King James Version
Job 20
29 verses with commentary
Zophar's Second Speech: The Triumph of the Wicked Is Short
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said</strong> (וַיַּעַן צֹפַר הַנַּעֲמָתִי וַיֹּאמַר, vaya'an Tsofar haNa'amati vayomar)—Zophar (צֹפַר, 'bird, chirper') from Naamah ('pleasant place') delivers his second and final speech. Unlike Eliphaz (who has three speeches) and Bildad (three speeches), Zophar speaks only twice—perhaps indicating his arguments exhaust themselves fastest.<br><br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**XX.**
(1) **Then answered Zophar.**—Zophar retorts with yet greater vehemence than before, and assumes a more ornate and elaborate style, still reiterating the former burden of the speedy doom of the wicked man.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
INTRODUCTION
**Job a Real Person.--**It has been supposed by some that the book of Job is an allegory, not a real narrative, on account of the artificial character of many of its statements. Thus the sacred numbers, three and seven, often occur. He had seven thousand sheep, seven sons, both before and after his trials; his three friends sit down with him seven days and seven nights; both before a...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste. I make: Heb. my haste is in me
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer, and for this I make haste.</strong> This verse introduces Zophar's second speech in response to Job's defense. The Hebrew <em>laken</em> (לָכֵן, "therefore") signals that Zophar speaks from compulsion based on what Job has said. The phrase "my thoughts cause me to answer" (<em>se'ippai yeshivuni</em>, שְׂעִפַּי יְשִׁיבוּנִי) reveals that Zophar'...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Therefore.**—That is, because of the eagerness that is in him. His spirit is stirred in him, and impels him to reply.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have heard the check of my reproach</strong> (מוּסַר כְּלִמָּתִי אֶשְׁמָע, musar kelimati eshma')—The word מוּסַר (musar) means 'discipline, correction, reproof,' but here 'check' in the sense of 'rebuke.' Zophar claims to have heard כְּלִמָּה (kelimah, 'reproach, insult, shame'). He takes Job's critique of the friends' counsel (ch. 16-17) as personal affront.<br><br><strong>And the spir...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **I have heard the check of my reproach.**—Rather, *I have heard, *or, *I hear the reproof of my shame: *that is, a reproof that puts me to shame, or is intended to do so.
**The spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.**—Or, more literally, *Out of my understanding my spirit answereth me, *or *causeth me to answer. *He professes to be moved by an impulse within, which he cannot but obe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. she-asses--**prized on account of their milk, and for riding (Jud 5:10). Houses and lands are not mentioned among the emir's wealth, as nomadic tribes dwell in movable tents and live chiefly by pasture, the right to the soil not being appropriated by individuals. The "five hundred yoke of oxen" imply, however, that Job tilled the soil. He seems also to have had a dwelling in a town, in which ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
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KJV Study Commentary
Zophar appeals to tradition: 'Knowest thou not this of old, that the triumphing of the wicked is short?' This invocation of ancient wisdom attempts to silence Job through conventional theology. Yet Job's experience challenges this comfortable certainty.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. every one his day--**namely, the birthday (Job 3:1). Implying the love and harmony of the members of the family, as contrasted with the ruin which soon broke up such a scene of happiness. The sisters are specified, as these feasts were not for revelry, which would be inconsistent with the presence of sisters. These latter were invited by the brothers, though they gave no invitations in return...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? short: Heb. from near
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KJV Study Commentary
'That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?' Zophar returns with retribution theology: the wicked's 'triumphing' (רִנַּת, rinnat—shouting, exultation) is 'short' (מִקָּרוֹב, miqqarov—from near, brief), and 'hypocrite's' (חָנֵף, chanef—godless) 'joy' (שִׂמְחַת, simchat) lasts only a 'moment' (רָגַע, rega). This echoes Psalm 37:35-36, 73:18-20—the wick...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **The triumphing of the wicked is short.**—He affirms that the destruction of the wicked is not only certain, but speedy. (Comp. Psalm 103:16 and Job 7:8; Job 7:10.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. when the days of their feasting were gone about--**that is, at the end of all the birthdays collectively, when the banquets had gone round through all the families.
