Job 38

Job 38:1

The Supplication for Pity

Job has reached the nadir of the description of his situation. He makes a heartbreaking appeal to those he emphatically calls “my friends” to have pity on him (Job 19:21; cf. Job 6:14). He particularly needs their help now that God’s hand has hit him so hard (Job 1-2). That hand still rests heavily on him, without giving him a reason for it. He yearns for them to help him bear the suffering.

Now it is still the case for Job that they persecute him and behave toward him as God behaves toward him (Job 19:22). When will they be saturated with his flesh? When they see him, should it not dawn on them how much he suffers? Is this not sufficient reason to stop tormenting him with their accusations, making his suffering all the greater?

Job is so sure that he suffers innocently that he wishes his words to be written down and inscribed in a book (Job 19:23). Then future generations will be able to read his defense. He is convinced that they will come to the conclusion that his accusers are wrong and he really is innocent.

He also wants them, in addition to being inscribed in a book, to be “engraved in the rock with an iron stylus and lead forever” (Job 19:24). After all, a book can perish or be lost, but what is engraved in a rock and filled with lead is very durable and remains legible for a long time. In this way he wants to lift his ‘right’, the testimony about his innocence and the injustice done to him, over his death.

What Job desires has been done in a much more convincing way than he proposes. His words have been taken up by God in His Word, the eternal Word. Only that did not happen as he intended it to record his innocence forever, but to teach us about God’s dealings with a man to whom He wishes to reveal Himself.

Job’s words come from the desire to defend his sincerity. Thus he has defended his words before (Job 7:7-11; Job 10:1; Job 13:3; 13-14). They are also a direct answer to Bildad’s harsh words that his memory will perish on earth and that his name will be extinct (Job 18:17). Both Job and Bildad know the truth of the words of wisdom: “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7). Job clings to the first part, Bildad uses the second part for Job.

Job 38:2

The Supplication for Pity

Job has reached the nadir of the description of his situation. He makes a heartbreaking appeal to those he emphatically calls “my friends” to have pity on him (Job 19:21; cf. Job 6:14). He particularly needs their help now that God’s hand has hit him so hard (Job 1-2). That hand still rests heavily on him, without giving him a reason for it. He yearns for them to help him bear the suffering.

Now it is still the case for Job that they persecute him and behave toward him as God behaves toward him (Job 19:22). When will they be saturated with his flesh? When they see him, should it not dawn on them how much he suffers? Is this not sufficient reason to stop tormenting him with their accusations, making his suffering all the greater?

Job is so sure that he suffers innocently that he wishes his words to be written down and inscribed in a book (Job 19:23). Then future generations will be able to read his defense. He is convinced that they will come to the conclusion that his accusers are wrong and he really is innocent.

He also wants them, in addition to being inscribed in a book, to be “engraved in the rock with an iron stylus and lead forever” (Job 19:24). After all, a book can perish or be lost, but what is engraved in a rock and filled with lead is very durable and remains legible for a long time. In this way he wants to lift his ‘right’, the testimony about his innocence and the injustice done to him, over his death.

What Job desires has been done in a much more convincing way than he proposes. His words have been taken up by God in His Word, the eternal Word. Only that did not happen as he intended it to record his innocence forever, but to teach us about God’s dealings with a man to whom He wishes to reveal Himself.

Job’s words come from the desire to defend his sincerity. Thus he has defended his words before (Job 7:7-11; Job 10:1; Job 13:3; 13-14). They are also a direct answer to Bildad’s harsh words that his memory will perish on earth and that his name will be extinct (Job 18:17). Both Job and Bildad know the truth of the words of wisdom: “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7). Job clings to the first part, Bildad uses the second part for Job.

Job 38:3

The Supplication for Pity

Job has reached the nadir of the description of his situation. He makes a heartbreaking appeal to those he emphatically calls “my friends” to have pity on him (Job 19:21; cf. Job 6:14). He particularly needs their help now that God’s hand has hit him so hard (Job 1-2). That hand still rests heavily on him, without giving him a reason for it. He yearns for them to help him bear the suffering.

Now it is still the case for Job that they persecute him and behave toward him as God behaves toward him (Job 19:22). When will they be saturated with his flesh? When they see him, should it not dawn on them how much he suffers? Is this not sufficient reason to stop tormenting him with their accusations, making his suffering all the greater?

Job is so sure that he suffers innocently that he wishes his words to be written down and inscribed in a book (Job 19:23). Then future generations will be able to read his defense. He is convinced that they will come to the conclusion that his accusers are wrong and he really is innocent.

He also wants them, in addition to being inscribed in a book, to be “engraved in the rock with an iron stylus and lead forever” (Job 19:24). After all, a book can perish or be lost, but what is engraved in a rock and filled with lead is very durable and remains legible for a long time. In this way he wants to lift his ‘right’, the testimony about his innocence and the injustice done to him, over his death.

What Job desires has been done in a much more convincing way than he proposes. His words have been taken up by God in His Word, the eternal Word. Only that did not happen as he intended it to record his innocence forever, but to teach us about God’s dealings with a man to whom He wishes to reveal Himself.

Job’s words come from the desire to defend his sincerity. Thus he has defended his words before (Job 7:7-11; Job 10:1; Job 13:3; 13-14). They are also a direct answer to Bildad’s harsh words that his memory will perish on earth and that his name will be extinct (Job 18:17). Both Job and Bildad know the truth of the words of wisdom: “The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7). Job clings to the first part, Bildad uses the second part for Job.

Job 38:4

The Triumph of Faith

Then in these verses we suddenly see another ray of light of Job’s faith. Instead of being engraved in a stone rock on earth, Job now seeks it higher up by the Living Rock. He speaks of a Redeemer, Whom he very personally calls “my Redeemer” (Job 19:25). His rock (Job 19:24) is his Redeemer. In Hebrew the word “I” is emphasized at the beginning of the verse. It shows Job’s firm conviction: ‘I, yes I, know.’

The word “lives” is more than “being alive”. It implies that the Redeemer will continue His work to establish Jobs’ sincerity and to justify him from the charges against him. This is also contained in the words of Job in the last verses of this chapter.

In two previous chapters (Job 9; 16) where Job expresses his deep bitterness toward God, he also spoke of the Person Whom he calls here “Redeemer”. In Job 9 he notices the absence of that Person: “There is no umpire between us” (Job 9:33), including the question: “If only there was one.” In Job 16 he pronounces that this Person is Someone Who knows and looks after His cause: “My witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high” (Job 16:19). Here in Job 19 this grows to the conviction that He is a living Redeemer, Someone Who gives Him all that belongs to Him: “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Job has more in mind here than just Someone Who will testify to his sincerity. In Job 16 he sees himself as a victim of murder when he shouts: “O earth, do not cover my blood” (Job 16:18). He is counting on his Savior, his Goel, to testify for him, but also to do him justice. He knows that God will do this after his death. He does not yet know that God will do him justice on earth. That makes his statements statements of faith.

The Hebrew word for ‘redeemer’ is goel. Depending on the context, this word is also translated as ‘blood avenger’. The word is important in the Old Testament jurisprudence. It has an aspect relating to crime and an aspect relating to civil relations. As the ‘blood avenger’, the goel had the responsibility to avenge the blood of a killed family member (Numbers 35:12-28). He was not seeking vengeance, but justice. The redeemer or goel, also restores lost rights or loss of property. He upholds justice (Leviticus 25:25-34).

Regarding the civil aspect, the goel had the responsibility to “repurchase” and thereby redeem the lost inheritance of a deceased family member. This could be done by buying free from slavery or by marrying the widow to provide for an heir. As such, he was the defender of the oppressed, as we see in the book of Ruth (Rth 4:1-10; Proverbs 23:10-11). In the exodus and at the exile, God is the Goel of His oppressed people (Exodus 6:6; Isaiah 43:1). As the Goel the LORD frees persons from death (Psalms 103:4).

Because his Redeemer lives, Job also knows that this Redeemer “at the last … will take His stand on the earth [literally: dust]”. This means that He will exercise His dominion over all matter, including man, who is dust. “Take His stand” means to move in order to take action. The Redeemer will rise up and come to earth to restore everything and do justice everywhere.

Job expects to die and that of his body in the grave nothing will remain (Job 19:26). When he dies he is stripped of his skin. However, even though his skin is gone, he will see God from his flesh. Here it appears that Job has faith in the resurrection. Here he speaks as his conviction the truth of a literal, bodily resurrection. With his statement about the resurrection Job ‘plants the flag of victory on his own grave’. David also spoke about the resurrection (Acts 2:31). The believers in the Old Testament know that there is a resurrection (Psalms 17:15; Isaiah 38:11-19).

In addition to his faith in the resurrection, he also believes that he will then see God. He will not hear God speak His decision in favor of him from a distance, but he will stand face to face with God in a glorified body. He will see God in the face of Jesus Christ Who is the image of God. Sickness and the grave will consume his body, but that is not the end of his existence. He says, as it were, what David later says: “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake” (Psalms 17:15).

