Zophar on the Swift Punishment of the Wicked
Job 20:1-29
Job.20.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- צפר: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנעמתי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 11:1 (verbal): Identical speech-introduction naming Zophar the Naamathite — Zophar's earlier (first) address using the same formula.
- Job 4:1 (structural): 'Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said' — the same dialogue formula introducing one of Job's friends' speeches.
- Job 8:1 (structural): 'Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said' — another instance of the standard speech-introduction formula among Job's friends.
- Job 15:1 (structural): 'Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said' (Eliphaz's second speech) — shows repetition of the same formula across the cyclical speeches.
- Job 18:1 (structural): 'Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said' (Bildad's second speech) — further example of the recurring speech-introduction pattern in the dialogue cycle.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
- Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
Job.20.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- שעפי: PRON,rel,sg
- ישיבוני: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- ובעבור: PREP
- חושי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 15:28 (verbal): Speaks of the heart's inward deliberation that prepares an answer—parallels Zophar's claim that his inward thoughts compel him to reply.
- Jeremiah 20:9 (thematic): The prophet describes an inner, irresistible compulsion to speak despite fear—similar to Zophar's motive of inward agitation prompting his answer.
- Psalm 38:10 (thematic): David portrays inner anguish and the resulting vocal expression; echoes the connection between inner distress/fear and outward speech.
- Job 13:21 (allusion): Within the same book Job pleads that God's dread not make him afraid—related theme of fear influencing one's words and responses.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore my haste will answer me, and the agitation within me will give me speech.
- Therefore my thoughts make me answer, and because of the haste within me;
Job.20.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- כלמתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- אשמע: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- ורוח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מבינתי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+1s
- יענני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+1s.obj
Parallels
- Job 32:8 (verbal): Explicitly states ‘there is a spirit in man’ and that the divine spirit gives understanding—close verbal and thematic echo of an inner spirit answering.
- Proverbs 20:27 (thematic): ‘The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD’—portrays the inner spirit as the seat of insight, resonating with the idea that one’s inner spirit answers.
- 1 Corinthians 2:11 (thematic): Speaks of the spirit of a person knowing his own thoughts—New Testament parallel to the notion that the inner spirit supplies understanding or answers.
- Proverbs 16:1 (structural): Contrasts inner intention and outward answer—connects to Job’s contrast of inner tumult/understanding providing a response.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will listen to the rebuke of my lips, and the spirit of my understanding will answer me.
- I will listen to the reproof of my instruction, and the spirit from my understanding will answer me;
Job.20.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ידעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- עד: PREP
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- שים: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 12:12 (verbal): Speaks of wisdom/knowledge with the ancients—similar appeal to what has been known 'from of old.'
- Job 8:8 (allusion): Bildad urges inquiry of former generations ('ask the former age'), paralleling Zophar's reference to knowing truth since man was placed on earth.
- Deuteronomy 32:7 (thematic): 'Remember the days of old'—an exhortation to consult ancient times and ancestors, echoing the appeal to what has been known since mankind began.
- Genesis 2:7 (structural): The account of the creation/formation of man provides the underlying motif of humanity's original placement on the earth referenced in Job 20:4.
- Job 15:7 (thematic): Eliphaz's rhetorical question about being first among men resonates with Zophar's challenge about knowledge 'from of old' and mankind's origins.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do you not know this from of old, from the days when man was placed on the earth?
- Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on the earth,
Job.20.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- רננת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- רשעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מקרוב: PREP
- ושמחת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- חנף: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- עדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רגע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 37:10 (thematic): A close thematic parallel: the psalm promises that the wicked will soon be no more, echoing Job’s point that the rejoicing of the wicked is short-lived.
- Psalm 73:3–12 (thematic): Asaph’s complaint and resolution treat the apparent prosperity of the wicked and then their sudden downfall—similar to Job’s assertion that the wicked’s joy is fleeting and ends in ruin.
- Proverbs 10:28 (verbal): Proverbs contrasts the gladness of the righteous with the perishing expectation of the wicked, paralleling Job’s statement about the transitory joy of the ungodly.
- Ecclesiastes 8:13 (thematic): Qohelet reflects that evildoers do not ultimately prosper and their fate is not good—resonating with Job’s claim that the triumph of the wicked lasts only a moment.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the exultation of the wicked is brief, and the joy of the godless but for a moment.
- that the exultation of the wicked is brief, and the joy of the godless but for a moment?