**Job ... sanctified--**by offering up as many expiatory burnt offerings as he had sons (Le 1:4). This was done "in the morning" (Ge 22:3; Le 6:12). Jesus also began devotions early (Mr 1:35). The holocaust, or burnt offering, i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; clouds: Heb. cloud
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Zophar's Second Speech on the Wicked:</strong> This verse introduces Zophar's description of the temporary prosperity and ultimate downfall of the wicked (Job 20:4-29). Zophar, the most dogmatic of Job's three friends, argues that wickedness may produce momentary success but inevitably ends in ruin. The Hebrew "<em>im-ya'aleh lashamayim sido</em>" (אִם־יַעֲלֶה לַשָּׁמַיִם שִׂיאוֹ) means "t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Job 1:6-12. Satan, Appearing before God, Falsely Accuses Job.
**6. sons of God--**angels (Job 38:7; 1Ki 22:19). They present themselves to render account of their "ministry" in other parts of the universe (He 1:14).
**the Lord--**Hebrew, Jehovah, the self-existing God, faithful to His promises. God says (Ex 6:3) that He was not known to the patriarchs by this name. But, as the name occurs previ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung</strong> (כְּגֶלְלוֹ לָנֶצַח יֹאבֵד, keglelo lanetsach yoved)—Zophar delivers the book's most visceral, repulsive image: the wicked person perishes כְּגֶלְלוֹ (keglelo, 'like his dung/excrement'). The noun גָּלָל (galal) is animal dung, used for fuel but considered unclean. לָנֶצַח (lanetsach, 'forever, perpetually') intensifies the judgment: ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. going to and fro--**rather, "hurrying rapidly to and fro." The original idea in Arabic is the heat of haste (Mt 12:43; 1Pe 5:8). Satan seems to have had some peculiar connection with this earth. Perhaps he was formerly its ruler under God. Man succeeded to the vice royalty (Ge 1:26; Psa 8:6). Man then lost it and Satan became prince of this world. The Son of man (Psa 8:4)--the representative ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He shall fly away as a dream</strong> (יָעוּף כַּחֲלוֹם, ya'uph kachalom)—Zophar depicts the wicked vanishing like morning dreams that evaporate upon waking. The verb <em>ya'uph</em> means to fly or flee rapidly, suggesting sudden disappearance. <strong>Chased away as a vision of the night</strong> (יֻדַּד כְּחֶזְיוֹן לָיְלָה, yuddad kechezyown laylah) intensifies the image—nocturnal visio...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. considered--**Margin, "set thine heart on"; that is, considered attentively. No true servant of God escapes the eye of the adversary of God.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The eye also which saw him shall see him no more</strong> (עַיִן שְׁזָפַתּוּ וְלֹא תוֹסִיף, ayin shezaphatthu velo tosiyph)—Zophar describes total erasure from human memory. The Hebrew <em>shazaph</em> (to see, behold) emphasizes eyewitness testimony, while <em>lo tosiyph</em> (shall not continue/do again) stresses finality. <strong>Neither shall his place any more behold him</strong> echo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. fear God for naught--**It is a mark of the children of Satan to sneer and not give credit to any for disinterested piety. Not so much God's gifts, as God Himself is "the reward" of His people (Ge 15:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 20
Chapter Outline
Zophar speaks of the short joy of the wicked.(1-9)
The ruin of the wicked.(10-22)
The portion of the wicked.(23-29)
**Verses 1-9**
Zophar's discourse is upon the certain misery of the wicked. The triumph of the wicked and the joy of the hypocrite are fleeting. The pleasures and gains of sin bring disease and pain; they end in remorse, anguish, and r...
