blesses those Who Seek Him

¹³He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning. ¹⁴They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night. ¹⁵He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth and from the clutches of the powerful.

Summary

This verse from the book of Job highlights the belief that God frustrates the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. It emphasizes the sovereignty and wisdom of God in thwarting the plans of the wicked, ultimately leading to their downfall. The verse serves as a reminder that God's justice prevails over human deceit and evil intentions, offering hope and comfort to those who trust in His righteous ways. It encourages believers to rely on God's protection and guidance, knowing that He is in control and will bring justice in due time.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

They meet with darkness in the daytime - God confounds them and their measures; and, with all their cunning and dexterity, they are outwitted, and often act on their own projects, planned with care and skill, as if they had been the crudest conceptions of the most disordered minds. They act in noonday as if the sun were extinct, and their eyes put out. Thus does God "abate their pride, assuage their malice, and confound their devices."

John Gill Bible Commentary

They meet with darkness in the daytime,.... Which may denote their infatuation in things the most plain and clear, and which are obvious to everyone's view, even to such as are of much meaner capacities the themselves; and so it sometimes is, that the greatest politicians, men of the greatest sagacity and penetration, capable of forming and conducting the wisest counsels, yet blunder in things plain and easy to everyone; which must be imputed to their being given up to a judicial blindness of mind by the Lord, who destroys the wisdom of the wise, and brings to nothing the understanding of the prudent; or this may signify the defeat of their counsels, when they are in the highest pitch of esteem among men, as Ahithophel's counsel was as the oracle of God; or the destruction of such persons and their schemes when they are in the meridian of their glory, who being in high and slippery places, come to desolation in a moment: and grope in the noon day as in the night; which intends the same as before; this was threatened to the Jews in case of disobedience, and was fulfilled in them, Deu 28:29; a learned man renders it, "as the night they grope", or "feel, at noon day" (t); as the Egyptians felt darkness when it was noon, and when light was in all the dwellings of the Israelites, Exo 10:22; this may be applied to the case of many in a land of Gospel light, who are in darkness, walk in darkness, and are darkness itself; though the light of the glorious Gospel shines all around them on others, and know no more of divine and spiritual things than the Gentiles, but grope or feel about like persons blind, and in the dark as much as they, Act 17:27; nay, they not only have the great things of the Gospel hid from them, and Satan blinds their minds lest this light should shine into them, but "they run into darkness" (u), as the words of the first clause may be rendered; those "lucifugae", such as the Jews were, and the Deists now are run from the light of divine revelation, and love darkness, and which is the aggravation of their condemnation, Joh 3:19. (t) "tanquam noctum palpant", Schultens. (u) "incurrent", V. L. "incurrunt", Vatablus, Mercerus.