He himself shall behold God with His own eyes (Job 19:27). It is that God Whom he now experiences as Someone Who is against him. At the same time he knows of that God that He is his God. There is no other God. God is the God on Whom he has always trusted, even though he is in despair about His dealings with him. He knows God and God knows him. Job will be no other person, no stranger, someone kept at a distance because he has no relationship with God. God is also no other God than the God he has served on earth.

His longing is not for the recovery of his health, the liberation from all his troubles and the return to his former prosperity and well-being, to all that God has ever given him. He knows that this is unattainable, he does not believe in it. What he longs for is what is greater than all earthly prosperity, and that is God Himself. That desire is so great that it causes his heart to faint within him. It indicates the intense and total longing of all that is within him. At the end of the book this longing is fulfilled already in a sense, while he receives in addition what he didn’t ask for.

Job 38:5

The Triumph of Faith

Then in these verses we suddenly see another ray of light of Job’s faith. Instead of being engraved in a stone rock on earth, Job now seeks it higher up by the Living Rock. He speaks of a Redeemer, Whom he very personally calls “my Redeemer” (Job 19:25). His rock (Job 19:24) is his Redeemer. In Hebrew the word “I” is emphasized at the beginning of the verse. It shows Job’s firm conviction: ‘I, yes I, know.’

The word “lives” is more than “being alive”. It implies that the Redeemer will continue His work to establish Jobs’ sincerity and to justify him from the charges against him. This is also contained in the words of Job in the last verses of this chapter.

In two previous chapters (Job 9; 16) where Job expresses his deep bitterness toward God, he also spoke of the Person Whom he calls here “Redeemer”. In Job 9 he notices the absence of that Person: “There is no umpire between us” (Job 9:33), including the question: “If only there was one.” In Job 16 he pronounces that this Person is Someone Who knows and looks after His cause: “My witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high” (Job 16:19). Here in Job 19 this grows to the conviction that He is a living Redeemer, Someone Who gives Him all that belongs to Him: “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Job has more in mind here than just Someone Who will testify to his sincerity. In Job 16 he sees himself as a victim of murder when he shouts: “O earth, do not cover my blood” (Job 16:18). He is counting on his Savior, his Goel, to testify for him, but also to do him justice. He knows that God will do this after his death. He does not yet know that God will do him justice on earth. That makes his statements statements of faith.

The Hebrew word for ‘redeemer’ is goel. Depending on the context, this word is also translated as ‘blood avenger’. The word is important in the Old Testament jurisprudence. It has an aspect relating to crime and an aspect relating to civil relations. As the ‘blood avenger’, the goel had the responsibility to avenge the blood of a killed family member (Numbers 35:12-28). He was not seeking vengeance, but justice. The redeemer or goel, also restores lost rights or loss of property. He upholds justice (Leviticus 25:25-34).

Regarding the civil aspect, the goel had the responsibility to “repurchase” and thereby redeem the lost inheritance of a deceased family member. This could be done by buying free from slavery or by marrying the widow to provide for an heir. As such, he was the defender of the oppressed, as we see in the book of Ruth (Rth 4:1-10; Proverbs 23:10-11). In the exodus and at the exile, God is the Goel of His oppressed people (Exodus 6:6; Isaiah 43:1). As the Goel the LORD frees persons from death (Psalms 103:4).

Because his Redeemer lives, Job also knows that this Redeemer “at the last … will take His stand on the earth [literally: dust]”. This means that He will exercise His dominion over all matter, including man, who is dust. “Take His stand” means to move in order to take action. The Redeemer will rise up and come to earth to restore everything and do justice everywhere.

Job expects to die and that of his body in the grave nothing will remain (Job 19:26). When he dies he is stripped of his skin. However, even though his skin is gone, he will see God from his flesh. Here it appears that Job has faith in the resurrection. Here he speaks as his conviction the truth of a literal, bodily resurrection. With his statement about the resurrection Job ‘plants the flag of victory on his own grave’. David also spoke about the resurrection (Acts 2:31). The believers in the Old Testament know that there is a resurrection (Psalms 17:15; Isaiah 38:11-19).

In addition to his faith in the resurrection, he also believes that he will then see God. He will not hear God speak His decision in favor of him from a distance, but he will stand face to face with God in a glorified body. He will see God in the face of Jesus Christ Who is the image of God. Sickness and the grave will consume his body, but that is not the end of his existence. He says, as it were, what David later says: “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake” (Psalms 17:15).

He himself shall behold God with His own eyes (Job 19:27). It is that God Whom he now experiences as Someone Who is against him. At the same time he knows of that God that He is his God. There is no other God. God is the God on Whom he has always trusted, even though he is in despair about His dealings with him. He knows God and God knows him. Job will be no other person, no stranger, someone kept at a distance because he has no relationship with God. God is also no other God than the God he has served on earth.

His longing is not for the recovery of his health, the liberation from all his troubles and the return to his former prosperity and well-being, to all that God has ever given him. He knows that this is unattainable, he does not believe in it. What he longs for is what is greater than all earthly prosperity, and that is God Himself. That desire is so great that it causes his heart to faint within him. It indicates the intense and total longing of all that is within him. At the end of the book this longing is fulfilled already in a sense, while he receives in addition what he didn’t ask for.

Job 38:6

The Triumph of Faith

Then in these verses we suddenly see another ray of light of Job’s faith. Instead of being engraved in a stone rock on earth, Job now seeks it higher up by the Living Rock. He speaks of a Redeemer, Whom he very personally calls “my Redeemer” (Job 19:25). His rock (Job 19:24) is his Redeemer. In Hebrew the word “I” is emphasized at the beginning of the verse. It shows Job’s firm conviction: ‘I, yes I, know.’

The word “lives” is more than “being alive”. It implies that the Redeemer will continue His work to establish Jobs’ sincerity and to justify him from the charges against him. This is also contained in the words of Job in the last verses of this chapter.

In two previous chapters (Job 9; 16) where Job expresses his deep bitterness toward God, he also spoke of the Person Whom he calls here “Redeemer”. In Job 9 he notices the absence of that Person: “There is no umpire between us” (Job 9:33), including the question: “If only there was one.” In Job 16 he pronounces that this Person is Someone Who knows and looks after His cause: “My witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high” (Job 16:19). Here in Job 19 this grows to the conviction that He is a living Redeemer, Someone Who gives Him all that belongs to Him: “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Job has more in mind here than just Someone Who will testify to his sincerity. In Job 16 he sees himself as a victim of murder when he shouts: “O earth, do not cover my blood” (Job 16:18). He is counting on his Savior, his Goel, to testify for him, but also to do him justice. He knows that God will do this after his death. He does not yet know that God will do him justice on earth. That makes his statements statements of faith.

The Hebrew word for ‘redeemer’ is goel. Depending on the context, this word is also translated as ‘blood avenger’. The word is important in the Old Testament jurisprudence. It has an aspect relating to crime and an aspect relating to civil relations. As the ‘blood avenger’, the goel had the responsibility to avenge the blood of a killed family member (Numbers 35:12-28). He was not seeking vengeance, but justice. The redeemer or goel, also restores lost rights or loss of property. He upholds justice (Leviticus 25:25-34).

Regarding the civil aspect, the goel had the responsibility to “repurchase” and thereby redeem the lost inheritance of a deceased family member. This could be done by buying free from slavery or by marrying the widow to provide for an heir. As such, he was the defender of the oppressed, as we see in the book of Ruth (Rth 4:1-10; Proverbs 23:10-11). In the exodus and at the exile, God is the Goel of His oppressed people (Exodus 6:6; Isaiah 43:1). As the Goel the LORD frees persons from death (Psalms 103:4).

Because his Redeemer lives, Job also knows that this Redeemer “at the last … will take His stand on the earth [literally: dust]”. This means that He will exercise His dominion over all matter, including man, who is dust. “Take His stand” means to move in order to take action. The Redeemer will rise up and come to earth to restore everything and do justice everywhere.

Job expects to die and that of his body in the grave nothing will remain (Job 19:26). When he dies he is stripped of his skin. However, even though his skin is gone, he will see God from his flesh. Here it appears that Job has faith in the resurrection. Here he speaks as his conviction the truth of a literal, bodily resurrection. With his statement about the resurrection Job ‘plants the flag of victory on his own grave’. David also spoke about the resurrection (Acts 2:31). The believers in the Old Testament know that there is a resurrection (Psalms 17:15; Isaiah 38:11-19).

In addition to his faith in the resurrection, he also believes that he will then see God. He will not hear God speak His decision in favor of him from a distance, but he will stand face to face with God in a glorified body. He will see God in the face of Jesus Christ Who is the image of God. Sickness and the grave will consume his body, but that is not the end of his existence. He says, as it were, what David later says: “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake” (Psalms 17:15).