Read full commentary →His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods. His children: or, The poor shall oppress his children
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KJV Study Commentary
Zophar declares the wicked's children will beg: 'His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods.' The next generation suffers for the father's wickedness—children begging from those their father oppressed. This principle (children bearing consequences of parents' sins) appears in Scripture but isn't absolute (Ezekiel 18). Zophar wrongly applies this to Job, who...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **His children shall seek to please the poor.**—That is, shall seek their favour by making good what had been taken from them, or otherwise; or it may be rendered, *the poor shall oppress his children.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. his substance is increased--**literally, "spread out like a flood"; Job's herds covered the face of the country.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
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KJV Study Commentary
Youth's strength becomes dust: 'His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.' The wicked's youthful sins remain in their bones until death—they carry guilt to the grave. While sin does have lasting consequences, Zophar assumes all suffering that persists indicates unrepented sin. He can't conceive that God might have purposes for suffering beyond punishmen...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **His bones are full of the sin of his youth.**—Rather, *of his youth, *or *youthful vigour, *as in Job 33:25 : “He shall return to the days of his youth,” and Psalm 89:46 : “The days of his youth hast thou shortened.” “Though he is in the full vigour of life, yet it shall lie down with him in the dust.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. curse thee to thy face--**in antithesis to God's praise of him (Job 1:8), "one that feareth God." Satan's words are too true of many. Take away their prosperity and you take away their religion (Mal 3:14).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
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KJV Study Commentary
'Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue.' Zophar describes how the wicked savor sin: 'wickedness' (רָעָה, ra'ah) is 'sweet' (יַמְתִּיק, yamtiq) in his mouth, hidden under his tongue (תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ, tachat leshono). The imagery: rolling sin like a delicacy on the palate. This echoes Proverbs 9:17—'stolen waters are sweet.' Sin does offer temporary pleasure (H...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth.**—He draws a picture of the wicked man after the pattern of a gourmand or glutton, which, if it were intended to apply to Job, was a fresh instance of heartless cruelty, as well as of an entire want of discernment of character, and of unfitness for the office of judge he was so ready to assume. It is possible that the reproach here aimed at Job was t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. in thy power--**Satan has no power against man till God gives it. God would not touch Job with His own hand, though Satan asks this (Job 1:11, "thine"), but He allows the enemy to do so.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth: within: Heb. in the midst of his palate
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KJV Study Commentary
The wicked cherish sin: 'Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth.' Continuing the taste metaphor, the wicked won't swallow or spit out sin—they hold it in their mouth, savoring it. The Hebrew 'chamal' (spare) suggests protective attachment. This describes loving sin, not mere failure. While accurately depicting hardened sinners, this doesn't apply to Job, who gen...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Job 1:13-22. Job, in Affliction, Blesses God, &c.
**13. wine--**not specified in Job 1:4. The mirth inspired by the "wine" here contrasts the more sadly with the alarm which interrupted it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Sin becomes poison: 'Yet his meat is turned in his bowels, it is the gall of asps within him.' What tasted sweet becomes poison internally. The imagery of transformation—meat turning to gall (bitter poison) in bowels—depicts sin's ultimate effects. Asp venom represents deadly toxicity. This principle (sin's pleasure gives way to destruction) is true but Zophar misapplies it, assuming all suffering...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. the asses feeding beside them--**Hebrew, "she asses." A graphic picture of rural repose and peace; the more dreadful, therefore, by contrast is the sudden attack of the plundering Arabs.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.
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KJV Study Commentary
'He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.' Zophar's grotesque imagery: ill-gotten riches 'swallowed down' (בָּלַע, bala) must be 'vomited up' (יְקִיאֶנּוּ, yeqiennu), and God will 'cast them out' (יוֹרִישֶׁנּוּ, yorishenu) of his 'belly' (מִבִּטְנוֹ, mibbitno). The digestive metaphor portrays wealth as poison requiring expulsion. Prover...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. Sabeans--**not those of Arabia-Felix, but those of Arabia-Deserta, descending from Sheba, grandson of Abraham and Keturah (Ge 25:3). The Bedouin Arabs of the present day resemble, in marauding habits, these Sabeans (compare Ge 16:12).
