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Commentary on Job 20 verses 1–9
Here, I. Zophar begins very passionately, and seems to be in a great heat at what Job had said. Being resolved to condemn Job for a bad man, he was much displeased that he talked so like a good man, and, as it should seem, broke in upon him, and began abruptly (Job 20:2): Therefore do my thoughts cause me to answer. He takes no notice of what Job had said to move their pity, or to evidence his own integrity, but fastens upon the reproof he gave them in the close of his discourse, counts that a reproach, and thinks himself therefore obliged to answer, because Job had bidden them be afraid of the sword, that he might not seem to be frightened by his menaces. The best counsel is too often ill taken from an antagonist, and therefore usually may be well spared. Zophar seemed more in haste to speak than became a wise man; but he excuses his haste with two things: - 1. That Job had given him strong provocation (Job 20:3): "I have heard the check of my reproach, and cannot bear to hear it any longer." Job's friends, I doubt, had spirits too high to deal with a man in his low condition; and high spirits are impatient of contradiction, and think themselves affronted if all about them do not say as they say; they cannot bear a check but they call it the check of their reproach, and then they are bound in honour to return it, if not to draw upon him that gave it. 2. That his own heart gave him a strong instigation. His thoughts caused him to answer (Job 20:2), for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks; but he fathers the instigation (Job 20:3) upon the spirit of his understanding: that indeed should cause us to answer; we should rightly apprehend a thing and duly consider it before we speak of it; but whether it did so here or no is a question. Men often mistake the dictates of their passion for the dictates of their reason, and therefore think they do well to be angry.
II. Zophar proceeds very plainly to show the ruin and destruction of wicked people, insinuating that because Job was destroyed and ruined he was certainly a wicked man and a hypocrite. Observe,
1.How this doctrine is introduced, Job 20:4, where he appeals, (1.) To Job's own knowledge and conviction: "Knowest thou not this? Canst thou be ignorant of a truth so plain? Or canst thou doubt of a truth which has been confirmed by the suffrages of all mankind?" Those know little who do not know that the wages of sin is death. (2.) To the experience of all ages. It was known of old, since man was placed upon the earth; that is, ever since man was made he has had this truth written in his heart, that the sin of sinners will be their ruin; and ever since there were instances of wickedness (which there were soon after man was placed on the earth) there were instances of the punishments of it, witness the exclusions of Adam and Cain. When sin entered into the world death entered with it: all the world knows that evil pursues sinners, whom vengeance suffers not to live (Act 28:4), and subscribes to that (Isa 3:11), Woe to the wicked; it shall be ill with him, sooner or later.
2.How it is laid down (Job 20:5): The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. Observe, (1.) He asserts the misery, not only of those who are openly wicked and profane, but of hypocrites, who secretly practice wickedness under a show and profession of religion, because such a wicked man he looked upon Job to be; and it is true that a form of godliness, if it be made use of for a cloak of maliciousness, does but make bad worse. Dissembled piety is double iniquity, and the ruin that attends it will be accordingly. The hottest place in hell will be the portion of hypocrites, as our Saviour intimates, Mat 24:51. (2.) He grants that wicked men may for a time prosper, may be secure and easy, and very merry. You may see them in triumph and joy, triumphing and rejoicing in their wealth and power, their grandeur and success, triumphing and rejoicing over their poor honest neighbours whom they vex and oppress: they feel no evil, they fear none. Job's friends were loth to own, at first, that wicked people might prosper at all (Job 4:9), until Job proved it plainly (Job 9:24, Job 12:6), and now Zophar yields it; but, (3.) He lays it down for a certain truth that they will not prosper long. Their joy is but for a moment, and will quickly end in endless sorrow. Though he be ever so great, and rich, and jovial, the hypocrite will be humbled, and mortified, and made miserable.
3.How it is illustrated, Job 20:6-9. (1.) He supposes his prosperity to be very high, as high as you can imagine, Job 20:6. It is not his wisdom and virtue, but his worldly wealth or greatness, that he accounts his excellency, and values himself upon. We will suppose that to mount up to the heavens, and, since his spirit always rises with his condition, you may suppose that with it his head reaches to the clouds. He is every way advanced; the world has done the utmost it can for him. He looks down upon all about him with disdain, while they look up to him with admiration, envy, or fear. We will suppose him to bid fair for a universal monarchy. And, though he cannot but have made himself many enemies before he arrived to this pitch of prosperity, yet he thinks himself as much out of the reach of their darts as if he were in the clouds. (2.) He is confident that his ruin will accordingly be very great, and his fall the more dreadful for his having risen so high: He shall perish for ever, Job 20:7. His pride and security were the certain presages of his misery. This will certainly be true of all impenitent sinners in the other world; they shall be undone, for ever undone. But Zophar means his ruin in this world; and indeed sometimes notorious sinners are remarkably cut off by present judgments; they have reason enough to fear what Zophar here threatens even the triumphant sinner with. [1.] A shameful destruction: He shall perish like his own dung or dunghill, so loathsome is he to God and all good men, and so willing will the world be to part with him, Psa 119:119; Isa 66:24. [2.] A surprising destruction. He will be brought into desolation in a moment (Psa 73:19), so that those about him, that saw him but just now, will ask, "Where is he? Could he that made so great a figure vanish and expire so suddenly?" [3.] A swift destruction, Job 20:8. He shall fly away upon the wings of his own terrors, and be chased away by the just imprecations of all about him, who would gladly get rid of him. [4.] An utter destruction. It will be total; he shall go away like a dream, or vision of the night, which was a mere phantasm, and, whatever in it pleased the fancy, it is quite gone, and nothing of it remains but what serves us to laugh at the folly of. It will be final (Job 20:9): The eye that saw him, and was ready to adore him, shall see him no more, and the place he filled shall no more behold him, having given him an eternal farewell when he went to his own place, as Judas, Act 1:25.