He himself shall behold God with His own eyes (Job 19:27). It is that God Whom he now experiences as Someone Who is against him. At the same time he knows of that God that He is his God. There is no other God. God is the God on Whom he has always trusted, even though he is in despair about His dealings with him. He knows God and God knows him. Job will be no other person, no stranger, someone kept at a distance because he has no relationship with God. God is also no other God than the God he has served on earth.

His longing is not for the recovery of his health, the liberation from all his troubles and the return to his former prosperity and well-being, to all that God has ever given him. He knows that this is unattainable, he does not believe in it. What he longs for is what is greater than all earthly prosperity, and that is God Himself. That desire is so great that it causes his heart to faint within him. It indicates the intense and total longing of all that is within him. At the end of the book this longing is fulfilled already in a sense, while he receives in addition what he didn’t ask for.

Job 38:7

A Serious Warning

Job concludes his answer to Bildad with a serious warning to the three friends. They have accused him unjustly. Let them turn to themselves and wonder why they are persecuting him, why they are accusing him (Job 19:28).

Job denies that he has sinned, but he does not deny that God judges sins. According to you, Job says, the root of what has happened to me lies within myself. But if you continue to condemn me and presume that I am responsible for my own suffering, then the sword of righteousness will come and you will find yourselves found guilty (Job 19:29).

That is why they themselves should fear the sword of God’s righteousness. They have spoken to him in anger and not in compassion. The strong accusations they have thrown at Job were not a service of friendship, but a crime. They will have to account to God for that.

Job 38:8

A Serious Warning

Job concludes his answer to Bildad with a serious warning to the three friends. They have accused him unjustly. Let them turn to themselves and wonder why they are persecuting him, why they are accusing him (Job 19:28).

Job denies that he has sinned, but he does not deny that God judges sins. According to you, Job says, the root of what has happened to me lies within myself. But if you continue to condemn me and presume that I am responsible for my own suffering, then the sword of righteousness will come and you will find yourselves found guilty (Job 19:29).

That is why they themselves should fear the sword of God’s righteousness. They have spoken to him in anger and not in compassion. The strong accusations they have thrown at Job were not a service of friendship, but a crime. They will have to account to God for that.

Job 38:10

Introduction

It’s Zophar’s turn for a second speech. He’s the fiercest speaker. Of his friends, he is the one who leaves the least doubt as to who he means. Because of his fervor, he is also the first to stop with his statements. This is his second and last speech. The other two friends will speak to Job a third time and then remain silent.

What Zophar says is almost all true. His great error is that he applies everything he says to a righteous one. If we taste the undertone of his words to some extent, it seems that Zophar is someone who speaks from the comfortable fact that he himself is healthy and prosperous and sees therein, for himself, the proof of his own goodness and righteousness.

Zophar makes brilliant and masterful use of the Hebrew language in poetic form, a literary masterpiece. All the more tragic is the fact that a wrong message can be packaged and delivered in such a marvelous way.

He begins by explaining why he goes to fight again with words (Job 20:1-3). Next he describes with great attention to detail what according to his theology a wicked person looks like (Job 20:4-29).

The Joy of the Wicked Is Short

It is Zophar’s turn to answer Job (Job 20:1). The speed and fierceness of his reaction show, as is often the case, that he is expressing superficial thoughts and not truths of weight. He has formed his thoughts during the speaking of Job without listening to him properly. He will speak these thoughts as a response (Job 20:2). It is indeed his thoughts, not God’s, however much truth there is in what he says. He will not waste any time on them either, for the words of Job must be immediately contradicted.

For Job has uttered a reproof – he has heard it himself – that insults him (Job 20:3). By this he will mean the serious warning of Job in the last verses of the previous chapter. This warning resonates. What Job said to them there, he cannot leave unanswered, of course. Job dares to accuse them of a criminal action against him. It is an insult!

But Zophar is confident that his spirit knows what to answer. He has understanding or reason enough for that. He is so convinced of his right that correction is unthinkable, yes, offensive to him. He sees himself as someone who has a good understanding of things, and especially of Job’s case. Nobody fools him. On the contrary, others, especially Job, have to listen to him, because he has knowledge of things.

He will catch up with Job about something that has existed since creation (Job 20:4). Anyone who has a bit of sense knows that. It is about the question of the wicked and the godless or hypocrite (Job 20:5). Does Job know? Job has claimed that he knows something (Job 19:25), but Zophar says that Job’s knowledge is modern enlightenment, for it is not based on a correct knowledge of history. So it is foolish knowledge. With this, Zophar sweeps Job’s argument off the table.

Zophar will not say that the wicked and the godless have no pleasure, but it is clear that this has always been short-lived. What Zophar says may sound impressive, but it is not always true. For instance, Cain lived for a long time after the murder of his brother.

For Zophar, Job is proof that the understanding he gained in his study of history is correct. Job enjoyed prosperity and happiness. But in reality he is an ungodly and hypocrite. That is why this period of prosperity and joy has only been short, for a moment. Job can still imagine so much and walk with his head in the clouds, he ends in disaster (Job 20:6). In the background is also the idea that the health and prosperity enjoyed by Zophar are proof of his right.

Job 38:11

Introduction

It’s Zophar’s turn for a second speech. He’s the fiercest speaker. Of his friends, he is the one who leaves the least doubt as to who he means. Because of his fervor, he is also the first to stop with his statements. This is his second and last speech. The other two friends will speak to Job a third time and then remain silent.

What Zophar says is almost all true. His great error is that he applies everything he says to a righteous one. If we taste the undertone of his words to some extent, it seems that Zophar is someone who speaks from the comfortable fact that he himself is healthy and prosperous and sees therein, for himself, the proof of his own goodness and righteousness.

Zophar makes brilliant and masterful use of the Hebrew language in poetic form, a literary masterpiece. All the more tragic is the fact that a wrong message can be packaged and delivered in such a marvelous way.

He begins by explaining why he goes to fight again with words (Job 20:1-3). Next he describes with great attention to detail what according to his theology a wicked person looks like (Job 20:4-29).

The Joy of the Wicked Is Short

It is Zophar’s turn to answer Job (Job 20:1). The speed and fierceness of his reaction show, as is often the case, that he is expressing superficial thoughts and not truths of weight. He has formed his thoughts during the speaking of Job without listening to him properly. He will speak these thoughts as a response (Job 20:2). It is indeed his thoughts, not God’s, however much truth there is in what he says. He will not waste any time on them either, for the words of Job must be immediately contradicted.

For Job has uttered a reproof – he has heard it himself – that insults him (Job 20:3). By this he will mean the serious warning of Job in the last verses of the previous chapter. This warning resonates. What Job said to them there, he cannot leave unanswered, of course. Job dares to accuse them of a criminal action against him. It is an insult!

But Zophar is confident that his spirit knows what to answer. He has understanding or reason enough for that. He is so convinced of his right that correction is unthinkable, yes, offensive to him. He sees himself as someone who has a good understanding of things, and especially of Job’s case. Nobody fools him. On the contrary, others, especially Job, have to listen to him, because he has knowledge of things.

He will catch up with Job about something that has existed since creation (Job 20:4). Anyone who has a bit of sense knows that. It is about the question of the wicked and the godless or hypocrite (Job 20:5). Does Job know? Job has claimed that he knows something (Job 19:25), but Zophar says that Job’s knowledge is modern enlightenment, for it is not based on a correct knowledge of history. So it is foolish knowledge. With this, Zophar sweeps Job’s argument off the table.

Zophar will not say that the wicked and the godless have no pleasure, but it is clear that this has always been short-lived. What Zophar says may sound impressive, but it is not always true. For instance, Cain lived for a long time after the murder of his brother.

For Zophar, Job is proof that the understanding he gained in his study of history is correct. Job enjoyed prosperity and happiness. But in reality he is an ungodly and hypocrite. That is why this period of prosperity and joy has only been short, for a moment. Job can still imagine so much and walk with his head in the clouds, he ends in disaster (Job 20:6). In the background is also the idea that the health and prosperity enjoyed by Zophar are proof of his right.

Job 38:12

Introduction

It’s Zophar’s turn for a second speech. He’s the fiercest speaker. Of his friends, he is the one who leaves the least doubt as to who he means. Because of his fervor, he is also the first to stop with his statements. This is his second and last speech. The other two friends will speak to Job a third time and then remain silent.

What Zophar says is almost all true. His great error is that he applies everything he says to a righteous one. If we taste the undertone of his words to some extent, it seems that Zophar is someone who speaks from the comfortable fact that he himself is healthy and prosperous and sees therein, for himself, the proof of his own goodness and righteousness.

Zophar makes brilliant and masterful use of the Hebrew language in poetic form, a literary masterpiece. All the more tragic is the fact that a wrong message can be packaged and delivered in such a marvelous way.

He begins by explaining why he goes to fight again with words (Job 20:1-3). Next he describes with great attention to detail what according to his theology a wicked person looks like (Job 20:4-29).