**I alone am escaped--**cunningly contrived by Satan. One in each case escapes (Job 1:16, 17, 19), and brings the same kind of message. This was to overwhelm...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The wicked's gain brings death: 'He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him.' Continuing poison imagery, Zophar depicts the wicked actively consuming poison (sucking asp poison). The viper's tongue (forked tongue associated with deception) brings death. Zophar implies that Job's words (his 'tongue') reveal hidden poison that brings his suffering. This attacks both Job's we...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. fire of God--**Hebraism for "a mighty fire"; as "cedars of God"--"lofty cedars" [Psa 80:10]. Not lightning, which would not consume all the sheep and servants. Umbreit understands it of the burning wind of Arabia, called by the Turks "wind of poison." "The prince of the power of the air" [Ep 2:2] is permitted to have control over such destructive agents.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter. the floods: or, streaming brooks
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KJV Study Commentary
The wicked won't enjoy prosperity: 'He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.' Zophar describes covenant blessings—the land flowing with milk and honey—that the wicked forfeit. The imagery of rivers, floods, and brooks emphasizes abundance. While covenant theology affirms that persistent wickedness forfeits blessing, this doesn't explain Job's situation. Job lived ri...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **The brooks of honey and butter.**—He uses language which might lead one to suppose he was familiar with the promise of Canaan, except that, as the phrase is not precisely identical it may perhaps rather show a community of proverbial language, and that the *land flowing with milk and honey *may have been an expression in use, and not one original with the Pentateuch.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. Chaldeans--**not merely robbers as the Sabeans; but experienced in war, as is implied by "they set in array three bands" (Ha 1:6-8). Rawlinson distinguishes three periods: 1. When their seat of empire was in the south, towards the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates. The Chaldean period, from 2300 B.C. to 1500 B.C. In this period was Chedorlaomer (Ge 14:1), the Kudur of Hur or Ur of the C...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein. his: Heb. the substance of his exchange
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KJV Study Commentary
Labor brings no enjoyment: 'That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein.' The wicked must restore what they gained—no enjoyment of their labor. Full restitution leaves them without gain. While true for those who gained through oppression, this doesn't explain Job's losses. Job's la...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **That which he laboured for shall he restore . . .**—The latter part of this verse is probably right; but it may be, “According to the substance that he hath gotten he shall not rejoice.”
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not; oppressed: Heb. crushed
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KJV Study Commentary
The wicked oppress the poor: 'Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not.' Zophar accuses Job of oppressing the poor and seizing houses—serious moral charges. These accusations are false (Job 29-31 shows his generosity). Zophar invents specific sins to explain Job's suffering, demonstrating how theodicy can become slande...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Because he hath oppressed and forsaken . . .**—For these insinuations there was not a vestige of ground, but Job formally rebuts them in Job 31
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. a great wind from the wilderness--**south of Job's house. The tornado came the more violently over the desert, being uninterrupted (Is 21:1; Ho 13:15).
