Job 20
Introduction
Job 20 is Zophar the Naamathite's second and final speech in the dialogues. Zophar has been stung by Job's preceding words — particularly Job's declaration that his Redeemer lives (Job 19:25) and his sharp warning that the friends should fear the sword of judgment themselves (Job 19:28-29). Zophar opens by admitting that he feels personally insulted and compelled to respond. What follows is not a careful argument but a passionate, almost breathless catalogue of the fate awaiting the wicked. It is the most vividly physical speech among the three friends' contributions: Zophar reaches for images of vomiting, poison, cobra venom, and divine fury raining down like food into an open mouth.
The speech is organized around a single thesis stated up front: the triumph of the wicked is brief (vv. 4–5). Everything that follows illustrates this claim through escalating imagery. The wicked person rises high but vanishes like dung, like a dream (vv. 6–9). His children must make restitution (v. 10). Evil tastes sweet in his mouth but turns to cobra venom in his stomach (vv. 12–16). He cannot enjoy the rivers of abundance (v. 17). He must give back what he stole from the poor (vv. 18–19). God's wrath rains down on him while he eats (v. 23). Weapons pierce him from every side (vv. 24–25). Heaven and earth testify against him (v. 27). This is the wicked man's "portion from God" (v. 29). Notably, Zophar never names Job directly — but the implication is unmistakable. If Job is suffering, then by Zophar's theology, Job must be the wicked man whose brief triumph has ended. Zophar's speech is theologically tidy and rhetorically powerful, but the reader knows from the prologue (Job 1:1, Job 1:8) that its premise is wrong.
Zophar Feels Compelled to Respond (vv. 1–3)
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: 2 "So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer, because of the turmoil within me. 3 I have heard a rebuke that insults me, and my understanding prompts a reply.
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2 "Therefore my agitated thoughts drive me to respond — because of the churning within me. 3 I hear a rebuke meant to shame me, but a spirit from my understanding answers me.
Notes
שְׂעִפַּי ("my anxious/agitated thoughts") — This rare noun (Strong's 5587) appears only here and in Psalm 94:19 ("when my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolation delights my soul") and Psalm 139:23 ("search me, O God, and know my anxious thoughts"). The word suggests divided, branching, unsettled thoughts — a mind that cannot rest. Zophar is admitting that Job's words have gotten under his skin. He cannot sit still.
חוּשִׁי בִי ("the turmoil/haste within me") — The verb chush means "to hurry, to hasten." The noun form conveys urgency and inner agitation. Zophar is not answering from calm reflection but from an inner compulsion — he must speak. The BSB's "turmoil" captures the emotional quality; the ESV's "haste" reflects the literal sense. Both are present: Zophar is agitated and rushing to respond.
מוּסַר כְּלִמָּתִי ("a rebuke of my humiliation/insult") — The word מוּסַר means "discipline, correction, rebuke" — it is a key term in wisdom literature (Proverbs 1:2, Proverbs 1:7). The word כְּלִמָּה means "shame, insult, disgrace." Zophar is saying: "I have heard a correction that is meant to shame me." This almost certainly refers to Job's closing words in Job 19:28-29, where Job warned that the friends should fear the sword of judgment. Zophar took that personally.
וְרוּחַ מִבִּינָתִי יַעֲנֵנִי ("and a spirit from my understanding answers me") — The word רוּחַ here could mean "spirit" (a divine or inner impulse) or simply "wind/breath" (the force behind his words). The word בִּינָה means "understanding, discernment, insight." Zophar claims that his response comes not from wounded pride but from genuine understanding. The irony is palpable: the book of Job will ultimately show that none of the three friends truly understood what was happening.
The Triumph of the Wicked Is Brief (vv. 4–11)
4 Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth, 5 the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary? 6 Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds, 7 he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, 'Where is he?' 8 He will fly away like a dream, never to be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night. 9 The eye that saw him will see him no more, and his place will no longer behold him. 10 His sons will seek the favor of the poor, for his own hands must return his wealth. 11 The youthful vigor that fills his bones will lie down with him in the dust.
