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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.
The pride of the hypocrite is said to “mount up as high as the heavens,” when his highmindedness has the appearance of leading a heavenly life. And his “head, as it were, reaches to the clouds,” when the leading part, that is, his intellect, is thought to equal the merits of the saints that have gone before. Yet “he perishes at last like his own dung,” because at his death, when he is led to torments, being full of the dung of evil habits, he is trampled underfoot by evil spirits.… It generally happens that the life of the hypocrite is discovered by all people at the end to be damnable, for it to be made apparent by plainer marks of what sort it was. Those who formerly saw him happy shall then say of him when dead, “Where is he?” For neither is he seen here, where he was elated, nor in the rest of eternity, which he was supposed to receive. Concerning the brevity of the hypocrite’s life, it is yet further added fittingly, “He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.” What else is the life of the hypocrite but the vision of a phantom that exhibits the facade that it does not possess in truth?
7. What else is the life of the hypocrite but the vision of a phantom, which exhibits that in semblance which it does not possess in truth? Whence too it is justly likened to ‘a dream,’ in that all praise and glory is, as it were, gone from him whilst it is being held. For oftentimes in a ‘vision of the night,’ some that are poor are full of wonder that they are made rich, they see honours awarded to them, they behold heaps of riches, a multitude of attendants, the most beautiful garments, abundance of food presented to them. They are delighted to have escaped poverty, which they bore with a grieved spirit; but on a sudden, when they wake, they find how false all the joy was which they felt, and they are sad that they have awoke, in that real want gripes them awake. Thus the minds of hypocrites, whilst what they do is one thing, and what they exhibit to men another, win applause by the mere exhibiting of holy living; in the esteem of men they are set before numbers that are better, and whilst they are highminded with the secret thought within, they exhibit themselves without as humble. And whereas they are excessively commended by men; they imagine that in the eyes of God also they are such, as they delight to make themselves known to be to their fellow-creatures. Hence it comes to pass that they assume that they will likewise obtain the rewards of eternal life, and they who triumph here below, upon the commendations of their fellow-creatures, doubt not for a moment that they will have rest there; but in the midst of this the secret hour of their call creeps upon them, and while they shut the eyes of the flesh they open those of the spirit, and so soon as they have gotten eternal punishments, they there see, that they were rich in the repute for virtues only in sleep. Well then is it said of such a hypocrite, Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. For this, that he sees himself for a brief space rich in man’s esteem, is of the show of a phantasm, not of the substance of virtue [al. of reality]. For when his soul wakes up at the dissolution of the flesh, it learns, assuredly, that it was in a sleeping state that it saw the partial regards of men about it.
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SUMMARY
Job 20:8, articulated by Zophar the Naamathite, powerfully conveys the conventional wisdom that the prosperity and very existence of the wicked are inherently fleeting and insubstantial. Through vivid and carefully chosen imagery, Zophar asserts that the unrighteous person's apparent success, influence, or even memory is as ephemeral and easily forgotten as a dream or a night vision, ultimately vanishing without a trace under the inevitable weight of divine judgment and the passage of time.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 20:8 is rich in Simile, employing two distinct comparisons to convey its message with striking clarity: the wicked are likened to a "dream" and a "vision of the night." These similes powerfully communicate the ephemeral, insubstantial, and ultimately forgotten nature of the wicked's prosperity and very existence. The verse also utilizes strong Parallelism, specifically Synonymous Parallelism, where the second clause ("yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night") reiterates and intensifies the meaning of the first clause ("He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found"). This repetition serves to emphasize the certainty, completeness, and inevitability of the wicked's downfall. Furthermore, the verse employs vivid Imagery, evoking a powerful sense of swift, effortless disappearance, like something intangible that dissipates into thin air, leaving no trace or memory. This imagery creates a compelling mental picture of utter annihilation and forgottenness.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
While Zophar's application of this principle to Job was flawed, insensitive, and ultimately proven incorrect in Job's specific case, the core theological truth embedded in Job 20:8 resonates profoundly throughout Scripture: the apparent prosperity of the wicked is ultimately an illusion, temporary and without lasting substance in the face of God's ultimate justice. This verse serves as a sober reminder that worldly success, power, or influence gained through unrighteous means is fundamentally fleeting and will not endure the test of time or divine scrutiny. It points to a divine order where true and lasting blessing is found only in righteousness, and where all that opposes God's will is destined for ultimate dissolution and forgottenness. The temporary nature of the wicked's triumph is a recurring biblical theme that encourages patience, perseverance, and unwavering trust in God's sovereign plan, assuring believers that divine judgment will inevitably expose and dismantle all that is built on an ungodly or unrighteous foundation.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 20:8, despite being part of Zophar's misguided and harsh counsel to Job, carries a timeless spiritual truth that offers both a solemn warning and a profound source of comfort for believers. It cautions us against the pervasive temptation to envy the apparent success, influence, or material prosperity of those who live without regard for God's commands or character, for their triumph is ultimately fleeting and lacks any true, eternal substance. What might seem like an enduring edifice of power, wealth, or worldly acclaim for the unrighteous is, in God's eternal perspective, as insubstantial and transient as a dream that vanishes completely upon waking. For those who may be suffering, struggling, or experiencing injustice while the wicked seem to flourish unchecked, this verse offers profound reassurance: divine justice will inevitably prevail. The temporary gains of the wicked will indeed dissipate like a forgotten dream, and their influence will be erased from memory. This truth encourages believers to fix their gaze not on the transient allure of worldly power or fleeting wealth, but on eternal values, a righteous foundation built on Christ, and the enduring, unfailing promises of God, knowing with certainty that only what is built on Him will truly last and bear eternal fruit.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Zophar's statement in Job 20:8 accurately reflect God's justice?