The Joy of the Wicked Is Short

It is Zophar’s turn to answer Job (Job 20:1). The speed and fierceness of his reaction show, as is often the case, that he is expressing superficial thoughts and not truths of weight. He has formed his thoughts during the speaking of Job without listening to him properly. He will speak these thoughts as a response (Job 20:2). It is indeed his thoughts, not God’s, however much truth there is in what he says. He will not waste any time on them either, for the words of Job must be immediately contradicted.

For Job has uttered a reproof – he has heard it himself – that insults him (Job 20:3). By this he will mean the serious warning of Job in the last verses of the previous chapter. This warning resonates. What Job said to them there, he cannot leave unanswered, of course. Job dares to accuse them of a criminal action against him. It is an insult!

But Zophar is confident that his spirit knows what to answer. He has understanding or reason enough for that. He is so convinced of his right that correction is unthinkable, yes, offensive to him. He sees himself as someone who has a good understanding of things, and especially of Job’s case. Nobody fools him. On the contrary, others, especially Job, have to listen to him, because he has knowledge of things.

He will catch up with Job about something that has existed since creation (Job 20:4). Anyone who has a bit of sense knows that. It is about the question of the wicked and the godless or hypocrite (Job 20:5). Does Job know? Job has claimed that he knows something (Job 19:25), but Zophar says that Job’s knowledge is modern enlightenment, for it is not based on a correct knowledge of history. So it is foolish knowledge. With this, Zophar sweeps Job’s argument off the table.

Zophar will not say that the wicked and the godless have no pleasure, but it is clear that this has always been short-lived. What Zophar says may sound impressive, but it is not always true. For instance, Cain lived for a long time after the murder of his brother.

For Zophar, Job is proof that the understanding he gained in his study of history is correct. Job enjoyed prosperity and happiness. But in reality he is an ungodly and hypocrite. That is why this period of prosperity and joy has only been short, for a moment. Job can still imagine so much and walk with his head in the clouds, he ends in disaster (Job 20:6). In the background is also the idea that the health and prosperity enjoyed by Zophar are proof of his right.

Job 38:13

Introduction

It’s Zophar’s turn for a second speech. He’s the fiercest speaker. Of his friends, he is the one who leaves the least doubt as to who he means. Because of his fervor, he is also the first to stop with his statements. This is his second and last speech. The other two friends will speak to Job a third time and then remain silent.

What Zophar says is almost all true. His great error is that he applies everything he says to a righteous one. If we taste the undertone of his words to some extent, it seems that Zophar is someone who speaks from the comfortable fact that he himself is healthy and prosperous and sees therein, for himself, the proof of his own goodness and righteousness.

Zophar makes brilliant and masterful use of the Hebrew language in poetic form, a literary masterpiece. All the more tragic is the fact that a wrong message can be packaged and delivered in such a marvelous way.

He begins by explaining why he goes to fight again with words (Job 20:1-3). Next he describes with great attention to detail what according to his theology a wicked person looks like (Job 20:4-29).

The Joy of the Wicked Is Short

It is Zophar’s turn to answer Job (Job 20:1). The speed and fierceness of his reaction show, as is often the case, that he is expressing superficial thoughts and not truths of weight. He has formed his thoughts during the speaking of Job without listening to him properly. He will speak these thoughts as a response (Job 20:2). It is indeed his thoughts, not God’s, however much truth there is in what he says. He will not waste any time on them either, for the words of Job must be immediately contradicted.

For Job has uttered a reproof – he has heard it himself – that insults him (Job 20:3). By this he will mean the serious warning of Job in the last verses of the previous chapter. This warning resonates. What Job said to them there, he cannot leave unanswered, of course. Job dares to accuse them of a criminal action against him. It is an insult!

But Zophar is confident that his spirit knows what to answer. He has understanding or reason enough for that. He is so convinced of his right that correction is unthinkable, yes, offensive to him. He sees himself as someone who has a good understanding of things, and especially of Job’s case. Nobody fools him. On the contrary, others, especially Job, have to listen to him, because he has knowledge of things.

He will catch up with Job about something that has existed since creation (Job 20:4). Anyone who has a bit of sense knows that. It is about the question of the wicked and the godless or hypocrite (Job 20:5). Does Job know? Job has claimed that he knows something (Job 19:25), but Zophar says that Job’s knowledge is modern enlightenment, for it is not based on a correct knowledge of history. So it is foolish knowledge. With this, Zophar sweeps Job’s argument off the table.

Zophar will not say that the wicked and the godless have no pleasure, but it is clear that this has always been short-lived. What Zophar says may sound impressive, but it is not always true. For instance, Cain lived for a long time after the murder of his brother.

For Zophar, Job is proof that the understanding he gained in his study of history is correct. Job enjoyed prosperity and happiness. But in reality he is an ungodly and hypocrite. That is why this period of prosperity and joy has only been short, for a moment. Job can still imagine so much and walk with his head in the clouds, he ends in disaster (Job 20:6). In the background is also the idea that the health and prosperity enjoyed by Zophar are proof of his right.

Job 38:14

Introduction

It’s Zophar’s turn for a second speech. He’s the fiercest speaker. Of his friends, he is the one who leaves the least doubt as to who he means. Because of his fervor, he is also the first to stop with his statements. This is his second and last speech. The other two friends will speak to Job a third time and then remain silent.

What Zophar says is almost all true. His great error is that he applies everything he says to a righteous one. If we taste the undertone of his words to some extent, it seems that Zophar is someone who speaks from the comfortable fact that he himself is healthy and prosperous and sees therein, for himself, the proof of his own goodness and righteousness.

Zophar makes brilliant and masterful use of the Hebrew language in poetic form, a literary masterpiece. All the more tragic is the fact that a wrong message can be packaged and delivered in such a marvelous way.

He begins by explaining why he goes to fight again with words (Job 20:1-3). Next he describes with great attention to detail what according to his theology a wicked person looks like (Job 20:4-29).

The Joy of the Wicked Is Short

It is Zophar’s turn to answer Job (Job 20:1). The speed and fierceness of his reaction show, as is often the case, that he is expressing superficial thoughts and not truths of weight. He has formed his thoughts during the speaking of Job without listening to him properly. He will speak these thoughts as a response (Job 20:2). It is indeed his thoughts, not God’s, however much truth there is in what he says. He will not waste any time on them either, for the words of Job must be immediately contradicted.

For Job has uttered a reproof – he has heard it himself – that insults him (Job 20:3). By this he will mean the serious warning of Job in the last verses of the previous chapter. This warning resonates. What Job said to them there, he cannot leave unanswered, of course. Job dares to accuse them of a criminal action against him. It is an insult!

But Zophar is confident that his spirit knows what to answer. He has understanding or reason enough for that. He is so convinced of his right that correction is unthinkable, yes, offensive to him. He sees himself as someone who has a good understanding of things, and especially of Job’s case. Nobody fools him. On the contrary, others, especially Job, have to listen to him, because he has knowledge of things.

He will catch up with Job about something that has existed since creation (Job 20:4). Anyone who has a bit of sense knows that. It is about the question of the wicked and the godless or hypocrite (Job 20:5). Does Job know? Job has claimed that he knows something (Job 19:25), but Zophar says that Job’s knowledge is modern enlightenment, for it is not based on a correct knowledge of history. So it is foolish knowledge. With this, Zophar sweeps Job’s argument off the table.

Zophar will not say that the wicked and the godless have no pleasure, but it is clear that this has always been short-lived. What Zophar says may sound impressive, but it is not always true. For instance, Cain lived for a long time after the murder of his brother.

For Zophar, Job is proof that the understanding he gained in his study of history is correct. Job enjoyed prosperity and happiness. But in reality he is an ungodly and hypocrite. That is why this period of prosperity and joy has only been short, for a moment. Job can still imagine so much and walk with his head in the clouds, he ends in disaster (Job 20:6). In the background is also the idea that the health and prosperity enjoyed by Zophar are proof of his right.

Job 38:15

Introduction

It’s Zophar’s turn for a second speech. He’s the fiercest speaker. Of his friends, he is the one who leaves the least doubt as to who he means. Because of his fervor, he is also the first to stop with his statements. This is his second and last speech. The other two friends will speak to Job a third time and then remain silent.

What Zophar says is almost all true. His great error is that he applies everything he says to a righteous one. If we taste the undertone of his words to some extent, it seems that Zophar is someone who speaks from the comfortable fact that he himself is healthy and prosperous and sees therein, for himself, the proof of his own goodness and righteousness.

Zophar makes brilliant and masterful use of the Hebrew language in poetic form, a literary masterpiece. All the more tragic is the fact that a wrong message can be packaged and delivered in such a marvelous way.

He begins by explaining why he goes to fight again with words (Job 20:1-3). Next he describes with great attention to detail what according to his theology a wicked person looks like (Job 20:4-29).

The Joy of the Wicked Is Short

It is Zophar’s turn to answer Job (Job 20:1). The speed and fierceness of his reaction show, as is often the case, that he is expressing superficial thoughts and not truths of weight. He has formed his thoughts during the speaking of Job without listening to him properly. He will speak these thoughts as a response (Job 20:2). It is indeed his thoughts, not God’s, however much truth there is in what he says. He will not waste any time on them either, for the words of Job must be immediately contradicted.

