Job 24:6
They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked.
Original Language Analysis
בְּלִיל֣וֹ
every one his corn
H1098
בְּלִיל֣וֹ
every one his corn
Strong's:
H1098
Word #:
2 of 6
mixed, i.e., (specifically) feed (for cattle)
יִקְצ֑יֹרוּ
They reap
H7114
יִקְצ֑יֹרוּ
They reap
Strong's:
H7114
Word #:
3 of 6
to dock off, i.e., curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain)
Historical Context
Ancient Israelite agriculture depended on the harvest cycle. Gleaning laws were God's welfare system—landowners couldn't harvest field corners or pick up dropped grain, leaving it for the poor, widows, orphans, and foreigners (Ruth 2:2-3, Deuteronomy 24:19-21). Job's description suggests this system had broken down, with the poor forced to work oppressors' fields for bare survival. The wealthy had monopolized resources while evading covenant obligations to the vulnerable.
Questions for Reflection
- How do modern economic systems either protect or exploit the vulnerable who depend on others' generosity?
- What does it mean that the poor must depend on the 'wicked' for survival in Job's society?
- How can believers create economic structures that provide dignity, not just charity, to those in need?
Analysis & Commentary
They reap every one his corn in the field (בַּשָּׂדֶה בְּלִילוֹ יִקְצוֹרוּ, bassadéh belíló yiqtsóru)—This verse is textually difficult. The Hebrew belílo likely means 'not his own' or 'mixed grain'—the poor scavenge whatever they can find in others' fields. Alternatively, it may reference night harvesting (related to layil, לַיִל, night), suggesting the poor glean secretly, ashamed or afraid. Levitical law guaranteed gleaning rights (Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:22), but Job suggests even this minimal provision is denied or degraded.
And they gather the vintage of the wicked (וְכֶרֶם רָשָׁע יְלַקֵּשׁוּ, vekérem rasháa yelaqeshú)—The poor are reduced to gleaning in the vineyards of the wicked (רָשָׁע, rasha), those who oppress them. The verb laqash (לָקַשׁ) means to gather late crops or glean—menial work. The irony is devastating: the righteous poor must subsist on scraps from wicked oppressors' abundance. This inverts God's intended order where the righteous prosper and the wicked are judged. Ruth's gleaning in Boaz's field (Ruth 2) shows the system working properly—a righteous landowner ensuring the poor can glean with dignity and safety.