Answer: While Zophar's statement about the wicked's swift and complete destruction is a general principle found throughout wisdom literature (e.g., Psalm 73:18-20), his rigid and simplistic application of it to Job was ultimately flawed. The book of Job, as a whole, profoundly challenges the simplistic notion that all suffering is a direct, immediate, and proportional consequence of personal sin. However, the verse does accurately convey a universal and undeniable truth: unrighteousness and its temporary gains will not endure in the face of God's ultimate and perfect justice. The wicked's apparent success is indeed fleeting, an illusion that will eventually be dispelled by divine reckoning.
What comfort can believers draw from this verse?
Answer: Believers can draw significant and profound comfort from Job 20:8. In a world where the wicked often seem to prosper, and justice appears delayed or even absent, this verse serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty, His unwavering moral order, and His ultimate control over all things. It assures us that the triumph of the unrighteous is fundamentally temporary and unsubstantial, like a dream that fades into nothingness upon waking. This truth encourages patience, perseverance in righteousness, and unwavering trust in God's perfect timing for judgment and ultimate vindication. It reinforces the biblical promise that God sees all, knows all, and will ultimately set all things right, as seen in passages like Romans 12:19.
How does this verse relate to the prosperity of the wicked seen in the world today?
Answer: Job 20:8 provides a timeless and crucial perspective on the contemporary reality of the wicked's apparent prosperity and influence in the world. It reminds us that such success, no matter how grand, powerful, or influential it appears to be, is fundamentally unstable, lacks eternal substance, and is built on a foundation that will not last. Just as a dream dissolves upon waking, so too will the power, wealth, and influence built on unrighteousness ultimately collapse and be forgotten in the light of God's eternal truth and judgment. This perspective encourages believers not to be dismayed, discouraged, or envious, but to maintain their unwavering focus on God's enduring kingdom and the eternal rewards of righteousness, as Christ Himself taught in Matthew 6:19-21.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Zophar's words in Job 20:8 were spoken from a limited and flawed understanding of God's intricate ways, and certainly misapplied to Job's unique suffering, they powerfully foreshadow a profound Christ-centered truth: the ultimate and complete vanquishing of all that opposes God and His righteous kingdom. The "dream" of worldly power, the pervasive dominion of sin, and the seemingly inescapable grip of death, which once held humanity captive, were decisively shattered and exposed as insubstantial by the glorious reality of Christ's perfect life, atoning death, and triumphant resurrection. The wicked's fleeting existence and their ultimate "not found" status find their fullest expression in the decisive triumph of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world over all evil, darkness, and unrighteousness. Jesus, through His cross and resurrection, disarmed the principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (as profoundly described in Colossians 2:15). The "vision of the night"—the deceptive allure, the temporary reign, and the illusory substance of unrighteousness—is utterly dispelled and rendered null by the glorious dawn of Christ's eternal, unshakeable kingdom. He is the ultimate and righteous Judge who will definitively separate the righteous from the wicked, ensuring that those who reject Him will indeed "fly away" and "not be found" in the eternal, blessed presence of God (Matthew 25:41). Conversely, for those who are found in Christ, their hope is not a fleeting dream but an eternal, tangible reality, secured by His enduring righteousness, His everlasting reign, and His promise of resurrection life (Revelation 11:15).