Job 24:6 (KJV)

What does Job 24:6 mean?

Job 24:6 describes people going out to harvest grain in the fields and gathering grapes from vineyards that belong to the wicked. The verse paints a picture of those who are poor or oppressed working hard, often in fields owned by unjust people.

In the book of Job, Job is speaking to his friends, describing how injustice seems to go unpunished in the world. He points out that the vulnerable must labor for their survival, sometimes even taking what they can from the land of the wicked just to get by. This verse is part of Job’s larger argument that evil people often prosper while the innocent suffer.

The Hebrew behind Job 24:6

• "Reap" (קָצַר, qatsar, H7114) means to harvest or cut down grain. Here, it highlights the basic, backbreaking work of gathering food.
• "Corn" (בָּר, bar, H1098) refers to grain, not modern corn, and often means wheat or barley. This clarifies that the people are harvesting staple food crops.
• "Field" (שָׂדֶה, sadeh, H7704) is a general word for cultivated land. The use of this word shows the setting is farmland, not wild land.
• "Gather" (לָקַט, laqat, H3953) means to pick up or collect, often what is left behind after the main harvest. This suggests these people are gleaning—taking what remains, not the main harvest.
• "Vintage" (כֶּרֶם, kerem, H3754) means grapes or the grape harvest. The verse connects the grain and grape harvests as symbols of basic survival.
• "Wicked" (רָשָׁע, rasha, H7563) refers to morally wrong or unjust people. The verse stresses that the land and its produce belong to those who do evil, not the workers.

Why Job 24:6 matters

• Job 24:6 helps clear up that the verse is not about thieves stealing crops, but about desperate people gleaning leftovers in fields owned by the wicked.
• The verse emphasizes the unfairness Job sees: the poor must work in fields that do not belong to them, while the wicked profit from their labor.
• This verse ties into Job’s larger point that injustice often goes unchecked, challenging the idea that good people are always rewarded and the wicked always punished.