4 Do you not know this from of old — since man was set upon the earth — 5 that the shout of triumph of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless lasts but a moment? 6 Even if his height rises to the heavens and his head reaches to the clouds, 7 like his own dung he will perish forever; those who saw him will say, 'Where is he?' 8 Like a dream he will fly away and not be found; he will be driven off like a vision of the night. 9 The eye that glimpsed him will not see him again, and his place will look on him no more. 10 His sons will have to appease the poor, and his own hands must give back his wealth. 11 His bones are full of youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
Notes
הֲזֹאת יָדַעְתָּ מִנִּי עַד ("Do you not know this from of old?") — Zophar appeals to ancient, universally known wisdom. The phrase מִנִּי עַד means "from eternity, from ancient times." This is the same rhetorical strategy Bildad used in Job 8:8 ("ask the former generation") and Eliphaz in Job 15:18-19 ("what the wise have declared, what was handed down from their fathers"). The friends consistently appeal to tradition against Job's lived experience. For Zophar, what Job is going through has a simple explanation that anyone who has paid attention to history already knows.
רִנְנַת רְשָׁעִים ("the shout/triumph of the wicked") — The word רִנָּה typically means "a ringing cry" — it can be a cry of joy (Psalm 126:2) or a cry for help (1 Kings 8:28). Here it means the victorious, exultant shout of the wicked. The adjective מִקָּרוֹב ("from near," i.e., "brief, short-lived") and the parallel עֲדֵי רָגַע ("until a moment," i.e., "momentary") hammer the point: whatever victory the wicked enjoy, it is fleeting.
חָנֵף ("godless one, hypocrite") — This word does not mean "atheist" in the modern sense but rather one who is profane, polluted, or irreligious — someone who corrupts what should be holy. The KJV translates it "hypocrite," the NIV and BSB "godless." In Job 13:16, Job himself used this word to argue that "no godless person would dare come before God" — implying that his willingness to confront God proves his innocence. Zophar now applies the term to the wicked person he is describing, and by implication, to Job.
שִׂיאוֹ ("his height/arrogance/pride") — This rare word (Strong's 7863) appears only here in the Old Testament. It is related to the root nasa' ("to lift up, to exalt") and means "his rising, his height, his loftiness." The image of reaching to the heavens and touching the clouds echoes the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:4, "a tower whose top reaches the heavens") and the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14:13-14 ("I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne"). In every case, such cosmic ambition ends in catastrophic fall.
כְּגֶלֲלוֹ לָנֶצַח יֹאבֵד ("like his own dung he will perish forever") — The word גָּלָל means "dung, excrement" — a deliberately shocking and degrading comparison. The one who reached to the heavens (v. 6) is compared to excrement. The contrast is intentionally grotesque. The verb avad means "to perish, to be lost, to be destroyed." The phrase לָנֶצַח ("forever, perpetually") underscores the finality. The question "Where is he?" (אַיּוֹ) implies complete erasure — he has vanished so thoroughly that people wonder if he ever existed.
שְׁזָפַתּוּ ("glimpsed him") — In verse 9, this rare verb shazaph (Strong's 7805) means "to catch sight of, to glance at." It appears only here and in Job 28:7, where it describes the falcon's sharp eye. The use of this unusual word suggests a fleeting, momentary glimpse — the wicked person was visible for only a flash before he vanished.
בָּנָיו יְרַצּוּ דַלִּים ("his sons will seek the favor of the poor") — The verb יְרַצּוּ (Piel of ratsah) means "to seek favor, to appease, to make amends." The irony is devastating: the man who exploited the poor has children who must now beg the poor for mercy. The social order has been completely reversed. His אוֹן ("wealth, strength, vigor") — the same word used of the firstborn's inheritance in Genesis 49:3 ("the first sign of my strength") — must be returned by his own hands.
עֲלוּמָיו ("his youthful vigor") — From the root alam ("to be hidden, to be young"), this noun refers to the vigor and vitality of youth. Despite all his physical strength, it will תִּשְׁכָּב ("lie down") with him in the עָפָר ("dust") — the dust of death and the grave. The image is of vitality itself dying alongside the wicked man, buried together in the ground.
Evil Turns to Poison in His Mouth (vv. 12–19)
12 Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue, 13 though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth, 14 yet in his stomach his food sours into the venom of cobras within him. 15 He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach. 16 He will suck the poison of cobras; the fangs of a viper will kill him. 17 He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18 He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading. 19 For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.
