# Job 20 š: Zophar on the Wicked's Portion
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[[-Job Overview]] | [[Job 20]] | [[Job 21]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### Zopharās Second Speech
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā āThis is whyĀ my troubled thoughts bring me backā
because of my feelingsĀ within me.
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā WhenĀ I hear a reproof that dishonorsĀ me,
then my understandingĀ prompts me to answer.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā āSurely you knowĀ that it has been from old,
ever since humankind was placedĀ on the earth,
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā that the elation of the wicked is brief,
the joy of the godlessĀ lasts but a moment.
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā Even though his statureĀ reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā he will perish forever, like his own excrement;
those who used to see him will say, āWhere is he?ā
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found,
and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā PeopleĀ who had seen him will not see him again,
and the place where he was
will recognize him no longer.
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā His sons must recompenseĀ the poor;
his own handsĀ must return his wealth.
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā His bonesĀ were full of his youthful vigor,
but that vigor will lie down with him in the dust.
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā āIfĀ evil is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā if he retains it for himself
and does not let it go,
and holds it fast in his mouth,
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā his food is turned sourĀ in his stomach;
it becomes the venom of serpentsĀ within him.
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā The wealth that he consumedĀ he vomits up,
God will make him throw it outĀ of his stomach.
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā He sucks the poisonĀ of serpents;
the fangsĀ of a viperĀ kill him.
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā He will not look on the streams,
the rivers that are the torrents
of honey and butter.
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā He gives back the ill-gotten gain
without assimilating it; he will not enjoy the wealth from his commerce.
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them;
he has seized a house which he did not build.
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite;
he does not let anything he desiresĀ escape.
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā āNothing is left for him to devour;
that is why his prosperity does not last.
[[#Verse 22.]]Ā In the fullness of his sufficiency,
distress overtakesĀ him.
The full force of misery will come upon him.
[[#Verse 23.]]Ā āWhile he isĀ filling his belly,
GodĀ sends his burning angerĀ against him,
and rains down his blows upon him.
[[#Verse 24.]]Ā If he flees from an iron weapon,
then an arrowĀ from a bronze bow pierces him.
[[#Verse 25.]]Ā When he pulls it outĀ and it comes out of his back,
the gleaming pointĀ out of his liver,
terrors come over him.
[[#Verse 26.]]Ā Total darkness waits to receive his treasures;
a fire that has not been kindled
will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.
[[#Verse 27.]]Ā The heavens reveal his iniquity;
the earth rises up against him.
[[#Verse 28.]]Ā A flood will carry off his house,
rushing waters on the day of Godās wrath.
[[#Verse 29.]]Ā Such is the lot God allots the wicked,
and the heritage of his appointmentĀ from God.ā
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
###### Verse 26.
###### Verse 27.
###### Verse 28.
###### Verse 29.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. This is Zophar's second and final speech in the book.
2. Zophar says he feels insulted by Job's words (20:3).
3. Zophar says the wicked will vanish like a dream or a vision of the night (20:8).
4. Zophar describes sin as a tasty food the wicked hold in their mouth (20:12-13).
5. The poison of cobras and vipers (20:14, 20:16) pictures evil turning on the one who enjoys it.
6. Streams of honey and butter (20:17) were symbols of abundance.
7. Zophar accuses the wicked of crushing the poor and seizing houses they did not build (20:19).
8. Zophar says the wicked may flee an iron weapon only to be pierced by an arrow from a bronze bow (20:24).
9. Zophar ends by calling this the heritage God has appointed for the wicked (20:29), a phrase Job will dispute.
10. Zophar never addresses Job's actual claims of innocence.
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the true and lasting treasure. Zophar says the wicked swallow riches and then vomit them up (20:15), but Jesus calls us to store up treasure in heaven where nothing can take it away (Matthew 6:19-21).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. Zophar says the joy of the wicked is brief (20:5). Why is that true in the long run, even when it seems false now?
2. Zophar describes evil as sweet in the mouth but poison in the stomach (20:12-14). How have you seen sin promise sweetness and deliver bitterness?
3. What does this chapter teach about chasing wealth at the expense of others (20:19-20)?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 5: The triumph of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless lasts only a moment.
- š verse 15: The wicked swallow riches, but God makes them vomit them up.
- š verse 29: This is the portion God appoints for the wicked.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Matthew 06#Verse 19.|Matthew 6:19-21]] - Store up treasure in heaven.
- š [[Psalm 37#Verse 01.|Psalm 37:1-2]] - Do not envy evildoers; they will soon wither.
- š [[Psalm 73#Verse 16.|Psalm 73:16-20]] - Then I understood their final destiny.
- š [[Luke 12#Verse 16.|Luke 12:16-21]] - The parable of the rich fool.
- š [[Proverbs 20#Verse 17.|Proverbs 20:17]] - Bread gained by deceit is sweet, but later gravel.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Job 20 - SOAP|Evil is Temporary]]
## š Internal Notes