Job 20

Zophar's Second Speech

¹Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,

²“Therefore my thoughts answer me, even by reason of my haste that is in me.

³I have heard the reproof which puts me to shame. The spirit of my understanding answers me.

⁴Don’t you know this from old time, since man was placed on earth,

⁵that the triumphing of the wicked is short, the joy of the godless but for a moment?

⁶Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds,

⁷yet he will perish forever like his own dung. Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

⁸He will fly away as a dream, and will not be found. Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.

⁹The eye which saw him will see him no more, neither will his place see him any more.

¹⁰His children will seek the favor of the poor. His hands will give back his wealth.

¹¹His bones are full of his youth, but youth will lie down with him in the dust.

¹²“Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue,

¹³though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth,

¹⁴yet his food in his bowels is turned. It is cobra venom within him.

¹⁵He has swallowed down riches, and he will vomit them up again. God will cast them out of his belly.

¹⁶He will suck cobra venom. The viper’s tongue will kill him.

¹⁷He will not look at the rivers, the flowing streams of honey and butter.

¹⁸He will restore that for which he labored, and will not swallow it down. He will not rejoice according to the substance that he has gotten.

¹⁹For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor. He has violently taken away a house, and he will not build it up.

²⁰“Because he knew no quietness within him, he will not save anything of that in which he delights.

²¹There was nothing left that he didn’t devour, therefore his prosperity will not endure.

²²In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress will overtake him. The hand of everyone who is in misery will come on him.

²³When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath on him. It will rain on him while he is eating.

²⁴He will flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow will strike him through.

²⁵He draws it out, and it comes out of his body. Yes, the glittering point comes out of his liver. Terrors are on him.

²⁶All darkness is laid up for his treasures. An unfanned fire will devour him. It will consume that which is left in his tent.

²⁷The heavens will reveal his iniquity. The earth will rise up against him.

²⁸The increase of his house will depart. They will rush away in the day of his wrath.

²⁹This is the portion of a wicked man from God, the heritage appointed to him by God.”

Previous Job 19

Next Job 21

Zophar delivers his second and final speech, presenting a vivid portrayal of the inevitable doom that awaits the wicked. He argues that while evil people may temporarily prosper and reach great heights, their success is fleeting and will ultimately turn to destruction. Through graphic imagery of poison, warfare, and divine judgment, Zophar insists that God's justice ensures the wicked will lose everything they have gained through oppression and violence.

Context

This is Zophar's final speech in the dialogue, responding to Job's challenge in chapter 19 with increasingly harsh rhetoric about divine retribution.

Key Themes

Outline

1-5
Zophar's Urgent Response Zophar responds hastily to Job's previous speech, asserting the ancient truth that wicked triumph is always temporary.
6-11
The Wicked's Sudden Disappearance Despite reaching great heights, the wicked will vanish completely like dreams, leaving no trace behind.
12-16
Wickedness as Poison Evil may taste sweet initially but becomes like cobra venom, causing the wicked to vomit up their ill-gotten wealth.
17-22
Loss of Prosperity The oppressor will lose all enjoyment of wealth and face distress even in abundance due to his exploitation of the poor.
23-29
Divine Wrath and Final Judgment God's fierce anger will bring complete destruction through warfare, fire, and cosmic judgment as the wicked's appointed portion.

Zophar's Second Speech

20:1–20:29

wisdom speech warning

Zophar's second speech emphasizes that the prosperity of the wicked is temporary and will end in destruction. He describes how ill-gotten wealth becomes poison and how God will ensure the wicked face judgment for oppressing the poor.

person_contrast

Zophar's vivid metaphor of wealth becoming "poison" in verse 14 uniquely combines digestive imagery with moral judgment, appearing nowhere else in biblical wisdom literature.

Insight Character Study

Zophar's vivid metaphor of wealth becoming "poison" in verse 14 uniquely combines digestive imagery with moral judgment, appearing nowhere else in biblical wisdom literature.