Job.20.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- יעלה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לשמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שיאו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וראשו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- לעב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יגיע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 14:13-15 (verbal): Both depict arrogant ascent toward heaven followed by a sudden fall — language of exaltation to the heavens and then humiliation ("I will ascend... yet thou shalt be brought down").
- Proverbs 16:18 (thematic): Expresses the same moral principle: pride/high elevation leads to destruction or a humiliating fall ("Pride goes before destruction").
- Daniel 4:30-33 (thematic): Nebuchadnezzar’s boasting about his greatness (reaching heights) is followed by immediate humbling and loss of status, paralleling the motif of exaltation then downfall in Job 20:6.
- Ezekiel 28:17-18 (thematic): Condemns proud exaltation (heart lifted up because of beauty/height) and announces judicial removal and downfall — similar cause (pride) and divine consequence (cast down).
- Psalm 73:18-19 (structural): Describes the sudden, catastrophic end of the wicked who seemed high and secure — structurally parallels Job’s contrast between apparent elevation and abrupt ruin.
Alternative generated candidates
- Though his height mount to the heavens and his head reach to the clouds,
- Though his exaltation mounts to the heavens and his head reaches to the clouds,
Job.20.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כגללו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- לנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יאבד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ראיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- יאמרו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- איו: PART
Parallels
- Psalm 37:35-36 (verbal): Describes seeing the mighty wicked and then seeking him but not finding him—directly parallels the image of the wicked vanishing and others asking “Where is he?”.
- Proverbs 10:25 (thematic): “As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more”—themes of sudden removal and the swift end of the wicked echo Job’s claim that he will perish and be gone.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (thematic): Portrays the sudden downfall and terrifying end of the wicked—‘they are brought into desolation, as in a moment’—paralleling Job’s picture of disappearance and loss.
- Proverbs 11:7 (allusion): ‘When a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish’—connects to the notion that the wicked’s existence and hopes end utterly, matching Job’s assertion that they will be gone and asked after.
Alternative generated candidates
- yet like his own dung he will perish forever; those who saw him will say, ‘Where is he?’
- yet he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'
Job.20.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כחלום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעוף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ימצאוהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,obj:3,m,sg
- וידד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כחזיון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 73:20 (verbal): Uses the simile 'like a dream' (or 'like a vision of the night') to describe the sudden vanishing of the wicked’s prosperity—closely echoing Job 20:8’s language of flight and disappearance.
- Psalm 37:35-36 (thematic): Describes the wicked suddenly passing away and then being 'no more'—'though I sought him, he could not be found'—parallel to Job 20:8’s idea that the prosperity/hope of the wicked flies away and cannot be found.
- Isaiah 29:7-8 (verbal): Contains imagery of a dream that vanishes on waking ('as when a hungry man dreams... he awakes, and his soul is empty'), paralleling Job 20:8’s comparison of fleeting success to a night-vision or dream that disappears.
- Psalm 144:4 (thematic): Describes human life as a breath or passing shadow—an image of transience that parallels Job 20:8’s depiction of the wicked’s fortunes as transient as a dream or night-vision.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will vanish like a night vision.
- He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
Job.20.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- שזפתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תוסיף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- עוד: ADV
- תשורנו: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg+OBJ,1,pl
- מקומו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m
Parallels
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Both passages portray the ultimate fate of the wicked—their sudden end and destruction as a divine judgment, echoing Zophar’s picture of loss and ruin.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (thematic): Like Job 20:9, these verses emphasize the abrupt downfall and dark fate of the wicked, stressing that God will overturn their prosperity and bring them to ruin.
- Proverbs 4:19 (verbal): Uses the image of darkness and stumbling for those who walk wickedly; parallels Job’s use of visual/darkness imagery to depict the moral and physical ruin of the wicked.
- Job 27:20-23 (structural): Another passage in Job describing the terrifying, comprehensive destruction of the wicked—similar language and motifs (terror, loss, devouring ruin) reinforce the book’s consistent portrayal of the wicked’s end.
Alternative generated candidates
- The eye that saw him will see him no more; his place will behold him no longer.
- The eyes that saw him will see him no more; his place will know him no more.
Job.20.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בניו: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- ירצו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- דלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וידיו: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,prsuf3ms
- תשבנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- אונו: NOUN,m,sg,suff
Parallels
- Proverbs 13:22 (thematic): Contrasts the righteous who leave an inheritance to their descendants with the sinner whose wealth is taken away — echoes the theme of children’s fate and loss of inheritance tied to a parent's conduct.
