Job 20:1-29
Zophar's Troubling Reply
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2“So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer, because of the turmoil within me.
3I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding prompts a reply.
4Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth,
5the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?
6Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds,
7he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
8He will fly away like a dream, never to be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night.
9The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his place will no longer behold him.
10His sons will seek the favor of the poor, for his own hands must return his wealth.
11The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie down with him in the dust.
12Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue,
13though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,
14yet in his stomach his food sours into the venom of cobras within him.
15He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach.
16He will suck the poison of cobras; the fangs of a viper will kill him.
17He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.
18He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.
19For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.
20Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure.
21Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure.
22In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him.
23When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.
24Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.
25It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him.
26Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.
27The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
28The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.
29This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”
Berean Standard Bible
Zophar says his restless thoughts compel him to answer because he hears an insult that brings shame. He describes the triumph of the wicked as brief and their joy as momentary. He is determined to defend the friends' moral system rather than receive Job's testimony.
The wicked person is said to disappear like a dream, be forgotten, and have children seek favor from the poor. Wealth fills the mouth with gravel, and poison becomes sweet before turning bitter. Zophar's images warn that stolen prosperity cannot provide lasting satisfaction.
He says the wicked person has oppressed the poor, seized a house, and taken what he did not build. His appetite is never satisfied, and disaster overtakes him while he is eating. The account of exploitation is morally serious, but Zophar still implies that Job's suffering must fit this pattern.
The chapter ends with darkness, fire, heaven revealing iniquity, and earth rising against the wicked. This is the portion of the wicked from God, Zophar says. The friends keep speaking as though their formula is more reliable than Job's actual life, and the reader is meant to notice the failure.
Questions
1 What does Zophar say about wicked triumph?
AnswerHe says the triumph of the wicked is brief and their joy lasts only a moment.
2 What happens to stolen wealth?
AnswerIt becomes bitter and cannot provide lasting satisfaction.
3 What wrongdoing does Zophar describe?
AnswerHe describes oppressing the poor, seizing a house, and taking what the wicked person did not build.
4 What does Zophar call this fate?
AnswerHe calls it the portion God assigns to the wicked.
What This Means for Us
Zophar's warning against exploitation is worthwhile, but his need to make every suffering person fit the warning is not. A true description of evil is not automatically a true diagnosis of the person in front of us.
Do justice without assuming that every victim's pain proves personal guilt. Let compassion keep moral conviction from becoming a reflexive accusation.
Prayer
LORD, make us fierce against exploitation and gentle with the suffering. Help us distinguish a warning about evil from a verdict about a particular person, and keep our compassion awake. Amen.