Chapter Overview
Summary
Job 20 is ZOPHAR'S SECOND speech — entirely-devoted (like Bildad's chapter 18) to portraying-the-fate-of-the-wicked. The friends' theology now-runs on rails: prosperity-of-wicked-is-brief, suffering-equals-guilt. The fall-of-Babylon imagery anticipates Revelation 18.
Notable Variants
20:5 'the triumph of the wicked is short'; 20:14 'the food of the wicked turns to gall in his stomach' inversion; 20:27 'the heavens will reveal his iniquity' — apocalyptic anticipation.
Structural Notes
MT Job 20 = LXX Job 20. 29 verses. Zophar's second speech.
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
'Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said' tracks MT.
My troubled thoughts drive me to answer — the agitation inside me compels me.
'Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, because of the haste within me' tracks MT.
I hear a rebuke that insults me, but the spirit of my understanding gives me an answer.
'I hear censure that insults me, and out of my understanding a spirit answers me' tracks MT.
Surely you know this — it has been true from ancient times, from the day humanity was set upon the earth:
'Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth' tracks MT.
The triumph of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless lasts only a moment.
'That the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment?' tracks MT. EXULTING-IS-SHORT. James 5:1–6 ('weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you, you rich') extends.
Even if his greatness rises to the heavens and his head reaches the clouds —
'Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds' tracks MT.
he will perish forever like his own dung. Those who saw him will say, 'Where is he?'
'He will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say: Where is he?' tracks MT.
He flies away like a dream and cannot be found; he is chased off like a vision in the night.
'He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night' tracks MT.
The eye that glimpsed him will see him no more; his place will never look upon him again.
'The eye that saw him will see him no more, nor will his place any more behold him' tracks MT.
His children will beg from the poor; his own hands will give back his wealth.
'His children will seek the favor of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth' tracks MT.
His bones are full of youthful vigor, but it will lie with him in the dust.
'His bones are full of his youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust' tracks MT.
Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue —
'Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue' tracks MT. EVIL-SWEET-IN-MOUTH — wicked-pleasure psychology.
though he savors it and will not let it go, holding it against the roof of his mouth —
'Though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth' tracks MT.
but his food turns inside him; it becomes cobra venom in his gut.
'Yet his food is turned in his stomach; it is the venom of cobras within him' tracks MT. FOOD-TURNS-TO-VENOM — sweet-becomes-bitter inversion. Revelation 10:9–10's scroll-sweet-then-bitter echoes.
He swallows wealth, but vomits it back up. God forces it out of his belly.
'He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly' tracks MT.
He sucks the poison of cobras; the tongue of the viper kills him.
'He will suck the poison of cobras; the tongue of a viper will kill him' tracks MT.
He will never see the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and cream.
'He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds' tracks MT.
He gives back what he toiled for without swallowing it. The profit of his trade brings him no joy.
'He will give back the fruit of his toil and will not swallow it down; from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment' tracks MT.
Because he crushed and abandoned the poor, because he seized a house he did not build —
'For he has crushed and abandoned the poor; he has seized a house that he did not build' tracks MT.
Because he knew no peace in his craving, nothing he desired will he save.
'Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him' tracks MT.
Nothing is left for him to consume; therefore his prosperity will not endure.
'There was nothing left after he had eaten; therefore his prosperity will not endure' tracks MT.
At the peak of his abundance, distress finds him; the full force of misery falls upon him.
'In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress; the hand of every troubled person will come against him' tracks MT.
When he is filling his belly, God hurls his burning anger at him and rains it down on him as his food.
'To fill his belly to the full, God will send his burning anger against him and rain it upon him into his body' tracks MT.
He flees from the iron weapon, but a bronze bow pierces him through.
'He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through' tracks MT.
He draws the arrow out — it exits through his back. The gleaming point comes from his bile; terrors descend on him.
'It is drawn forth and comes out of his body; the glittering point comes out of his gallbladder; terrors come upon him' tracks MT.
Total darkness is stored up for his treasures. A fire no one kindled consumes him; it devours whatever remains in his tent.
'Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not fanned will devour him; what is left in his tent will be consumed' tracks MT. FIRE-NOT-FANNED — divinely-kindled fire (Isaiah 30:33).
The heavens expose his guilt; the earth rises up against him.
'The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him' tracks MT. HEAVENS-AND-EARTH-AS-WITNESSES — Deut 4:26, 30:19, 31:28 cosmic-witnesses pattern.
The produce of his house is swept away, washed out on the day of God's wrath.
'The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God's wrath' tracks MT. DAY-OF-WRATH — Zephaniah 1, Revelation 6:17.
This is the portion God assigns to the wicked, the inheritance God has decreed for him.
'This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God' tracks MT. CLOSES Zophar's second-speech.