- Deuteronomy 28:32 (thematic): Part of the covenant curses in which the calamity on a house extends to children (e.g., sons and daughters given to another people), paralleling the motif of offspring suffering poverty or dispossession.
- Ezekiel 18:20 (thematic): Affirms individual responsibility — 'the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father' — serving as a theological counterpoint to the idea that a wicked person’s children necessarily end up destitute.
- Job 21:18 (structural): Within Job’s dialogue, Job challenges Zophar’s view by observing that the wicked often prosper and leave their children established, a direct intra-book rebuttal to the claim that a wicked man’s children are left poor.
Alternative generated candidates
- His children shall beg the poor for bread, and his hands shall give back his wealth.
- His sons shall beg from the poor, and his hands shall restore his wealth.
Job.20.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עצמותיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- מלאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עלומיו: NOUN,m,sg,const
- ועמו: PREP+3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- עפר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשכב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 3:19 (allusion): Both verses invoke the image of returning to dust — Genesis' 'for you are dust, and to dust you shall return' echoes Job's depiction of strength lying down with the body in the dust.
- Job 14:10-12 (structural): Within Job the same theme appears: the dead lie down and do not rise, emphasizing human mortality and the finality of burial, parallel to the bones and youth lying down in the dust.
- Psalm 49:12-15 (thematic): Psalm 49 treats human pomp and riches as futile before death, describing the proud laid in the grave — a theme closely matching Zophar's point about youthful vigor being buried with the wicked.
- Ecclesiastes 3:20 (thematic): Ecclesiastes' observation that all go to the same place and return to dust resonates with Job's image of life's strength lying down and being buried in the earth.
- Isaiah 40:6-8 (verbal): Isaiah's 'all flesh is grass... the grass withers' uses ephemeral natural imagery to make the same point about the transience of human life and vigor reflected in Job 20:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- Though his bones be full of youthful vigor, they shall lie down with him in the dust.
- His bones are full of his youth, and with him they shall lie down in the dust.
Job.20.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- תמתיק: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- בפיו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יכחידנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- לשונו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,pr3ms
Parallels
- Psalm 55:21 (thematic): Outwardly pleasant speech contrasted with inner hostility—'his speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart' echoes the idea of sweet words hiding destruction.
- Jeremiah 9:8 (verbal): Describes speech that appears peaceful but conceals harm—'with his mouth he speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush,' paralleling sweetness of speech with ruin beneath the tongue.
- Psalm 10:7 (verbal): Speaks of a mouth full of deceit and 'under his tongue are mischief and iniquity,' closely echoing the image of destructive intent hidden beneath pleasant words.
- Proverbs 26:28 (thematic): Links flattering/smooth speech to ruin—'a flattering mouth works ruin,' thematically matching the contrast between sweet speech and its destructive outcome in Job 20:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- If he sweetens his mouth with it, he will destroy it; beneath his tongue it will be turned to gall.
- Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue,
Job.20.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יחמל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יעזבנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וימנענה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בתוך: PREP
- חכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 (verbal): A wealthy man hoards possessions but cannot enjoy them; his wealth remains for others—closely parallels Job 20:13's claim that the wicked will not keep or enjoy their gain.
- Psalm 73:3-12 (thematic): Asaph's lament about the prosperity of the wicked and their apparent ease, followed by their downfall—echoes Zophar's argument that ill-gotten prosperity is fleeting and ultimately of no use to the wicked.
- Psalm 37:35-36 (thematic): Observation that the wicked may be in great power and seem secure but then suddenly vanish and cannot be found—parallels the idea that the wicked will not retain or enjoy their wealth.
- Luke 12:16-21 (thematic): The parable of the rich fool who stores up wealth for himself but is suddenly required to give an account; his riches do him no lasting good—New Testament analogue to the futility of the wicked's gain.
- Proverbs 11:28 (thematic): Proverb stating that those who trust in riches will fall—connects to Job 20:13's claim that wealth provides no secure or lasting benefit to the wicked.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will cherish it and not let it go; he keeps it fast within his mouth.
- he will hold it fast and will not let it go; he will keep it close in his mouth.