For Job has uttered a reproof – he has heard it himself – that insults him (Job 20:3). By this he will mean the serious warning of Job in the last verses of the previous chapter. This warning resonates. What Job said to them there, he cannot leave unanswered, of course. Job dares to accuse them of a criminal action against him. It is an insult!

But Zophar is confident that his spirit knows what to answer. He has understanding or reason enough for that. He is so convinced of his right that correction is unthinkable, yes, offensive to him. He sees himself as someone who has a good understanding of things, and especially of Job’s case. Nobody fools him. On the contrary, others, especially Job, have to listen to him, because he has knowledge of things.

He will catch up with Job about something that has existed since creation (Job 20:4). Anyone who has a bit of sense knows that. It is about the question of the wicked and the godless or hypocrite (Job 20:5). Does Job know? Job has claimed that he knows something (Job 19:25), but Zophar says that Job’s knowledge is modern enlightenment, for it is not based on a correct knowledge of history. So it is foolish knowledge. With this, Zophar sweeps Job’s argument off the table.

Zophar will not say that the wicked and the godless have no pleasure, but it is clear that this has always been short-lived. What Zophar says may sound impressive, but it is not always true. For instance, Cain lived for a long time after the murder of his brother.

For Zophar, Job is proof that the understanding he gained in his study of history is correct. Job enjoyed prosperity and happiness. But in reality he is an ungodly and hypocrite. That is why this period of prosperity and joy has only been short, for a moment. Job can still imagine so much and walk with his head in the clouds, he ends in disaster (Job 20:6). In the background is also the idea that the health and prosperity enjoyed by Zophar are proof of his right.

Job 38:16

He Will Soon Be Cut Off

If we try to forget for a moment who Zophar is addressing, he speaks in flowery language, full of appealing examples. He is an expert in describing evil and its results. But the application to Job is too clear to really forget to whom he is speaking. Job will perish, and in the most shameful way: just like his refuse (Job 20:7). Refuse will be wiped away and never seen again. There is no desire to get it back either. This is how it will be with Job. A dead body treated with contempt is thrown into the field as dung (2 Kings 9:37; Psalms 83:9-10; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 9:22; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 25:33).

The wicked perish in the same way as a dream and a vision (Job 20:8). A dream and a vision are temporary and fleeting apparitions. They are there for a moment and then disappear again. They cannot be held or recalled. When they are over, they are irrevocably gone, wiped away like a mist that dissolves because it is chased away by the wind.

No one will see him again (Job 20:9), for he is like a dream and a vision that are gone. The place where he lived no longer sees him either. He will never come back. His place is empty, as if he has never been there. His children become beggars (Job 20:10). He leaves nothing for them, for he must return the wealth he has unfairly taken away from others.

He himself may still be so full of youthful vigor, but premature death will put an end to it (Job 20:11). In the power of his life he will be powerless in the dust and perish to the dust from which he was made (Genesis 3:19). And, according to Zophar, untimely death is proof that God always punishes the wicked.

Job 38:17

He Will Soon Be Cut Off

If we try to forget for a moment who Zophar is addressing, he speaks in flowery language, full of appealing examples. He is an expert in describing evil and its results. But the application to Job is too clear to really forget to whom he is speaking. Job will perish, and in the most shameful way: just like his refuse (Job 20:7). Refuse will be wiped away and never seen again. There is no desire to get it back either. This is how it will be with Job. A dead body treated with contempt is thrown into the field as dung (2 Kings 9:37; Psalms 83:9-10; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 9:22; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 25:33).

The wicked perish in the same way as a dream and a vision (Job 20:8). A dream and a vision are temporary and fleeting apparitions. They are there for a moment and then disappear again. They cannot be held or recalled. When they are over, they are irrevocably gone, wiped away like a mist that dissolves because it is chased away by the wind.

No one will see him again (Job 20:9), for he is like a dream and a vision that are gone. The place where he lived no longer sees him either. He will never come back. His place is empty, as if he has never been there. His children become beggars (Job 20:10). He leaves nothing for them, for he must return the wealth he has unfairly taken away from others.

He himself may still be so full of youthful vigor, but premature death will put an end to it (Job 20:11). In the power of his life he will be powerless in the dust and perish to the dust from which he was made (Genesis 3:19). And, according to Zophar, untimely death is proof that God always punishes the wicked.

Job 38:18

He Will Soon Be Cut Off

If we try to forget for a moment who Zophar is addressing, he speaks in flowery language, full of appealing examples. He is an expert in describing evil and its results. But the application to Job is too clear to really forget to whom he is speaking. Job will perish, and in the most shameful way: just like his refuse (Job 20:7). Refuse will be wiped away and never seen again. There is no desire to get it back either. This is how it will be with Job. A dead body treated with contempt is thrown into the field as dung (2 Kings 9:37; Psalms 83:9-10; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 9:22; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 25:33).

The wicked perish in the same way as a dream and a vision (Job 20:8). A dream and a vision are temporary and fleeting apparitions. They are there for a moment and then disappear again. They cannot be held or recalled. When they are over, they are irrevocably gone, wiped away like a mist that dissolves because it is chased away by the wind.

No one will see him again (Job 20:9), for he is like a dream and a vision that are gone. The place where he lived no longer sees him either. He will never come back. His place is empty, as if he has never been there. His children become beggars (Job 20:10). He leaves nothing for them, for he must return the wealth he has unfairly taken away from others.

He himself may still be so full of youthful vigor, but premature death will put an end to it (Job 20:11). In the power of his life he will be powerless in the dust and perish to the dust from which he was made (Genesis 3:19). And, according to Zophar, untimely death is proof that God always punishes the wicked.

Job 38:19

He Will Soon Be Cut Off

If we try to forget for a moment who Zophar is addressing, he speaks in flowery language, full of appealing examples. He is an expert in describing evil and its results. But the application to Job is too clear to really forget to whom he is speaking. Job will perish, and in the most shameful way: just like his refuse (Job 20:7). Refuse will be wiped away and never seen again. There is no desire to get it back either. This is how it will be with Job. A dead body treated with contempt is thrown into the field as dung (2 Kings 9:37; Psalms 83:9-10; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 9:22; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 25:33).

The wicked perish in the same way as a dream and a vision (Job 20:8). A dream and a vision are temporary and fleeting apparitions. They are there for a moment and then disappear again. They cannot be held or recalled. When they are over, they are irrevocably gone, wiped away like a mist that dissolves because it is chased away by the wind.

No one will see him again (Job 20:9), for he is like a dream and a vision that are gone. The place where he lived no longer sees him either. He will never come back. His place is empty, as if he has never been there. His children become beggars (Job 20:10). He leaves nothing for them, for he must return the wealth he has unfairly taken away from others.

He himself may still be so full of youthful vigor, but premature death will put an end to it (Job 20:11). In the power of his life he will be powerless in the dust and perish to the dust from which he was made (Genesis 3:19). And, according to Zophar, untimely death is proof that God always punishes the wicked.

Job 38:20

He Will Soon Be Cut Off

If we try to forget for a moment who Zophar is addressing, he speaks in flowery language, full of appealing examples. He is an expert in describing evil and its results. But the application to Job is too clear to really forget to whom he is speaking. Job will perish, and in the most shameful way: just like his refuse (Job 20:7). Refuse will be wiped away and never seen again. There is no desire to get it back either. This is how it will be with Job. A dead body treated with contempt is thrown into the field as dung (2 Kings 9:37; Psalms 83:9-10; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 9:22; Jeremiah 16:4; Jeremiah 25:33).

The wicked perish in the same way as a dream and a vision (Job 20:8). A dream and a vision are temporary and fleeting apparitions. They are there for a moment and then disappear again. They cannot be held or recalled. When they are over, they are irrevocably gone, wiped away like a mist that dissolves because it is chased away by the wind.

No one will see him again (Job 20:9), for he is like a dream and a vision that are gone. The place where he lived no longer sees him either. He will never come back. His place is empty, as if he has never been there. His children become beggars (Job 20:10). He leaves nothing for them, for he must return the wealth he has unfairly taken away from others.

He himself may still be so full of youthful vigor, but premature death will put an end to it (Job 20:11). In the power of his life he will be powerless in the dust and perish to the dust from which he was made (Genesis 3:19). And, according to Zophar, untimely death is proof that God always punishes the wicked.