In this passage Zophar speaks impudently and seriously insults Job. By scorning him, as the other two friends had already done, Zophar also defamed him for the following reason. After the beginning, after human beings came into existence, they felt “joy” and happiness in the fall “of the impious” and the “destruction of the iniquitous.” Zophar wants to include Job among them as well, according to what he says afterwards. Actually, forgetting that great number of people, Zophar addresses his words to a single person.
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SUMMARY
Job 20:5 encapsulates Zophar the Naamathite's dogmatic assertion that the prosperity and exultation of the wicked are inherently fleeting and superficial. Presented as a rhetorical question implying an obvious truth, this verse serves as a direct challenge to Job's lament about the apparent flourishing of the ungodly, reinforcing Zophar's rigid theological framework where God's justice is always immediate and visible, ensuring that any success achieved by those outside of righteousness is destined for a swift and inevitable downfall.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Job 20:5 is a pivotal statement within Zophar's second and final speech, found in Job 20. This speech immediately follows Job's passionate defense in Job 19, where Job expresses his profound suffering and his hope in a future vindicator. Zophar, like his friends Eliphaz and Bildad, operates under the traditional retribution theology, which posits a direct, immediate correlation between sin and suffering, and righteousness and prosperity. In Job 20, Zophar reiterates and intensifies his earlier arguments from Job 11, focusing relentlessly on the swift and comprehensive destruction of the wicked. Verse 5 functions as the thesis statement for his detailed descriptions of the wicked's downfall in the subsequent verses, particularly Job 20:6-29. He uses it to dismiss Job's complaints as unfounded, implying that Job's suffering is proof of his wickedness, as no truly righteous person would experience such prolonged distress.
Historical & Cultural Context: In the ancient Near East, a strong belief in divine retribution was prevalent. It was commonly held that gods rewarded the righteous with blessings (health, wealth, offspring) and punished the wicked with curses (disease, poverty, misfortune). This worldview provided a seemingly logical explanation for the order of the cosmos and the justice of the divine. Job's friends, including Zophar, are firmly rooted in this conventional wisdom. They interpret Job's extraordinary suffering through this lens, concluding that he must have committed grievous sins, even if hidden. The concept of "hypocrite" (or "godless/impious" as a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew) also reflects a societal concern for outward piety versus inner corruption, a theme found in various wisdom traditions. Zophar's argument, while culturally resonant in its general premise of divine justice, is misapplied to Job's unique situation, failing to account for the complexities of suffering that transcend simple cause-and-effect, a truth ultimately revealed by God in Job 38-41.
