Albert Barnes Commentary Job 15:29

"He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth." — Job 15:29 (ASV)

He shall not be rich - That is, he shall not continue to be rich, or he shall not become rich again. He shall be permanently poor.

Neither shall his substance continue - His property.

Neither shall he prolong the perfection of it - Noyes renders this, “And his possessions will not be extended upon the earth.” Wemyss, “Nor will he be master of his own desires.” Good, “Nor will their success spread abroad in the land.” Luther, Und sein Gluck wird sich nicht ausbreiten im Lande - “And his fortune will not spread itself abroad in the land.” Vulgate, “Neither will he send his root in the earth” - nec mittet in terra radicem suam. The Septuagint, οὐ μὴ βάλῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν σκιὰν ou mē balē epi tēn gōn skian - “and will not cast a shadow upon the earth.”

The word rendered “perfection” (מנלם mı̂nlām) is commonly supposed to be from מנלה mı̂nleh — from נלה nâlâh, to finish, to procure, and therefore, the noun may be applied to that which is procured, and thus may denote possessions.

According to this, the correct rendering is, “and he does not extend their possessions abroad in the land;” that is, his possessions do not extend abroad.

Gesenius supposes, however, that the word is a corruption for מבלם - “their flocks.” I see no objection, however, to its being regarded as meaning possessions. Then the sense is that he would fail in that which is so much the object of ambition for every avaricious man: that his possessions should extend throughout the land. Compare the notes on Isaiah 5:8.