Dawn on a bare plain: a ring of old tent stones and a cold hearth, a whole camp gone, a thin mist lifting under a calm, pale, empty sky.

The Book of

Job 20

Zophar speaks, round two. Job has just warned them of judgment, and Zophar is insulted. This is the last time we hear him.

29 verses≈ 3 min2 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

1–3The testBlameless, stripped of everything, and his cry
4–14Round oneThe friends speak; Job answers
15–21Round twoMy Redeemer livesChapter 20
22–31Round threeThen wisdom, and Job's last defense
32–37ElihuA younger voice
38–41The LORD speaksOut of the whirlwind
42The endJob prays and is restored

Zophar: Destruction Awaits the Wicked

Zophar

Zophar

Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:

“So my anxious thoughts compel me to answer,

because of the turmoil within me.

I have heard a rebuke that insults me,

and my understanding prompts a reply.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Zophar

A lone bare crag whose top vanishes into a thin band of cloud, a tiny house at its foot, the sky above calm and empty.

Do you not know that from antiquity,

since man was placed on the earth,

the triumph of the wicked has been brief

and the joy of the godless momentary?

Though his arrogance reaches the heavens,

and his head touches the clouds,

he will perish forever, like his own dung;

those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’

He will fly away like a dream, never to be found;

he will be chased away like a vision in the night.

The eye that saw him will see him no more,

and his place will no longer behold him.

0:29

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Zophar

His sons will seek the favor of the poor,

for his own hands must return his wealth.

The youthful vigor that fills his bones

will lie down with him in the dust.

Zophar

Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth, the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?

Job 20:4–5

Reflect

Momentary

Zophar says the joy of the godless is “momentary.” Job will say otherwise. Have you envied someone who seemed to get away with it? Write what you actually believe will happen in the end.

Zophar

Zophar

He will not enjoy the streams,

the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it;

he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.

Zophar

For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor;

he has seized houses he did not build.

Question

Quick question

Zophar gives it a length.

How long does Zophar say the joy of the godless lasts?

Zophar

A rich spread of bread, roast and fruit laid out on mats before a large black tent, no one in view, with a black desert storm wall rolling in behind it across the plain.

Because his appetite is never satisfied,

he cannot escape with his treasure.

Nothing is left for him to consume;

thus his prosperity will not endure.

In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed;

the full force of misery will come upon him.

When he has filled his stomach,

God will vent His fury upon him,

raining it down on him as he eats.

Zophar

Though he flees from an iron weapon,

a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.

It is drawn out of his back,

the gleaming point from his liver.

Terrors come over him.

Zophar

A brown flash flood racing down a dry wadi, carrying off a tent pole, a wooden chest, clay jars and a woven mat, with no people anywhere.

Total darkness is reserved for his treasures.

A fire unfanned will consume him

and devour what is left in his tent.

The heavens will expose his iniquity,

and the earth will rise up against him.

The possessions of his house will be removed,

flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.

Zophar

Pray

Thank God that no injustice escapes Him. Pray for the poor who have been robbed. Ask for honesty about how sweet sin can taste. Ask for grace to wait for God’s judgment and not to pronounce it yourself.

You’ve experienced

Job 20

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A verse to carry with you

Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth, the triumph of the wicked has been brief and the joy of the godless momentary?

Job 20:4–5

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