12 Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue, 13 though he savors it and will not let it go but holds it back within his palate, 14 his food turns sour in his bowels — it becomes the venom of cobras inside him. 15 The wealth he swallowed he vomits back up; God drives it out of his belly. 16 He will suck the poison of cobras; the tongue of a viper will kill him. 17 He will not look upon the streams — the rivers, the torrents of honey and butter. 18 He gives back the fruit of his toil without swallowing it; the profit of his trade brings him no joy. 19 For he crushed and abandoned the poor; he seized a house he did not build.
Notes
The extended metaphor of taste (vv. 12–16) — Zophar constructs one of the most sustained and visceral metaphors in the book. Evil is compared to a delicious morsel that the wicked man holds in his mouth, savoring it, unwilling to let it go. But once swallowed, it transforms into snake venom in his stomach. He then vomits it up, and God forces it out of him. The sequence moves from mouth to tongue to palate to stomach to vomiting — a complete digestive cycle in reverse. The message: what seems sweet going down will be lethal inside.
תַּמְתִּיק בְּפִיו רָעָה ("evil is sweet in his mouth") — The Hiphil of mataq means "to make sweet, to taste as sweet." The subject is רָעָה ("evil, wickedness"). The wicked person does not merely tolerate evil — he savors it, rolling it around in his mouth like a delicacy. The image of hiding it under the tongue (תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ) suggests deliberate concealment and prolonged enjoyment, like a piece of hard candy held against the palate.
יַחְמֹל עָלֶיהָ ("he savors/spares it") — The verb chamal means "to spare, to have compassion on, to take pity on." It is often used of sparing someone's life (1 Samuel 15:3, 1 Samuel 15:9, where Saul "spared" Agag). Here it is used ironically: the wicked person shows compassion toward his sin — he pities it too much to give it up. He keeps it בְּתוֹךְ חִכּוֹ ("in the midst of his palate") — the chek is the roof of the mouth, the palate, the place where taste is most acute.
מְרוֹרַת פְּתָנִים ("the venom/gall of cobras") — The word מְרוֹרָה means "gall, bile, venom" — the bitter secretion of the gallbladder. The פֶּתֶן is a venomous snake, usually identified as the cobra or asp. The word appears in Deuteronomy 32:33 ("their wine is the venom of serpents, the cruel poison of cobras") and Psalm 58:4 ("their venom is like the venom of a serpent"). In verse 16, the parallel term אֶפְעֶה ("viper") appears — another deadly snake. The tongue (לְשׁוֹן) of the viper kills him, mirroring the tongue under which he hid his evil in verse 12. The organ of concealment becomes the organ of death.
חַיִל בָּלַע וַיְקִאֶנּוּ ("wealth he swallowed and he vomits it up") — The verb בָּלַע means "to swallow, to gulp down" and קִיא means "to vomit." The word חַיִל means "wealth, strength, army, valor" — it is one of the most versatile words in Hebrew. Here it means wealth that has been greedily devoured. God (אֵל) is the one who forces the vomiting: מִבִּטְנוֹ יוֹרִשֶׁנּוּ אֵל — literally "from his belly God dispossesses him." The verb yarash (Hiphil) means "to dispossess, to drive out" — the same verb used for driving out the Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 9:3). God evicts the stolen wealth from the thief's stomach.
אַל יֵרֶא בִפְלַגּוֹת ("he will not look upon the streams") — The word פְּלַגּוֹת means "streams, channels, irrigation canals" — flowing water that represents abundance and blessing. The parallel words נַהֲרֵי ("rivers") and נַחֲלֵי ("wadis/torrents") build a picture of overflowing plenty. The flowing of דְּבַשׁ וְחֶמְאָה ("honey and butter/cream") echoes the "land flowing with milk and honey" of the Promised Land (Exodus 3:8). The wicked man is barred from this abundance — he will never enjoy the good life his stolen wealth was meant to purchase.
כִּי רִצַּץ עָזַב דַּלִּים ("for he crushed and abandoned the poor") — Here Zophar names the specific crime: oppression of the דַּלִּים ("the poor, the weak, the helpless"). The verb רִצַּץ (Piel of ratsats) means "to crush, to oppress, to shatter" — a violent word used in Judges 9:53 (a millstone crushing Abimelech's skull) and Isaiah 42:3 ("a bruised reed he will not break"). The second verb azav means "to forsake, to abandon." He first crushes them, then abandons them. The seizure of a house he did not build recalls the warning in Deuteronomy 6:10-11 — God gives Israel houses they did not build, but they must not forget the giver. The wicked man takes by force what God gives by grace.