**the young men--**rather, "the young people"; including the daughters (so in Ru 2:21).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired. feel: Heb. know
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KJV Study Commentary
Zophar's theology of judgment: 'Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.' This doctrine of immediate retribution assumes the wicked never experience contentment. Job's experience and later biblical revelation challenge this simplistic timeline.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Quietness in his belly.**—“Because he knew no quietness within him, (Comp. Isaiah 57:20-21.) he shall not save ought of that which he desireth.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. Job arose--**not necessarily from sitting. Inward excitement is implied, and the beginning to do anything. He had heard the other messages calmly, but on hearing of the death of his children, then he arose; or, as Eichorn translates, he started up (2Sa 13:31). The rending of the mantle was the conventional mark of deep grief (Ge 37:34). Orientals wear a tunic or shirt, and loose pantaloons; ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →There shall none of his meat be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods. none: or, be none left for his meat
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KJV Study Commentary
Nothing escapes the wicked's consumption: 'There shall none of his meat be left; therefore shall no man look for his goods.' The wicked consume everything, leaving nothing—yet this brings no lasting prosperity. The second phrase suggests their goods won't endure or benefit others. While describing some wicked people's fate, this doesn't explain Job's losses. Job's wealth benefited many; its loss c...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **There shall none of his meat be left.**—Rather, *There was nothing left that he devoured not, therefore his prosperity shall not endure.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. Naked--**(1Ti 6:7). "Mother's womb" is poetically the earth, the universal mother (Ec 5:15; 12:7; Psa 139:15). Job herein realizes God's assertion (Job 1:8) against Satan's (Job 1:11). Instead of cursing, he blesses the name of Jehovah (Hebrew). The name of Jehovah, is Jehovah Himself, as manifested to us in His attributes (Is 9:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him. wicked: or, troublesome
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KJV Study Commentary
Prosperity brings judgment: 'In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.' At the peak of prosperity, trouble strikes—the Hebrew 'metsuqah' (straits/distress) suggests being trapped. 'Every hand' attacking suggests comprehensive assault. This describes sudden reversal, which did happen to Job—but not because of wickedness. Satan's attack, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **The hand of **every one that is in misery shall come upon him: *i.e., *in retaliation, or possibly, but less probably, every blow of a miserable man, which can render a man miserable, shall come upon him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. nor charged God foolishly--**rather, "allowed himself to commit no folly against God" [Umbreit]. Job 2:10 proves that this is the meaning. Not as Margin "attributed no folly to God." Hasty words against God, though natural in the bitterness of grief, are folly; literally, an "insipid, unsavory" thing (Job 6:6; Jr 23:13, Margin). Folly in Scripture is continually equivalent to wickedness. For...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-22**
The miserable condition of the wicked man in this world is fully set forth. The lusts of the flesh are here called the sins of his youth. His hiding it and keeping it under his tongue, denotes concealment of his beloved lust, and delight therein. But He who knows what is in the heart, knows what is under the tongue, and will discover it. The love of the world, and of the wealt...
Read full commentary →When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.
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KJV Study Commentary
'When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating.' Zophar describes judgment striking during eating: filling 'belly' (בִּטְנוֹ, bitno), God casts 'fury of wrath' (חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ, charon apo) and 'rains it' (יַמְטֵר, yamter) while eating (בִּלְחוּמוֹ, bilchumo). The image: divine wrath interrupting consumption. This ref...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-29**
Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Is 32:2. Zophar concludes, "This is the portion of a wicked man from God;" it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, w...
Read full commentary →He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He shall flee from the iron weapon</strong> (יִבְרַח מִנְּשֶׁק בַּרְזֶל, yivrah minneshek barzel)—Zophar's vivid battle imagery depicts the wicked as a fleeing warrior. <em>Barzel</em> (iron) represents superior weaponry that Bronze Age armies feared. <strong>The bow of steel shall strike him through</strong> (תַּחְלְפֵהוּ קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה, tachlephehu qeshet nechushah)—actually 'bow of br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **He shall flee from the iron weapon, and.**—That is, if he escaped one mischance, another should overtake him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 2 Job 2:1-8. Satan Further Tempts Job.
**1. a day--**appointed for the angels giving an account of their ministry to God. The words "to present himself before the Lord" occur here, though not in Job 1:6, as Satan has now a special report to make as to Job.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-29**
Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Is 32:2. Zophar concludes, "This is the portion of a wicked man from God;" it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, w...
Read full commentary →It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors are upon him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>It is drawn, and cometh out of the body</strong> (שָׁלַף וַיֵּצֵא מִגֵּוָה, shalaph vayyetse miggevah)—the arrow is pulled out from the torso, the verb <em>shalaph</em> meaning to draw out or extract. <strong>The glittering sword cometh out of his gall</strong> (וּבָרָק מִמְּרֹרָתוֹ יֵצֵא, uvaraq mimerortho yetse)—<em>baraq</em> means lightning or glittering blade; <em>meroroth</em> (gall/...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **Yea, terrors overtake him.**—Even when he has escaped a second and a third calamity, terrors shall still be upon him. This was all perfectly true in a sense, yea, even a truism, but it was utterly false in its application to Job himself.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-29**
Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Is 32:2. Zophar concludes, "This is the portion of a wicked man from God;" it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, w...