Key Themes: Job 20:5 contributes significantly to several key themes within the book of Job and broader wisdom literature. The most prominent theme is the fleeting nature of wicked prosperity. Zophar asserts that any success or joy experienced by the unrighteous is inherently temporary and unstable, contrasting sharply with the enduring peace and hope available to the righteous, a concept explored in Psalm 73. Another crucial theme is divine justice, though Zophar's portrayal is flawed. While the Bible affirms God's ultimate justice, Zophar insists on its immediate and visible dispensation in this life, particularly concerning individual suffering, a view challenged by Job's experience and later nuanced by the book's resolution in Job 42. Finally, the verse touches upon the emptiness of hypocrisy. The "joy of the hypocrite" is highlighted as particularly short-lived, emphasizing that pretense and ungodliness cannot yield lasting satisfaction. True joy, as the book of Job ultimately suggests, stems from genuine faith, integrity, and a right relationship with God, regardless of outward circumstances.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 20:5 employs several potent literary devices to convey Zophar's unwavering conviction. Primarily, it is framed as a Rhetorical Question, implying that the answer is so self-evident that it requires no explicit statement. Zophar is not genuinely seeking information but rather asserting a dogmatic truth he believes Job should acknowledge. This rhetorical strategy serves to underscore Zophar's certainty and to shame Job into agreement. The verse also utilizes Synonymous Parallelism, where the second clause ("and the joy of the hypocrite [but] for a moment?") echoes and reinforces the meaning of the first ("That the triumphing of the wicked [is] short"). This repetition emphasizes the brevity and impermanence of unrighteous prosperity from two slightly different angles, intensifying the message. Furthermore, there is an element of Irony in Zophar's statement, as his rigid assertion of immediate divine retribution stands in stark contrast to Job's prolonged and inexplicable suffering, which is the very problem the book of Job seeks to address. Zophar's confident pronouncements, while containing a kernel of truth about ultimate justice, are ironically misapplied and ultimately proven inadequate by the broader narrative.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 20:5, despite being spoken by a character whose theology is ultimately deemed flawed by God, touches upon a profound biblical truth: the ultimate instability of unrighteous prosperity. While Zophar errs in his rigid application of this principle to Job's specific suffering, the broader biblical narrative consistently affirms that worldly success gained through wickedness or hypocrisy is ephemeral. God's justice, though not always immediate or discernible to human eyes, will ultimately prevail, ensuring that true and lasting joy is found not in temporary earthly triumphs but in a righteous relationship with the Creator. This verse serves as a caution against envy of the wicked and a call to trust in God's perfect timing and judgment, reminding believers that true security and lasting peace are rooted in spiritual integrity rather than material gain.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 20:5 offers a powerful and timeless reminder for believers navigating a world where injustice often seems to prevail and the ungodly appear to prosper. It challenges us not to be disheartened or swayed by the temporary successes or the outward "triumphing" of those who operate without integrity, compassion, or a genuine fear of God. Zophar's words, while misapplied to Job, correctly point out that joy built on a foundation of hypocrisy or unrighteousness is inherently unstable and fleeting. This calls us to cultivate a long-term, eternal perspective, trusting that God's ultimate justice will set all things right, even if we don't see it immediately. Our focus should be on cultivating genuine faith and integrity, knowing that true, lasting joy and peace are spiritual fruits that transcend worldly circumstances and are not dependent on fleeting external validation or material gain. We are encouraged to patiently endure, knowing that our ultimate reward and vindication come from God, whose timing is perfect and whose judgments are righteous.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse mean that all suffering is a result of sin?
Answer: No, not necessarily. While Job 20:5, as spoken by Zophar, reflects a common ancient Near Eastern belief that suffering is a direct consequence of sin, the entire book of Job challenges and ultimately refutes this simplistic view. Job's suffering is explicitly stated in Job 1 to be a test of his righteousness, not a punishment for sin. The book demonstrates that God's ways are more complex than human understanding, and suffering can have multiple purposes beyond direct retribution. While sin does bring consequences, not all suffering is a direct result of personal sin, and the righteous can indeed suffer, as seen in Job's experience and later in the life of Christ.
How can I reconcile Zophar's statement with the reality that some wicked people seem to prosper their entire lives?
Answer: Zophar's statement reflects a partial truth that is often affirmed in wisdom literature (e.g., Psalm 37). However, his error lies in his rigid insistence on immediate and visible retribution in this earthly life. The Bible acknowledges that the wicked can indeed prosper for extended periods, which often causes distress for the righteous (e.g., Psalm 73). The reconciliation lies in understanding that divine justice operates on God's timetable, which extends beyond human lifespan and earthly circumstances. Ultimate justice is guaranteed in the eschatological future, where every deed will be judged (Ecclesiastes 12:14) and the true, eternal consequences of righteousness and wickedness will be revealed. The "short" and "momentary" nature of the wicked's triumph refers not necessarily to their earthly lifespan, but to the ultimate, eternal emptiness and futility of their achievements in the face of God's enduring kingdom.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Job 20:5, spoken by Zophar, focuses on the fleeting nature of the wicked's triumph and the hypocrite's joy, its ultimate fulfillment and deepest meaning are found in Jesus Christ. The world's pursuit of temporary "triumphing" and "joy" through power, wealth, and self-aggrandizement, often achieved through unrighteous means, stands in stark contrast to the eternal kingdom inaugurated by Christ. Jesus himself exposed the emptiness of hypocrisy, particularly among the religious leaders of His day, whose outward piety masked inner corruption (Matthew 23:27-28). He taught that true joy and lasting treasure are found not in earthly accumulation but in seeking God's kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:19-21). The ultimate "triumphing" of the wicked, culminating in the crucifixion of Christ, was indeed "short," as it was swiftly followed by His glorious resurrection, which utterly defeated sin, death, and the power of the devil (Colossians 2:15). Christ, the righteous one who suffered unjustly, perfectly exemplifies that God's justice is not always immediate or visible in this life, but it is always ultimate and redemptive. His kingdom, unlike the transient empires of this world, is an everlasting kingdom, and the joy He offers to His followers is an eternal, unshakeable joy that no one can take away (John 16:22). Thus, Job 20:5, through the lens of Christ, serves as a powerful reminder to fix our eyes on the eternal reality of God's reign and the true, enduring joy found in Him, rather than on the fleeting illusions of worldly success.