Job 20:29

This [is] the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.

This is the portion {H2506} of a wicked {H7563} man {H120} from God {H430}, and the heritage {H5159} appointed {H561} unto him by God {H410}.

This is God's reward for the wicked, the heritage God decrees for him."

This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”

This is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the heritage appointed unto him by God.

Job 20:29 KJV concludes Zophar the Naamathite's final speech, forcefully stating his belief about the destiny of the wicked. Zophar, one of Job's three friends, consistently argues that suffering is a direct consequence of sin, and this verse serves as his definitive summary of that conviction.

Context

This verse is the culmination of Zophar's impassioned discourse in Job chapter 20, where he vividly describes the fleeting prosperity and inevitable downfall of the wicked. He maintains that God's justice is swift and visible, ensuring that evil deeds are met with immediate and severe punishment. For Zophar and his friends, Job's immense suffering was irrefutable proof of his hidden wickedness, despite Job's protestations of innocence. Their theological framework struggled to comprehend righteous suffering, leading them to misinterpret Job's situation and God's ways. This verse encapsulates their rigid doctrine of immediate divine retribution.

Key Themes

  • Divine Retribution: The central theme is that God actively punishes the wicked, meting out their "portion" and "heritage" of suffering and destruction.
  • God's Justice (from Zophar's View): Zophar presents a simplified view of God's justice, where all earthly suffering is a direct indicator of sin. The book of Job as a whole challenges this simplistic understanding, revealing a more complex picture of God's sovereignty and wisdom, as seen later when God speaks from the whirlwind.
  • Consequences of Wickedness: The verse powerfully asserts that a life of wickedness leads to an inescapable negative outcome, divinely ordained.
  • Sovereignty of God: Even in Zophar's flawed theology, there is an acknowledgment that God is the ultimate authority who "appoints" destinies.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV uses two significant terms: "portion" (Hebrew: cheleq - חֵלֶק) and "heritage" (Hebrew: nachalah - נַחֲלָה). Both words commonly refer to an allotted share, inheritance, or destiny. While nachalah often implies a positive, lasting inheritance (like land for Israel), here Zophar uses it ironically to describe a negative, divinely assigned fate of punishment for the wicked. The repetition of "from God" and "by God" strongly emphasizes the divine origin and certainty of this judgment in Zophar's mind.

Practical Application

While Zophar's specific application to Job was incorrect, Job 20:29 still reminds us of profound truths. There are indeed consequences for wickedness, and God is ultimately just. However, the book of Job teaches us to be cautious about attributing all suffering directly to specific sins, as Jesus later clarifies in John 9:3. We should avoid the judgmental spirit of Job's friends. Instead, the verse encourages reflection on the long-term outcomes of moral choices and the ultimate truth that God’s justice will prevail, even if its manifestations are not always clear or immediate in this life. It underscores the importance of living righteously, not out of fear of immediate retribution, but out of reverence for a just God.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Job 27:13

    This [is] the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, [which] they shall receive of the Almighty.

  • Job 31:2

    For what portion of God [is there] from above? and [what] inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

  • Job 31:3

    [Is] not destruction to the wicked? and a strange [punishment] to the workers of iniquity?

  • Job 18:21

    Surely such [are] the dwellings of the wicked, and this [is] the place [of him that] knoweth not God.

  • Matthew 24:51

    And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

  • Lamentations 3:38

    Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?

  • Psalms 11:5

    The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

Add TrulyRandomVerse to your Home Screen for quick access!

← Back