No Escape from God's Wrath (vv. 20–28)
20 Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure. 21 Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure. 22 In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him. 23 When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats. 24 Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him. 25 It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him. 26 Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent. 27 The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. 28 The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God's wrath.
20 Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not escape with what he desires. 21 Nothing survives his eating, therefore his prosperity will not last. 22 In the fullness of his abundance, distress will seize him; every hand of misery will come upon him. 23 Let it be — when he is filling his belly, God will send the burning heat of his anger against him, and rain it upon him as his food. 24 He flees from an iron weapon, but a bow of bronze pierces him through. 25 He draws it out — it comes from his back, the gleaming point from his gallbladder; terrors advance upon him. 26 Total darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not fanned by man will consume him; it will devour what remains in his tent. 27 The heavens will lay bare his guilt, and the earth will rise up against him. 28 The produce of his house will be carried off — things poured out on the day of God's anger.
Notes
כִּי לֹא יָדַע שָׁלֵו בְּבִטְנוֹ ("because he knew no contentment in his belly") — The adjective שָׁלֵו means "quiet, at ease, content" — the same root as shalom. The wicked man's belly (the same בֶּטֶן that has been the focus of the chapter's digestive imagery) never knows peace. His appetite is insatiable — no amount of consumption satisfies him. This is the root cause of his downfall: not merely greed but an inability to ever feel "enough." The word בַּחֲמוּדוֹ ("with his desire/treasure") comes from chamad ("to desire, to covet"), the verb used in the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:17, "you shall not covet").
אֵין שָׂרִיד לְאָכְלוֹ ("nothing survives his eating") — The word שָׂרִיד means "survivor, remnant" — typically used of people who escape a disaster (Joshua 10:28, Obadiah 1:18). Here it is applied to food: there are no survivors of his appetite. He devours everything, leaving nothing behind. Yet precisely because he consumed everything, his טוּבוֹ ("prosperity, goodness") לֹא יָחִיל ("will not endure/last"). The verb chul here means "to endure, to wait, to continue."
בִּמְלֹאות שִׂפְקוֹ יֵצֶר לוֹ ("in the fullness of his abundance, distress will seize him") — The word שֶׂפֶק (Strong's 5607) is rare, meaning "abundance, sufficiency, plenty." At the very peak of his prosperity — when his barns are full and his accounts overflow — that is precisely when יֵצֶר ("distress, anguish, constriction") grips him. The image recalls Jesus' parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21, who said "eat, drink, and be merry" and that very night his life was demanded of him.
כָּל יַד עָמֵל תְּבוֹאֶנּוּ ("every hand of misery will come upon him") — The word עָמֵל can mean "one who labors" or "misery, trouble." The BSB and NIV read it as "misery"; the ESV reads "everyone in misery." If the latter, it means that all the people the wicked man has oppressed will turn against him — every hand he made to suffer will come back to strike him.
יְשַׁלַּח בּוֹ חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְיַמְטֵר עָלֵימוֹ בִּלְחוּמוֹ ("God will send the burning of his anger against him and rain it upon him as his food") — The phrase חֲרוֹן אַף ("burning of anger/nostril") is one of the strongest expressions for divine wrath in the Old Testament (Exodus 32:12, Numbers 25:4, Deuteronomy 13:17). The verb יַמְטֵר ("he will rain") deliberately echoes the raining of fire on Sodom (Genesis 19:24) and the raining of manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4). But here what rains down is fury, and it falls בִּלְחוּמוֹ ("as his food/while he eats") — God's wrath becomes his meal. The imagery of the whole chapter converges: the man who swallowed everything now has God's fury poured directly into his belly.
יִבְרַח מִנֵּשֶׁק בַּרְזֶל תַּחְלְפֵהוּ קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה ("he flees from an iron weapon; a bow of bronze pierces him") — The נֵשֶׁק is a weapon or armament (from nashaq, "to arm"). בַּרְזֶל ("iron") and נְחוּשָׁה ("bronze/copper") represent the two dominant metals of warfare in the ancient world. The point is that escape is impossible: flee from one weapon and another strikes. The verb תַּחְלְפֵהוּ ("pierces him through") comes from chalaph, "to pass through, to penetrate."