Job.20.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לחמו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss:3,m,sg
- במעיו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- נהפך: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- מרורת: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- פתנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בקרבו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRS,3,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:33 (verbal): Song of Moses speaks of the 'poison of serpents'/'venom' as the fate of the wicked—close lexical/imagistic parallel to bread turning into serpent‑poison in Job 20:14.
- Jeremiah 9:15 (verbal): God declares he will 'feed them with wormwood and give them water of gall'—food and drink turned to bitterness/poison as divine judgment, echoing Job's image.
- Lamentations 3:19-20 (thematic): The prophet recalls 'my affliction... the wormwood and the gall,' using bitterness imagery to describe suffering similar to food becoming gall in Job 20:14.
- Psalm 69:21 (verbal): 'They gave me also gall for my meat' (or 'gall for my food')—a near verbal parallel wherein food is described as turned to gall/poison.
- Job 20:18 (structural): Immediate context in Zophar's speech continues the same motif (the wicked's food becoming poison and their possessions consumed), so 20:18 functions as an internal parallel/continuation of 20:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- But his food in his belly will turn sour; it will be the venom of cobras within him.
- His food turns within him; it becomes the venom of serpents within him.
Job.20.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בלע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקאנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,n,pl
- מבטנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,pl
- יורשנו: NOUN,m,sg,suf
- אל: NEG
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:5 (verbal): Both verses depict the transience of wealth—what one eyes and swallows is suddenly gone (Proverbs: riches 'fly away'); Job: riches swallowed are vomited up.
- Proverbs 11:4 (thematic): Contrasts trust in riches with divine judgment—riches will not help in the day of God's wrath, echoing Job's picture of ill-gotten wealth being cast out.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26 (thematic): Speaks to the futility of wealth acquired without God's blessing—what the sinner accumulates may ultimately serve another, paralleling Job’s image of wealth being expelled and lost.
- Luke 12:20 (thematic): Parable of the rich fool: sudden death and the loss of possessions—like Job’s depiction, earthly wealth can be abruptly taken away and prove of no lasting value.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (verbal): Describes God’s act of casting the proud and their prosperity down to destruction—parallels Job’s language of God ejecting the riches from the wicked.
Alternative generated candidates
- He swallows riches, but will vomit them up; God will thrust them from his belly, and strangers will inherit them.
- He swallows riches, but he vomits them up; God will drive them from his belly.
Job.20.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פתנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יינק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תהרגהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- לשון: NOUN,f,sg,constr
- אפעה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 140:3 (verbal): Speaks of sharpened tongues and ‘adders’ poison’ under the lips—close verbal imagery of a serpent’s/ viper’s tongue as deadly speech.
- Psalm 58:4–5 (verbal): Describes the wicked’s words as serpent‑venom and likens them to a deaf adder—parallel venomous‑tongue motif applied to the wicked.
- Isaiah 59:5–6 (thematic): Uses imagery of vipers/serpents hatched from evil deeds and the deadly nature of what they produce—similar theme of deadly, serpentine consequences of wickedness.
- Proverbs 23:32 (thematic): Speaks of something that ultimately ‘bites like a serpent and stings like an adder’—a comparable proverb‑style image of a snake’s sting bringing death/harm.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will suck the poison of vipers; the tongue of a viper will kill him.
- He will suck the poison of cobras; the viper's tongue will kill him.
Job.20.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- ירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בפלגות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נהרי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- נחלי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- דבש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחמאה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 3:8 (thematic): The phrase 'a land flowing with milk and honey' uses the same milk/honey imagery for abundance; thematically parallels Job’s rivers/streams of honey and butter as symbols of plenty.
- Numbers 13:27 (thematic): Report of the Promised Land as 'flowing with milk and honey'—another Old Testament locus of the milk-and-honey motif that Job invokes in picturing rich provision.
- Isaiah 7:22 (verbal): Uses the pairing 'butter and honey' (חמאה וּדְבַשׁ) as food imagery; a close verbal parallel in the same two substances (though often in reversed order).
- Psalm 36:8-9 (allusion): Describes God’s provision as a 'river' and 'abundance'/'river of delights,' echoing the river/stream imagery of plentiful blessing found in Job 20:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let him not delight in the abundance of streams of honey and cream.
- He will not delight in streams—rivers—of honey and butter.
