Behold, I know your thoughts, and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me.

JOB 21:27KJV
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Job 21:27 (KJV)

What does Job 21:27 mean?

Job 21:27 shows Job telling his friends that he understands what they are thinking and the schemes they are plotting against him. Job is aware that his friends are not just misunderstanding him, but are actively imagining things about him that are unfair or wrong.

In this verse, Job is speaking directly to his friends in the middle of their debate about suffering and justice. Job senses that his friends are not neutral—they are forming opinions and plans that paint him in a negative light. Job’s words reveal his awareness of their intentions and the tension in their conversation, as his friends have been accusing him of wrongdoing to explain his suffering.

The Hebrew behind Job 21:27

  • "know" (יָדַע, yadaʿ): This word often means more than just intellectual knowledge; it can imply deep understanding or perception. Job is not just guessing—he is certain about his friends’ intentions.
  • "thoughts" (מַחֲשָׁבָה, machashavah): This word refers to plans or intentions, not just passing ideas. Job is addressing the deliberate reasoning going on in his friends’ minds.
  • "devices" (מְזִמָּה, mezimmah): This word can mean schemes or plots, often with a negative or crafty sense. Job is accusing his friends of secretly plotting or scheming against him, not just having innocent thoughts.
  • "imagine" (חָמַס, chamas): This word is often linked to violence or wrongdoing. Here, it suggests that the things his friends are thinking up about him are not just incorrect, but unjust or harmful.

Why Job 21:27 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Job is not just defending himself against misunderstanding, but against active suspicion and unfair judgment from his friends.
  • Job’s awareness of his friends’ inner thoughts and motives adds depth to the dialogue, showing that the conflict is not just about ideas, but about trust and personal integrity.
  • Understanding the original words helps us see that Job feels targeted by intentional, harmful plotting, not just casual or accidental misunderstanding.

Where else these words appear

“imagine” Hebrew H2554 · used in 8 verses

  • Job 15:33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
  • Jeremiah 13:22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.
  • Lamentations 2:6 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.

“devices” Hebrew H4209 · used in 19 verses

  • Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
  • Proverbs 1:4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
  • Proverbs 14:17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

“thoughts” Hebrew H4284 · used in 52 verses

  • Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
  • Psalms 56:5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
  • Jeremiah 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?