Job 38:21

The Wicked Poisons Himself

Zophar presents the wicked as one who has sin in his mouth as something sweet (Job 20:12). He hides it under his tongue, for otherwise “the sweet” melts too quickly, and it is out with the fun. He wants to enjoy it as long as possible. He cherishes evil and holds it in his mouth (Job 20:13). To let it go, to let loose and to cease is not an option for him. He will keep it in his mouth for as long as possible. If he holds it against his palate, he will enjoy it as long as possible. The taste of it is so good …

But this pleasure comes to an end. When he has swallowed the delicacy and it has entered his belly and intestines, the delicacy turns into “the venom of cobras” (Job 20:14). Sin is not candy, but snake poison. What he has greedily gained in power by robbing it from others, he will vomit out again (Job 20:15). God will personally take care of that. What the wicked has sucked in in sinful pleasure is nothing but snake poison (Job 20:16). In short, the death of the wicked is caused by his own sin.

Job 38:22

The Wicked Poisons Himself

Zophar presents the wicked as one who has sin in his mouth as something sweet (Job 20:12). He hides it under his tongue, for otherwise “the sweet” melts too quickly, and it is out with the fun. He wants to enjoy it as long as possible. He cherishes evil and holds it in his mouth (Job 20:13). To let it go, to let loose and to cease is not an option for him. He will keep it in his mouth for as long as possible. If he holds it against his palate, he will enjoy it as long as possible. The taste of it is so good …

But this pleasure comes to an end. When he has swallowed the delicacy and it has entered his belly and intestines, the delicacy turns into “the venom of cobras” (Job 20:14). Sin is not candy, but snake poison. What he has greedily gained in power by robbing it from others, he will vomit out again (Job 20:15). God will personally take care of that. What the wicked has sucked in in sinful pleasure is nothing but snake poison (Job 20:16). In short, the death of the wicked is caused by his own sin.

Job 38:23

The Wicked Poisons Himself

Zophar presents the wicked as one who has sin in his mouth as something sweet (Job 20:12). He hides it under his tongue, for otherwise “the sweet” melts too quickly, and it is out with the fun. He wants to enjoy it as long as possible. He cherishes evil and holds it in his mouth (Job 20:13). To let it go, to let loose and to cease is not an option for him. He will keep it in his mouth for as long as possible. If he holds it against his palate, he will enjoy it as long as possible. The taste of it is so good …

But this pleasure comes to an end. When he has swallowed the delicacy and it has entered his belly and intestines, the delicacy turns into “the venom of cobras” (Job 20:14). Sin is not candy, but snake poison. What he has greedily gained in power by robbing it from others, he will vomit out again (Job 20:15). God will personally take care of that. What the wicked has sucked in in sinful pleasure is nothing but snake poison (Job 20:16). In short, the death of the wicked is caused by his own sin.

Job 38:24

The Wicked Poisons Himself

Zophar presents the wicked as one who has sin in his mouth as something sweet (Job 20:12). He hides it under his tongue, for otherwise “the sweet” melts too quickly, and it is out with the fun. He wants to enjoy it as long as possible. He cherishes evil and holds it in his mouth (Job 20:13). To let it go, to let loose and to cease is not an option for him. He will keep it in his mouth for as long as possible. If he holds it against his palate, he will enjoy it as long as possible. The taste of it is so good …

But this pleasure comes to an end. When he has swallowed the delicacy and it has entered his belly and intestines, the delicacy turns into “the venom of cobras” (Job 20:14). Sin is not candy, but snake poison. What he has greedily gained in power by robbing it from others, he will vomit out again (Job 20:15). God will personally take care of that. What the wicked has sucked in in sinful pleasure is nothing but snake poison (Job 20:16). In short, the death of the wicked is caused by his own sin.

Job 38:25

The Wicked Poisons Himself

Zophar presents the wicked as one who has sin in his mouth as something sweet (Job 20:12). He hides it under his tongue, for otherwise “the sweet” melts too quickly, and it is out with the fun. He wants to enjoy it as long as possible. He cherishes evil and holds it in his mouth (Job 20:13). To let it go, to let loose and to cease is not an option for him. He will keep it in his mouth for as long as possible. If he holds it against his palate, he will enjoy it as long as possible. The taste of it is so good …

But this pleasure comes to an end. When he has swallowed the delicacy and it has entered his belly and intestines, the delicacy turns into “the venom of cobras” (Job 20:14). Sin is not candy, but snake poison. What he has greedily gained in power by robbing it from others, he will vomit out again (Job 20:15). God will personally take care of that. What the wicked has sucked in in sinful pleasure is nothing but snake poison (Job 20:16). In short, the death of the wicked is caused by his own sin.

Job 38:26

Past Prosperity Does Not Benefit

Zophar depicts what the wicked would like to feast on, but what he will never see (Job 20:17). He holds all this up to Job to make him realize that Job is an ungodly man. The wicked one imagines that he will enjoy “streams, rivers of honey and curds”. “Honey and curds” represent the highest enjoyment of earthly prosperity and earthly happiness (cf. Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 6:3). The wicked man sees it coming in streams. He also sees in his imagination that large supplies of it are available in rivers. It is one great pleasure of undisturbed enjoyment. But he will see nothing of it.

It will be completely different than he imagined. What he has attained, he must return to its rightful owners (Job 20:18). He wanted to devour it in his greed, but that illusion is taken away from him. The pleasure of what he has wrongfully appropriated also passes him by.

The cause of this is his merciless act against the poor (Job 20:19). He first oppressed them (literally: crushed them) and took everything away and then left them to their miserable fate in which they had ended up due to his actions. The latter is done by taking everything away from them. His loot also includes a house he did not build. He chased the residents out and took possession of it.

However, he “knew no quiet within him” (Job 20:20). He is never satisfied. His greed yearns for more and more, he is insatiable. Restless he is always looking for more. But everything he covets will be lost. He will not be able to save anything to survive the time of need. Nothing edible remains to satisfy his hunger (Job 20:21). He has devoured everything and everyone. The expected benefit of his prosperity is only of short duration.

Job 38:27

Past Prosperity Does Not Benefit

Zophar depicts what the wicked would like to feast on, but what he will never see (Job 20:17). He holds all this up to Job to make him realize that Job is an ungodly man. The wicked one imagines that he will enjoy “streams, rivers of honey and curds”. “Honey and curds” represent the highest enjoyment of earthly prosperity and earthly happiness (cf. Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 6:3). The wicked man sees it coming in streams. He also sees in his imagination that large supplies of it are available in rivers. It is one great pleasure of undisturbed enjoyment. But he will see nothing of it.

It will be completely different than he imagined. What he has attained, he must return to its rightful owners (Job 20:18). He wanted to devour it in his greed, but that illusion is taken away from him. The pleasure of what he has wrongfully appropriated also passes him by.

The cause of this is his merciless act against the poor (Job 20:19). He first oppressed them (literally: crushed them) and took everything away and then left them to their miserable fate in which they had ended up due to his actions. The latter is done by taking everything away from them. His loot also includes a house he did not build. He chased the residents out and took possession of it.

However, he “knew no quiet within him” (Job 20:20). He is never satisfied. His greed yearns for more and more, he is insatiable. Restless he is always looking for more. But everything he covets will be lost. He will not be able to save anything to survive the time of need. Nothing edible remains to satisfy his hunger (Job 20:21). He has devoured everything and everyone. The expected benefit of his prosperity is only of short duration.

Job 38:28

Past Prosperity Does Not Benefit

Zophar depicts what the wicked would like to feast on, but what he will never see (Job 20:17). He holds all this up to Job to make him realize that Job is an ungodly man. The wicked one imagines that he will enjoy “streams, rivers of honey and curds”. “Honey and curds” represent the highest enjoyment of earthly prosperity and earthly happiness (cf. Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 6:3). The wicked man sees it coming in streams. He also sees in his imagination that large supplies of it are available in rivers. It is one great pleasure of undisturbed enjoyment. But he will see nothing of it.

It will be completely different than he imagined. What he has attained, he must return to its rightful owners (Job 20:18). He wanted to devour it in his greed, but that illusion is taken away from him. The pleasure of what he has wrongfully appropriated also passes him by.

The cause of this is his merciless act against the poor (Job 20:19). He first oppressed them (literally: crushed them) and took everything away and then left them to their miserable fate in which they had ended up due to his actions. The latter is done by taking everything away from them. His loot also includes a house he did not build. He chased the residents out and took possession of it.

However, he “knew no quiet within him” (Job 20:20). He is never satisfied. His greed yearns for more and more, he is insatiable. Restless he is always looking for more. But everything he covets will be lost. He will not be able to save anything to survive the time of need. Nothing edible remains to satisfy his hunger (Job 20:21). He has devoured everything and everyone. The expected benefit of his prosperity is only of short duration.

Job 38:29

Past Prosperity Does Not Benefit

Zophar depicts what the wicked would like to feast on, but what he will never see (Job 20:17). He holds all this up to Job to make him realize that Job is an ungodly man. The wicked one imagines that he will enjoy “streams, rivers of honey and curds”. “Honey and curds” represent the highest enjoyment of earthly prosperity and earthly happiness (cf. Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 6:3). The wicked man sees it coming in streams. He also sees in his imagination that large supplies of it are available in rivers. It is one great pleasure of undisturbed enjoyment. But he will see nothing of it.

