Job 24:20
The womb forgets them; the worm feeds on them; they are remembered no more. So injustice is like a broken tree.
The womb forgets them;

Even the source of their earthly life no longer claims them. Death ends their place among the living and removes the security, influence, and prosperity they once possessed.

Jer 20:17 because he did not kill me in the womb…
Job 3:16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child,…
Ecc 6:3-5 A man may father a hundred children and live for many years;…

the worm feeds on them;

Their bodies return to the grave and decay, exposing the frailty shared by all mankind. Wealth and power cannot delay this end.

Job 17:14 say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm,…
Isa 14:11 Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol…
Isa 66:24 As they go forth, they will see the corpses of the men…

they are remembered no more.

The wicked leave no lasting honor before God. Their apparent success does not preserve their name or establish an enduring legacy.

Psa 109:15 May their sins always remain before the LORD,…
Psa 9:6 The enemy has come to eternal ruin, and You have uprooted……
Psa 31:12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind.…

So injustice is broken like a tree.

What appears strong and firmly rooted is cut down. The unjust may flourish for a time, but God brings their power and wrongdoing to an end.

Ezk 31:12 Foreigners, the most ruthless of the nations,…
Psa 37:35-36 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing…
Isa 10:33-34 Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith who undergoes severe trials and questions the justice of God.

2. The Womb
Symbolically represents the origin of life, which in this context, forgets the wicked after death.

3. The Worm
Represents decay and the inevitable return to dust, emphasizing the mortality of humans.

4. Injustice
Personified as something that is ultimately broken, highlighting the temporary nature of evil.

5. The Tree
Used metaphorically to describe the breaking or downfall of injustice, suggesting that even strong, seemingly enduring things can be destroyed.
Teaching Points
The Transience of Life and Injustice
Life is fleeting, and earthly injustices, though they may seem powerful, are temporary and will ultimately be broken.

The Inevitable Justice of God
While injustice may seem to prevail, God's justice is inevitable and will ultimately triumph, as symbolized by the breaking of the tree.

The Importance of Eternal Perspective
Believers are encouraged to focus on eternal values rather than temporary earthly gains, aligning with the teachings of Jesus about storing treasures in heaven.

The Role of Faith in Trials
Like Job, believers are called to maintain faith in God's justice and sovereignty, even when faced with apparent injustices and suffering.

The Reminder of Mortality
The imagery of the womb and the worm serves as a reminder of human mortality, urging believers to live with an awareness of their ultimate accountability to God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the womb and the worm in Job 24:20 help us understand the temporary nature of life and injustice?

2. In what ways can the metaphor of the tree being broken inform our understanding of God's justice?

3. How can we apply the lesson of the transience of life to our daily decisions and priorities?

4. What other biblical passages reinforce the idea that earthly injustices are temporary and will be addressed by God?

5. How can Job's response to his trials inspire us to maintain faith in God's justice and sovereignty in our own lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Ecclesiastes 12:7
This verse speaks of the body returning to dust and the spirit returning to God, paralleling the theme of mortality and the end of earthly life.

Psalm 37:35-36
Describes the temporary prosperity of the wicked and their eventual downfall, similar to the breaking of injustice like a tree.

Isaiah 40:6-8
Highlights the fleeting nature of human life and the enduring word of God, reinforcing the idea that earthly injustices are temporary.

Matthew 6:19-21
Jesus teaches about storing treasures in heaven rather than on earth, aligning with the theme of the temporary nature of earthly life and injustice.

James 1:11
Compares the fading of the rich to the withering of grass, echoing the transient nature of human life and accomplishments.
Apparent Anomalies in the Divine JudgmentR. Green Job 24:1-22
Consideration for OthersJ. Ruskin.Job 24:1-25
Great Crimes not Always Followed by Great Punishment in This LifeHomilistJob 24:1-25
Pictures of Secret End Unpunished Evil-DoersE. Johnson Job 24:13-25
People
Job
Places
Uz
Topics
Broken, Dead, Evil, Feasts, Feed, Feedeth, Feeds, Forget, Forgets, Forgetteth, Longer, Memory, Public, Remembered, Rooted, Squares, Sweeten, Sweetly, Till, Town, Tree, Unrighteousness, Wickedness, Womb, Worm
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Job 24:20

     5199   womb
     5801   brokenness

Library
Whether the Husband Can on his Own Judgment Put Away his Wife on Account of Fornication?
Objection 1: It would seem that the husband can on his own judgment put away his wife on account of fornication. For when sentence has been pronounced by the judge, it is lawful to carry it out without any further judgment. But God, the just Judge, has pronounced this judgment, that a husband may put his wife away on account of fornication. Therefore no further judgment is required for this. Objection 2: Further, it is stated (Mat. 1:19) that Joseph . . . being a just man . . . "was minded to put"
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether to be Eternal Belongs to God Alone?
Objection 1: It seems that it does not belong to God alone to be eternal. For it is written that "those who instruct many to justice," shall be "as stars unto perpetual eternities [*Douay: 'for all eternity']" (Dan. 12:3). Now if God alone were eternal, there could not be many eternities. Therefore God alone is not the only eternal. Objection 2: Further, it is written "Depart, ye cursed into eternal [Douay: 'everlasting'] fire" (Mat. 25:41). Therefore God is not the only eternal. Objection 3: Further,
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether in Hell the Damned are Tormented by the Sole Punishment of Fire?
Objection 1: It would seem that in hell the damned are tormented by the sole punishment of fire; because Mat. 25:41, where their condemnation is declared, mention is made of fire only, in the words: "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire." Objection 2: Further, even as the punishment of purgatory is due to venial sin, so is the punishment of hell due to mortal sin. Now no other punishment but that of fire is stated to be in purgatory, as appears from the words of 1 Cor. 3:13: "The fire
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Old Law Set Forth Suitable Precepts About the Members of the Household?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law set forth unsuitable precepts about the members of the household. For a slave "is in every respect his master's property," as the Philosopher states (Polit. i, 2). But that which is a man's property should be his always. Therefore it was unfitting for the Law to command (Ex. 21:2) that slaves should "go out free" in the seventh year. Objection 2: Further, a slave is his master's property, just as an animal, e.g. an ass or an ox. But it is commanded (Dt.
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Degrees of Sin
Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. He that delivered me unto thee, has the greater sin.' John 19: 11. The Stoic philosophers held that all sins were equal; but this Scripture clearly holds forth that there is a gradual difference in sin; some are greater than others; some are mighty sins,' and crying sins.' Amos 5: 12; Gen 18: 21. Every sin has a voice to speak, but some
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Desire of the Righteous Granted;
OR, A DISCOURSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS MAN'S DESIRES. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR As the tree is known by its fruit, so is the state of a man's heart known by his desires. The desires of the righteous are the touchstone or standard of Christian sincerity--the evidence of the new birth--the spiritual barometer of faith and grace--and the springs of obedience. Christ and him crucified is the ground of all our hopes--the foundation upon which all our desires after God and holiness are built--and the root
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Job 24:20 NIV
Job 24:20 NLT
Job 24:20 ESV
Job 24:20 NASB
Job 24:20 KJV

Job 24:20 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Job 24:19
Top of Page
Top of Page