Job 20 Study Notes

20:18 Nothing the wicked acquired will benefit him.

20:19 The reason for the wicked man’s fall is that he had gained his wealth by victimizing the less fortunate. In some cases he had seized a house, either in lieu of a debt or by some dishonest means (Mc 2:2).

20:20 The wicked one is consumed by his craving. The second line of v. 20 may also be rendered “from his greed he will not escape.”

20:21 The wicked person’s ceaseless drive to get and use things would prove to be his undoing.

20:22-23 The image of eating expresses the idea of consuming life’s pleasures and delicacies and enjoying them to the fullest.

20:24-25 Referencing the war implements of the day, Zophar described God’s arsenal of weapons. It includes a sword made of iron, a powerful bronze bow, and arrows with metal tips (flashing tip). The force of the arrow is so great that it pierces the wicked person’s liver and goes through to his back. In attempting to remove the arrow, he pulls out his internal organs and only adds to his doom. Job had complained that God’s arrows had been unleashed against him (16:13) and had pierced him (6:4). Zophar might have been hinting that, like this wicked person, Job was being justly judged.

20:26 So drastic will be the wicked person’s end that even his valued belongings will suffer the darkness of death (15:22). He and anything that survives him will be destroyed in the fire of divine wrath (15:34; 22:20; Dt 32:22; Ps 21:8-9; 1Co 3:13).

20:27 The wicked man’s guilt is so great that the heavens and the earth will testify against him. The imagery portrays a trial in which the wicked person is accused by everyone before the heavenly court. Job had maintained that his innocence and integrity were on record in heaven (16:18-19). Zophar hinted that it could be otherwise.

20:28-29 Zophar’s final summation is not only a reiteration of his thesis with regard to retribution but a declaration that this is indeed God’s decreed policy. Rather than leaving an inheritance for his heirs, the wicked person will inherit the just judgment that God has ordained.