It will be completely different than he imagined. What he has attained, he must return to its rightful owners (Job 20:18). He wanted to devour it in his greed, but that illusion is taken away from him. The pleasure of what he has wrongfully appropriated also passes him by.

The cause of this is his merciless act against the poor (Job 20:19). He first oppressed them (literally: crushed them) and took everything away and then left them to their miserable fate in which they had ended up due to his actions. The latter is done by taking everything away from them. His loot also includes a house he did not build. He chased the residents out and took possession of it.

However, he “knew no quiet within him” (Job 20:20). He is never satisfied. His greed yearns for more and more, he is insatiable. Restless he is always looking for more. But everything he covets will be lost. He will not be able to save anything to survive the time of need. Nothing edible remains to satisfy his hunger (Job 20:21). He has devoured everything and everyone. The expected benefit of his prosperity is only of short duration.

Job 38:30

Past Prosperity Does Not Benefit

Zophar depicts what the wicked would like to feast on, but what he will never see (Job 20:17). He holds all this up to Job to make him realize that Job is an ungodly man. The wicked one imagines that he will enjoy “streams, rivers of honey and curds”. “Honey and curds” represent the highest enjoyment of earthly prosperity and earthly happiness (cf. Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 6:3). The wicked man sees it coming in streams. He also sees in his imagination that large supplies of it are available in rivers. It is one great pleasure of undisturbed enjoyment. But he will see nothing of it.

It will be completely different than he imagined. What he has attained, he must return to its rightful owners (Job 20:18). He wanted to devour it in his greed, but that illusion is taken away from him. The pleasure of what he has wrongfully appropriated also passes him by.

The cause of this is his merciless act against the poor (Job 20:19). He first oppressed them (literally: crushed them) and took everything away and then left them to their miserable fate in which they had ended up due to his actions. The latter is done by taking everything away from them. His loot also includes a house he did not build. He chased the residents out and took possession of it.

However, he “knew no quiet within him” (Job 20:20). He is never satisfied. His greed yearns for more and more, he is insatiable. Restless he is always looking for more. But everything he covets will be lost. He will not be able to save anything to survive the time of need. Nothing edible remains to satisfy his hunger (Job 20:21). He has devoured everything and everyone. The expected benefit of his prosperity is only of short duration.

Job 38:31

Payback

When the wicked man thinks he has a fulness of abundance, cramps come upon him (Job 20:22). The terrible possibility that he will lose everything gives him nightmares. What strikes him is worse than a nightmare. Every suffering person who has ever fallen into misery due to him will raise his hand against him and have it come down upon him with punishment.

Not only will the hand of every suffering person be against him, but God will also turn against him (Job 20:23). That will be his judgment. If he has something to fill his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him. God will fill his belly with His fierce anger, until it gives him abdominal pain and he has no use of his food at all (cf. Psalms 106:14-15). He will get no strength from it. And while he is still enjoying his food, he will be struck by a rain of anger that God sends upon him in His displeasure.

There is no way to escape this judgment. The wicked who thinks he can escape one evil will be struck by another evil (Job 20:24; cf. Amos 5:19). His attempts to flee judgment are useless. If he succeeds in fleeing from iron weapons (the sword), he will be struck by an arrow with a glittering point shot by a bronze bow. No matter how hard he runs away, the arrow overtakes him and penetrates his back (Job 20:25). The arrow has penetrated deep into his body. When it is pulled out, it turns out to have gall on it, which means he is fatally struck. There is no cure for it. A terrible death awaits him.

Job 38:32

Payback

When the wicked man thinks he has a fulness of abundance, cramps come upon him (Job 20:22). The terrible possibility that he will lose everything gives him nightmares. What strikes him is worse than a nightmare. Every suffering person who has ever fallen into misery due to him will raise his hand against him and have it come down upon him with punishment.

Not only will the hand of every suffering person be against him, but God will also turn against him (Job 20:23). That will be his judgment. If he has something to fill his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him. God will fill his belly with His fierce anger, until it gives him abdominal pain and he has no use of his food at all (cf. Psalms 106:14-15). He will get no strength from it. And while he is still enjoying his food, he will be struck by a rain of anger that God sends upon him in His displeasure.

There is no way to escape this judgment. The wicked who thinks he can escape one evil will be struck by another evil (Job 20:24; cf. Amos 5:19). His attempts to flee judgment are useless. If he succeeds in fleeing from iron weapons (the sword), he will be struck by an arrow with a glittering point shot by a bronze bow. No matter how hard he runs away, the arrow overtakes him and penetrates his back (Job 20:25). The arrow has penetrated deep into his body. When it is pulled out, it turns out to have gall on it, which means he is fatally struck. There is no cure for it. A terrible death awaits him.

Job 38:33

Payback

When the wicked man thinks he has a fulness of abundance, cramps come upon him (Job 20:22). The terrible possibility that he will lose everything gives him nightmares. What strikes him is worse than a nightmare. Every suffering person who has ever fallen into misery due to him will raise his hand against him and have it come down upon him with punishment.

Not only will the hand of every suffering person be against him, but God will also turn against him (Job 20:23). That will be his judgment. If he has something to fill his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him. God will fill his belly with His fierce anger, until it gives him abdominal pain and he has no use of his food at all (cf. Psalms 106:14-15). He will get no strength from it. And while he is still enjoying his food, he will be struck by a rain of anger that God sends upon him in His displeasure.

There is no way to escape this judgment. The wicked who thinks he can escape one evil will be struck by another evil (Job 20:24; cf. Amos 5:19). His attempts to flee judgment are useless. If he succeeds in fleeing from iron weapons (the sword), he will be struck by an arrow with a glittering point shot by a bronze bow. No matter how hard he runs away, the arrow overtakes him and penetrates his back (Job 20:25). The arrow has penetrated deep into his body. When it is pulled out, it turns out to have gall on it, which means he is fatally struck. There is no cure for it. A terrible death awaits him.

Job 38:34

Payback

When the wicked man thinks he has a fulness of abundance, cramps come upon him (Job 20:22). The terrible possibility that he will lose everything gives him nightmares. What strikes him is worse than a nightmare. Every suffering person who has ever fallen into misery due to him will raise his hand against him and have it come down upon him with punishment.

Not only will the hand of every suffering person be against him, but God will also turn against him (Job 20:23). That will be his judgment. If he has something to fill his belly, God will send His fierce anger on him. God will fill his belly with His fierce anger, until it gives him abdominal pain and he has no use of his food at all (cf. Psalms 106:14-15). He will get no strength from it. And while he is still enjoying his food, he will be struck by a rain of anger that God sends upon him in His displeasure.

There is no way to escape this judgment. The wicked who thinks he can escape one evil will be struck by another evil (Job 20:24; cf. Amos 5:19). His attempts to flee judgment are useless. If he succeeds in fleeing from iron weapons (the sword), he will be struck by an arrow with a glittering point shot by a bronze bow. No matter how hard he runs away, the arrow overtakes him and penetrates his back (Job 20:25). The arrow has penetrated deep into his body. When it is pulled out, it turns out to have gall on it, which means he is fatally struck. There is no cure for it. A terrible death awaits him.

Job 38:35

The Anger Remains

The only view the wicked has, both for himself and for his safely stored goods, is “complete darkness” (Job 20:26). Darkness in all its facets awaits him. That is where he ends up. There he will be devoured by an unfanned fire, which means a fire that has not been blown by men, but by God. Whoever he has left “in his tent”, that is in his dwelling-place, “will be consumed” by it. This is a reference to the children of Job who also perished. Zophar did not spare Job any horror. He presents Job the way and the end of the wicked, without showing him any ray of hope.

In Job 20:27, Zophar refutes Job’s claim that his Witness is in heaven (Job 16:18-20), by stating that the iniquity of the wicked will be revealed to others by the heavens, i.e. by God. Everyone will hear of it. The result will not be a ‘silent march’ for the dead wicked. On the contrary, there will be great indignation on earth. Everyone will rise up against the wicked because of what has become known.

Sometimes people are honored posthumously, that is after their death. But it can also happen that people are despised and cursed after their death. The latter sometimes happens when, after their death, the terrible things that people, who were celebrated during their lives, have done become known. This is how it will be with Job, according to Zophar. Even the earth, which has seen all these terrible things, will testify to it (Deuteronomy 31:28).

The wicked shall lose all his prosperity (Job 20:28). That has happened to Job. Zophar attributes this to the anger of God. It is the explanation of the friends for the loss that Job has suffered. It was all taken out of his hands by God because he has sinned. Zophar does not doubt this, as he says in his closing words.

Job 38:36

The Anger Remains

The only view the wicked has, both for himself and for his safely stored goods, is “complete darkness” (Job 20:26). Darkness in all its facets awaits him. That is where he ends up. There he will be devoured by an unfanned fire, which means a fire that has not been blown by men, but by God. Whoever he has left “in his tent”, that is in his dwelling-place, “will be consumed” by it. This is a reference to the children of Job who also perished. Zophar did not spare Job any horror. He presents Job the way and the end of the wicked, without showing him any ray of hope.

