Have ye not asked them that go by the way? and do ye not know their tokens,

JOB 21:29KJV
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Job 21:29 (KJV)

What does Job 21:29 mean?

Job 21:29 points out that if people would ask travelers—those who have seen much of the world—they would know the signs or stories that show how life really works. Job is challenging his friends, suggesting that common experience contradicts their belief that only the wicked suffer and only the righteous prosper.

Job is speaking to his friends in the middle of a debate about why people suffer. He urges them to look beyond their own ideas and listen to what others have observed, especially those who travel and see many different situations. Job’s point is that the evidence from the wider world does not support the simple idea that suffering always means someone has done wrong.

The Hebrew behind Job 21:29

  • asked (שָׁאַל, sha'al): This word means to inquire or question. Job is inviting his friends to actively seek out information from others, not just rely on their own assumptions.
  • tokens (אוֹת, 'ot): This word often means a sign, mark, or evidence. Here, it refers to the stories, signs, or lessons that travelers have gathered from their experiences, which serve as evidence against Job’s friends’ narrow views.

Why Job 21:29 matters

  • Job 21:29 challenges the idea that suffering is always a punishment for wrongdoing by pointing to the broader experiences of people who have seen more of the world.
  • The verse highlights Job’s frustration with his friends’ limited perspective and encourages looking at real-life evidence rather than sticking to rigid beliefs.
  • This verse connects to Job’s larger argument that life is complex and that simple explanations often do not fit the reality people observe.

Where else these words appear

“know” Hebrew H5234 · used in 47 verses

  • Genesis 27:23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
  • Ruth 2:19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.
  • Job 24:13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

“tokens” Hebrew H226 · used in 77 verses

  • Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
  • Numbers 17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
  • Psalms 65:8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.