שָׁלַף וַיֵּצֵא מִגֵּוָה וּבָרָק מִמְּרֹרָתוֹ יַהֲלֹךְ ("he draws it out and it comes from his back; the gleaming point from his gallbladder") — The verb שָׁלַף means "to draw out, to pull out" (used of drawing a sword, Judges 3:22). The גֵּוָה is the back or body. The בָּרָק is a "gleaming, flashing" point — lightning-like brightness on the arrowhead. The מְרוֹרָה ("gallbladder/bile") is the same word used for cobra venom in verse 14. The arrow passes completely through his body, emerging from the gallbladder — the organ associated with bitterness and poison throughout this chapter. Then אֵמִים ("terrors") advance upon him. This word is related to the name of the Emim, a race of fearsome giants (Deuteronomy 2:10-11).
כָּל חֹשֶׁךְ טָמוּן לִצְפוּנָיו ("total darkness is laid up for his treasures") — The word חֹשֶׁךְ ("darkness") in the Old Testament often represents divine judgment, death, and the absence of God (Exodus 10:21-22, the plague of darkness; Isaiah 8:22; Job 10:21-22). His צְפוּנִים ("hidden things, treasures") — things he carefully hoarded and concealed — will be consumed by darkness. The fire that destroys him is אֵשׁ לֹא נֻפָּח ("a fire not fanned/blown") — meaning a fire not of human origin, not kindled by bellows, but a supernatural fire. This recalls the "fire of God" that fell from heaven and burned Job's sheep in Job 1:16.
יְגַלּוּ שָׁמַיִם עֲוֺנוֹ וְאֶרֶץ מִתְקוֹמָמָה לוֹ ("the heavens will expose his guilt and the earth will rise up against him") — The verb גָּלָה (Piel) means "to uncover, to reveal, to expose." Heaven and earth become witnesses and prosecutors. The עָוֺן ("guilt, iniquity, punishment for iniquity") — a word that carries both the sin and its consequence — will be laid bare by the cosmos itself. The earth מִתְקוֹמָמָה ("rises up against") — a Hithpolel participle of qum, suggesting an active, hostile rising. Creation itself turns against the wicked man.
יִגֶל יְבוּל בֵּיתוֹ נִגָּרוֹת בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ ("the produce of his house will be carried off, poured out on the day of his anger") — The word יְבוּל means "produce, yield, increase." The verb נִגָּרוֹת means "things poured out, flowing away" — like water rushing downhill. Everything the wicked man has accumulated will be swept away in a torrent on בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ ("the day of his [God's] anger"). This "day of wrath" language becomes a major prophetic theme (Zephaniah 1:15, Isaiah 13:9, Romans 2:5).
The Wicked Man's Portion from God (v. 29)
29 This is the wicked man's portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him."
29 This is the portion of a wicked man from God — the inheritance decreed for him by God."
Notes
זֶה חֵלֶק אָדָם רָשָׁע מֵאֱלֹהִים ("this is the portion of a wicked man from God") — The word חֵלֶק means "portion, allotment, share" — what a person receives as their due. The word נַחֲלַת means "inheritance, heritage" — property passed down or assigned by right. The אִמְרוֹ ("his word/decree") refers to God's spoken decree or appointment. Zophar's conclusion is that everything he has described is not random misfortune but divinely ordained: God has assigned this fate to the wicked as their rightful inheritance.
Structural echo — This closing verse mirrors the closing formulas of the other friends' speeches. Compare Bildad's conclusion in Job 18:21 ("surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, the place of one who does not know God") and Eliphaz's similar summary statements. Each friend wraps up his argument with a tidy conclusion that presents the fate of the wicked as a settled, universal law. But the book of Job exists precisely to challenge this neat equation. Job is not wicked, and his suffering does not fit the pattern Zophar describes. The friends' theology is not entirely wrong — the wicked do often face consequences — but it is fatally incomplete, because it leaves no room for the suffering of the innocent.
Zophar's silence after this speech — This is Zophar's last speech in the book. In the third cycle of dialogues (chapters 22–27), Eliphaz speaks (chapter 22) and Bildad gives a brief, six-verse speech (chapter 25), but Zophar says nothing. Whether his expected third speech was lost from the text, was deliberately omitted by the author, or was intentionally given to Job (parts of chapters 24 and 27 sound like the friends' theology), is debated. But the literary effect is clear: Zophar has shot his bolt. After this passionate, vivid, theologically rigid speech, he has nothing more to say. His system has reached its limit.