The Meaning of Job 21:26 Explained

Job 21:26

KJV: They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.

YLT: Together -- on the dust they lie down, And the worm doth cover them over.

Darby: Together they lie down in the dust, and the worms cover them.

ASV: They lie down alike in the dust, And the worm covereth them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They shall lie down  alike  in the dust,  and the worms  shall cover  them. 

What does Job 21:26 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 21:1-34 - "shall Any Teach God?"
After a brief introduction, in which he claims the right to reply, Job 21:1-6, Job brings forward a new argument. He affirms that his friends are wrong in assuming that the connection between sin and suffering is invariable. On the contrary, he urges that wicked men often spend their lives in prosperity, on the farm, in the fold, and in the home, Job 21:10-11. Sounds of joy issue from their dwellings, Job 21:12. They die without prolonged torture, Job 21:13. From the contention of his friends, Job turns to the passer-by for confirmation of his words. Surely, he says, it is a matter of common observation that some wicked men do prosper and die in peace, Job 21:29.
With Job's answer the second colloquy ends. His friends have gained nothing by their arguments, but Job has learned much by his afflictions. On the dark background of his night the Morning Star has actually begun to shine. He appeals to God with greater confidence and even finds refuge in Him; but so far, though arguing his case, he has preserved a humble and reverent attitude. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 21

1  Job shows that even in the judgment of man he has reason to be grieved
7  Sometimes the wicked prosper, though they despise God
16  Sometimes their destruction is manifest
21  The happy and unhappy are alike in death
27  The judgment of the wicked is in another world

What do the individual words in Job 21:26 mean?

Alike in the dust they lie down and worms cover them
יַ֭חַד עַל־ עָפָ֣ר יִשְׁכָּ֑בוּ וְ֝רִמָּ֗ה תְּכַסֶּ֥ה עֲלֵיהֶֽם

יַ֭חַד  Alike 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.
עָפָ֣ר  the  dust 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
יִשְׁכָּ֑בוּ  they  lie  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁכַב  
Sense: to lie down.
וְ֝רִמָּ֗ה  and  worms 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: רִמָּה  
Sense: maggot, worm (as cause and sign of decay).
תְּכַסֶּ֥ה  cover 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: כָּסָה  
Sense: to cover, conceal, hide.