Bible Strands
Job 27:7
May my enemy be like the wicked and my opponent like the unjust.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job addresses his friends at the conclusion of his final defense, immediately after affirming his unbroken conscience and just before describing the doomed hope of the godless.
The words — אֹיְבִי ('o.ye.V/i) means "my enemy," and עַוָּל ('a.Val) translates literally as "an evil-doer" or "unjust one."
The thread — This adversarial phrasing parallels the curse formulas in Daniel 4:19, 1 Samuel 25:26, and 2 Samuel 18:32.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to accept Job's explicit claim that his suffering is not divine punishment and to evaluate the stark contrast he draws between the righteous and the wicked.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
Cross-references
- Daniel 4:19 For a time, Daniel, who was also known as Belteshazzar, was perplexed, and his thoughts alarmed him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.” “My lord,” replied Belteshazzar, “may the dream apply to those who hate you, and its interpretation to your enemies!
- 1 Samuel 25:26 Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, since the LORD has held you back from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, may your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.
- 2 Samuel 18:32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?” And the Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to harm you be like that young man.”