Read full commentary →All darkness shall be hid in his secret places: a fire not blown shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tabernacle.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>All darkness shall be hid in his secret places</strong> (כָּל־חֹשֶׁךְ טָמוּן לִצְפּוּנָיו, kol-choshek tamun litsppunav)—<em>choshek</em> (darkness) represents calamity and divine judgment throughout Scripture. <em>Tamun</em> (hidden, stored up) suggests judgment lies in wait. <strong>A fire not blown shall consume him</strong> (תְּאָכְלֵהוּ אֵשׁ לֹא־נֻפָּח, te'akhelhu esh lo-nuppach)—divi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **All darkness shall be hid in his secret places.**—Rather, *All darkness, every kind of disaster, is laid up for his secret treasures.*
**A fire not blown.**—By human hands, &c.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. integrity--**literally, "completeness"; so "perfect," another form of the same Hebrew word, Job 11:7.
**movedst ... against--**So 1Sa 26:19; compare 1Ch 21:1 with 2Sa 24:1.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-29**
Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Is 32:2. Zophar concludes, "This is the portion of a wicked man from God;" it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, w...
Read full commentary →The heaven shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The heaven shall reveal his iniquity</strong> (יְגַלּוּ שָׁמַיִם עֲוֺנוֹ, yegallu shamayim avono)—<em>galah</em> means to uncover, reveal, or expose what was hidden. Heaven itself (<em>shamayim</em>) acts as prosecutor, revealing <em>avon</em> (iniquity, guilt, moral perversity). <strong>The earth shall rise up against him</strong> (וְאֶרֶץ מִתְקוֹמָמָה לוֹ, ve'erets mitqomamah lo)—<em>qum...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **The heaven shall reveal his iniquity.**—All nature shall combine to bring about his ruin, which is, in fact, decreed by God. We here take leave of Zophar, who does not reply again; he has exhausted himself, notwithstanding Job 20:2.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. Skin for skin--**a proverb. Supply, "He will give." The "skin" is figurative for any outward good. Nothing outward is so dear that a man will not exchange it for some other outward good; "but" (not "yea") "life," the inward good, cannot be replaced; a man will sacrifice everything else for its sake. Satan sneers bitterly at man's egotism and says that Job bears the loss of property and childr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-29**
Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Is 32:2. Zophar concludes, "This is the portion of a wicked man from God;" it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, w...
Read full commentary →The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The increase of his house shall depart</strong> (יִגֶל יְבוּל בֵּיתוֹ, yigel yevul betho)—<em>yigel</em> (shall depart, go into exile) suggests forced removal. <em>Yevul</em> means produce, income, or increase—everything accumulated through labor. <strong>His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath</strong> (נִגָּרוֹת בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ, niggaroth beyom appo)—<em>nagar</em> means to flow...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-29**
Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Is 32:2. Zophar concludes, "This is the portion of a wicked man from God;" it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, w...
Read full commentary →This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God. appointed: Heb. of his decree from God
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KJV Study Commentary
'This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.' Zophar concludes: this is the wicked's 'portion' (חֵלֶק, cheleq) from God and appointed 'heritage' (נַחֲלַת אִמְרוֹ, nachalat imro). 'Portion' and 'heritage' are covenant language, usually positive (Psalm 16:5, 73:26). Zophar inverts them: the wicked's inheritance is judgment. The theology is sound (Psalm 1...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. but save--**rather, "only spare his life." Satan shows his ingenuity in inflicting pain, and also his knowledge of what man's body can bear without vital injury.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 23-29**
Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Is 32:2. Zophar concludes, "This is the portion of a wicked man from God;" it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, w...
Read full commentary →