So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:

JOB 8:13KJV
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Job 8:13 (KJV)

What does Job 8:13 mean?

Job 8:13 warns that those who forget God and live hypocritically will find their hopes destroyed. The verse draws a direct line between turning away from God and the eventual collapse of any false security or expectation such people might have.

In this verse, Bildad is speaking to Job, insisting that suffering comes as a result of forgetting God or living as a hypocrite. Bildad claims that just as a plant without water withers, so too do the lives and hopes of those who do not truly honor God. This is part of Bildad’s argument that Job’s troubles must be the result of sin or neglect of God, reflecting the common thinking of Job’s friends throughout the book.

The Hebrew behind Job 8:13

  • "paths" (אֹרְחוֹת, ’orchot): This word often means "ways" or "courses of life." Bildad is not just talking about a single action, but the entire way of life of those who forget God.
  • "forget" (שָׁכַח, shakach): This verb means to neglect or ignore, not just a momentary lapse in memory. Bildad is describing a deliberate turning away from God.
  • "hypocrite's" (חָנֵף, chaneph): This word refers to someone who is godless or morally corrupt, not just someone who pretends to be good. It carries a sense of deep-seated insincerity.
  • "hope" (תִּקְוָה, tikvah): This is a strong word for expectation or something one relies on. Bildad says that the expectations of the godless are doomed.
  • "perish" (אָבַד, avad): This verb means to be destroyed or to vanish completely, emphasizing the total loss of hope for those who turn from God.

Why Job 8:13 matters

  • Job 8:13 clarifies that Bildad sees a direct connection between forgetting God and the collapse of all hope, which shapes his entire argument to Job.
  • The verse highlights the strong language Bildad uses, showing how he equates hypocrisy with godlessness, not just insincerity.
  • Understanding the original words shows that Bildad is speaking about a whole way of life, not just isolated mistakes, which helps explain the depth of his accusation against Job.

Where else these words appear

“hypocrite's” Hebrew H2611 · used in 13 verses

  • Job 13:16 He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
  • Job 27:8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
  • Proverbs 11:9 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

“hope” Hebrew H8615 · used in 33 verses

  • Joshua 2:18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee.
  • Job 14:19 The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.
  • Proverbs 23:18 For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

“paths” Hebrew H734 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
  • Psalms 27:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.
  • Proverbs 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

“forget” Hebrew H7911 · used in 95 verses

  • Genesis 27:45 Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
  • Psalms 31:12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
  • Proverbs 31:7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.