In Job 20:27, Zophar refutes Job’s claim that his Witness is in heaven (Job 16:18-20), by stating that the iniquity of the wicked will be revealed to others by the heavens, i.e. by God. Everyone will hear of it. The result will not be a ‘silent march’ for the dead wicked. On the contrary, there will be great indignation on earth. Everyone will rise up against the wicked because of what has become known.

Sometimes people are honored posthumously, that is after their death. But it can also happen that people are despised and cursed after their death. The latter sometimes happens when, after their death, the terrible things that people, who were celebrated during their lives, have done become known. This is how it will be with Job, according to Zophar. Even the earth, which has seen all these terrible things, will testify to it (Deuteronomy 31:28).

The wicked shall lose all his prosperity (Job 20:28). That has happened to Job. Zophar attributes this to the anger of God. It is the explanation of the friends for the loss that Job has suffered. It was all taken out of his hands by God because he has sinned. Zophar does not doubt this, as he says in his closing words.

Job 38:37

The Anger Remains

The only view the wicked has, both for himself and for his safely stored goods, is “complete darkness” (Job 20:26). Darkness in all its facets awaits him. That is where he ends up. There he will be devoured by an unfanned fire, which means a fire that has not been blown by men, but by God. Whoever he has left “in his tent”, that is in his dwelling-place, “will be consumed” by it. This is a reference to the children of Job who also perished. Zophar did not spare Job any horror. He presents Job the way and the end of the wicked, without showing him any ray of hope.

In Job 20:27, Zophar refutes Job’s claim that his Witness is in heaven (Job 16:18-20), by stating that the iniquity of the wicked will be revealed to others by the heavens, i.e. by God. Everyone will hear of it. The result will not be a ‘silent march’ for the dead wicked. On the contrary, there will be great indignation on earth. Everyone will rise up against the wicked because of what has become known.

Sometimes people are honored posthumously, that is after their death. But it can also happen that people are despised and cursed after their death. The latter sometimes happens when, after their death, the terrible things that people, who were celebrated during their lives, have done become known. This is how it will be with Job, according to Zophar. Even the earth, which has seen all these terrible things, will testify to it (Deuteronomy 31:28).

The wicked shall lose all his prosperity (Job 20:28). That has happened to Job. Zophar attributes this to the anger of God. It is the explanation of the friends for the loss that Job has suffered. It was all taken out of his hands by God because he has sinned. Zophar does not doubt this, as he says in his closing words.

Job 38:38

Zophar’s Conclusion

Zophar ends his second speech in the same way as Bildad (Job 18:21). The conclusion of his whole speech is crystal clear. Without a doubt, what he said about the fate of the wicked is exactly what God will do to Job. The wicked has spoken words against God. That is what Job has done. By doing so, he has acquired his hereditary possession consisting of God’s anger. Job has acquired his heritage. The legacy of rebellion against God is the loss of everything he possessed and that life becomes one great ruin, with death as its only prospect.

Without pity, Zophar persecuted the plagued Job with his words. There is no understanding for Job’s uprightness. What Zophar says, he says all under the guise of standing up for God’s rights. No help is to be expected from Zophar and his friends and people like them.

Job 38:40

Introduction

In his reply to Zophar, Job addressed himself by way of exception, only to his friends and no longer to God. The thought that his Savior lives (Job 19:25) gives him rest. He responds to Zophar’s speech, but his answer is, as so often, addressed to the three friends together. The friends represent a God Who brings righteous retribution on someone when he sins. They have all always claimed that God punishes the wicked with misfortune.

Job will refute this by demonstrating in detail that this is not true for all the wicked. He tells them that God’s righteousness is by no means always exercised on earth and can often not be observed by man. There are also wicked people who prosper and live long. But also the wicked who lives a long time and is not harmed in his life, will one day have to account to God (Job 21:30).

The Seriousness of His Answer

Job answers Zophar (Job 21:1). His answer shows his unbroken spirit. He is no longer so bitter in his speaking about God, nor so longing for death. The friends had come to comfort him, but that failed completely. It has turned out the opposite. They have increased his burden. Job now says that they cannot comfort him in their words, but that they can comfort him by listening attentively to him (Job 21:2). What he has to say is fully worthy of their attention. It is a call to take his words seriously and to consider them.

Attentive listening requires a lot from the listener. If that can be done, it means comfort for the suffering one. Those who are unable to do so are better not to talk about someone else’s need and even less to concern themselves with it. A suffering person desires an open, listening ear and not an open, condemning mouth. Much grief has become heavier because of impatience and lack of empathy because what was really said was not listened to properly.

Job does not ask for understanding. He no longer seems to expect that. He asks for forbearance (Job 21:3). If only they could bear that which he speaks. He has something on his heart that he wants them to at least hear. When he has spoken, they can continue to mock him. He does not count on approval. Yet he wants to say what he has to say. But even if he were to complain to a man, does that mean that he should not be impatient? Who would not be, if everything had been taken away from him and God’s dealings with him were so inscrutable?

To himself it is so that he does not complain to a man (Job 21:4). His complaint has been addressed to God. Why, then, do the friends react so harshly? God does not blame Job for that. He would rather that we wrestle than be indifferent to Him or deal with His truth in an arrogant way and make it a dead matter. Job’s wrestling – that he cannot understand what God is doing to him – is proof that he is not indifferent or arrogant. His counselors moderate that they know what is going on.

Job wants them to turn to him in order to take in what grief and suffering he finds himself in (Job 21:5). When they realize this, they will be astonished that someone can suffer so badly, and without guilt. Then they will put their hand over their mouth, which means that they will not say another word. Maybe they will realize what a great injustice they are doing to him by accusing him of secret sins.

When he remembers the possible cause of all the mountains of suffering that have come upon him, namely that God allows injustice, he ”is disturbed” (Job 21:6). If he thinks of all the misery under which he has been buried, he will be overwhelmed by it. The shivers crawl over his back again, and his legs begin to tremble. He who has ever experienced something very intense and thinks back to it, recognizes that reaction of the flesh.

Job 38:41

Introduction

In his reply to Zophar, Job addressed himself by way of exception, only to his friends and no longer to God. The thought that his Savior lives (Job 19:25) gives him rest. He responds to Zophar’s speech, but his answer is, as so often, addressed to the three friends together. The friends represent a God Who brings righteous retribution on someone when he sins. They have all always claimed that God punishes the wicked with misfortune.

Job will refute this by demonstrating in detail that this is not true for all the wicked. He tells them that God’s righteousness is by no means always exercised on earth and can often not be observed by man. There are also wicked people who prosper and live long. But also the wicked who lives a long time and is not harmed in his life, will one day have to account to God (Job 21:30).

The Seriousness of His Answer

Job answers Zophar (Job 21:1). His answer shows his unbroken spirit. He is no longer so bitter in his speaking about God, nor so longing for death. The friends had come to comfort him, but that failed completely. It has turned out the opposite. They have increased his burden. Job now says that they cannot comfort him in their words, but that they can comfort him by listening attentively to him (Job 21:2). What he has to say is fully worthy of their attention. It is a call to take his words seriously and to consider them.

Attentive listening requires a lot from the listener. If that can be done, it means comfort for the suffering one. Those who are unable to do so are better not to talk about someone else’s need and even less to concern themselves with it. A suffering person desires an open, listening ear and not an open, condemning mouth. Much grief has become heavier because of impatience and lack of empathy because what was really said was not listened to properly.

Job does not ask for understanding. He no longer seems to expect that. He asks for forbearance (Job 21:3). If only they could bear that which he speaks. He has something on his heart that he wants them to at least hear. When he has spoken, they can continue to mock him. He does not count on approval. Yet he wants to say what he has to say. But even if he were to complain to a man, does that mean that he should not be impatient? Who would not be, if everything had been taken away from him and God’s dealings with him were so inscrutable?

To himself it is so that he does not complain to a man (Job 21:4). His complaint has been addressed to God. Why, then, do the friends react so harshly? God does not blame Job for that. He would rather that we wrestle than be indifferent to Him or deal with His truth in an arrogant way and make it a dead matter. Job’s wrestling – that he cannot understand what God is doing to him – is proof that he is not indifferent or arrogant. His counselors moderate that they know what is going on.

Job wants them to turn to him in order to take in what grief and suffering he finds himself in (Job 21:5). When they realize this, they will be astonished that someone can suffer so badly, and without guilt. Then they will put their hand over their mouth, which means that they will not say another word. Maybe they will realize what a great injustice they are doing to him by accusing him of secret sins.

When he remembers the possible cause of all the mountains of suffering that have come upon him, namely that God allows injustice, he ”is disturbed” (Job 21:6). If he thinks of all the misery under which he has been buried, he will be overwhelmed by it. The shivers crawl over his back again, and his legs begin to tremble. He who has ever experienced something very intense and thinks back to it, recognizes that reaction of the flesh.