They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.
They were confounded {H954} because they had hoped {H982}; they came {H935} thither, and were ashamed {H2659}.
but they are disappointed, because they were confident; on arrival there, they are frustrated.
They are confounded because they had hoped; their arrival brings disappointment.
They were put to shame because they had hoped; They came thither, and were confounded.
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.
-
Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, [and] they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. -
Romans 9:33
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. -
Romans 5:5
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. -
Jeremiah 14:3
And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, [and] found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads. -
Jeremiah 14:4
Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.
Job 6:20 (KJV)
They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.
Context
Job 6 is part of Job's first response to his friend Eliphaz. Job is expressing the depth of his suffering and lamenting the lack of true comfort and understanding from his friends, who have come to visit him in his affliction. In the verses immediately preceding verse 20 (Job 6:15-19), Job compares his friends to deceitful brooks or streams that dry up in the heat of summer. Travelers, relying on these streams for water, approach with hope but find only emptiness and are left disappointed and ashamed. Verse 20 concludes this analogy, applying the fate of the disappointed travelers to anyone who puts their hope in something unreliable, specifically, in this context, the expected support and comfort from his friends.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The verse uses two different Hebrew words related to shame or confusion. "Confounded" comes from the Hebrew word bosh (בּוֹשׁ), which means to be ashamed, disappointed, or confused. "Ashamed" comes from chapher (חָפֵר), which carries a similar meaning of blushing, being abashed, or feeling shame. The use of two distinct but related terms emphasizes the intensity of the feeling of shame and disappointment experienced by those whose hopes were misplaced, highlighting the stark contrast between expectation and reality.
Reflection
Job's poignant words in Job 6:20 serve as a powerful reminder of the vulnerability of placing our ultimate hope and trust in human sources. Just as travelers in a desert landscape depend on water sources that can fail, we often look to people, circumstances, or resources for support and security. When these fail, as they inevitably can in a fallen world, the resulting feeling is one of deep disappointment, shame, and confusion, mirroring the experience described here.
This verse encourages us to consider the object of our hope. While healthy relationships and mutual support are vital, Job's experience, and indeed the broader message of scripture, points towards the steadfastness of God as the ultimate source of hope and help. Unlike the deceitful brooks, God is an ever-present help in trouble (see Psalm 46:1). Placing our hope in Him does not lead to shame (see Romans 5:5), unlike the hope placed in unreliable earthly things or people, which can leave us confounded and ashamed, just as Job described those who relied on the dried-up streams.