Job 6:20

20 They arrive so confident - but what a disappointment! They get there, and their faces fall!

Job 6:20 Meaning and Commentary

Job 6:20

And they were confounded because they had hoped
When they came to the places where they hoped to find water, finding none were ashamed of their vain hope, and reflected upon themselves for being so foolish as to raise their expectations upon such a groundless surmise:

they came thither, and were ashamed;
which is the same thing expressed in different words; and aptly enough describes Job's disappointment in not meeting with that relief and comfort he expected from his friends, to whom he makes application of all this in the following words.

Job 6:20 In-Context

18 Travelers who spot them and go out of their way for a drink, end up in a waterless gulch and die of thirst.
19 Merchant caravans from Tema see them and expect water, tourists from Sheba hope for a cool drink.
20 They arrive so confident - but what a disappointment! They get there, and their faces fall!
21 And you, my so-called friends, are no better - there's nothing to you! One look at a hard scene and you shrink in fear.
22 It's not as though I asked you for anything - I didn't ask you for one red cent -
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.