Job.20.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- משיב: VERB,hif,ptc,2,m,sg
- יגע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יבלע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כחיל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תמורתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יעלס: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Both depict the fate of the wicked as sudden ruin and disappearance—perishing like smoke or being driven away so that no lasting portion remains.
- Proverbs 24:20 (verbal): Speaks of the wicked’s lamp being put out—echoing Job’s imagery of being driven from the light and having no sustaining reward.
- Job 27:20-23 (structural): Within the same book this passage similarly describes terror, darkness, flight, and the final overthrow of the wicked—reinforcing the theme of inevitable loss and exclusion from light/world.
- Psalm 49:16-17 (thematic): Warns that the rich/wicked cannot take their wealth or reputation with them at death—parallel to Job’s point that the wicked’s recompense will not endure and he is left without help.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he returns what he has earned and will not swallow it; the strength of his toil will not endure, he will not be satisfied with it.
- He will restore the years of his toil and will not enjoy the profit; what he labored for he will not keep.
Job.20.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- רצץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עזב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גזל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יבנהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Amos 5:11 (verbal): Condemns trampling the poor and building houses that one will not inhabit—closely parallels the idea that ill-gotten houses/wealth will not stand for the oppressor.
- Jeremiah 22:13 (verbal): Woe to him who 'builds his house by unrighteousness' and thus gains by injustice; echoes the theme that houses gained by robbery/unrighteousness will not endure.
- Micah 2:2 (thematic): Speaks of coveting and seizing fields and houses and oppressing people—parallels Job's charge against those who crush or abandon the poor to gain property.
- Proverbs 10:2 (thematic): Notes that treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, while righteousness delivers—connects to the failure/end of wealth acquired by oppressing the poor.
- Psalm 37:16,20 (thematic): Contrasts the fleeting prosperity of the wicked with their ultimate loss/perishing; supports the theme that the gains of oppressors (their houses) will not endure.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he crushed and forsook the house of the poor; he seized a house by violence and will not rebuild it.
- For he has crushed and forsaken the poor, he has seized a house which he did not build.
Job.20.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שלו: PRON,3,m,sg
- בבטנו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בחמודו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימלט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 57:21 (verbal): Declares 'There is no peace to the wicked'—a direct thematic/verbal parallel to Job's claim that the wicked 'will not know quietness' in their belly.
- Isaiah 48:22 (verbal): Another explicit statement 'There is no peace...to the wicked'; echoes Job's assertion that the desires of the wicked bring no restful enjoyment.
- Ecclesiastes 5:10 (thematic): 'He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver'—captures the same idea that craving and possessions fail to give true contentment or rest.
- Proverbs 27:20 (thematic): 'Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied'—likens human appetite/greed to an insatiable force, paralleling Job's point that the covetous man does not enjoy what he desires.
- Psalm 73:18–19 (thematic): Describes the apparent prosperity of the wicked as ephemeral and ending in ruin—parallels Zophar's claim that the wicked will not securely enjoy or escape the consequences of their desires.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will not enjoy his goods; they will not endure—what he coveted will not escape him.
- For he did not know ease in his lifetime; what he coveted will not deliver him.
Job.20.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אין: PART,neg
- שריד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאכלו: VERB,qal,inf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- יחיל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- טובו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:5 (verbal): Both warn that wealth is fleeting — when you look at riches they vanish like a bird; similar to 'no remnant to his food… his goods shall not endure.'
- Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 (thematic): Qohelet observes that riches hoarded can bring no lasting benefit and often leave nothing at death, paralleling the idea that a man’s food/possessions leave no remnant.
- Psalm 49:17-20 (thematic): These verses teach that the wealthy perish and cannot carry off their goods at death; their wealth does not deliver them — echoing the transience of possessions in Job 20:21.
- Job 27:16-17 (structural): Within Job the theme recurs: the wicked’s plenty yields nothing lasting and is swept away (images of wind/consumption), reinforcing the claim that his food/wealth leaves no remnant.
Alternative generated candidates
- There is no remnant for his food; therefore his prosperity will not endure.
- There is no remnant for his food; therefore his prosperity will not endure.
Job.20.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- במלאות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שפקו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- יצר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- יד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תבואנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg,obj=1,pl
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:31-32 (verbal): The wicked 'eat the fruit of their way' and are filled with their devices — similar idea that the fulfillment of a man's desires brings about his own ruin and toil.
- Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 (thematic): Wealth hoarded to the hurt of its owner becomes a source of trouble and loss, echoing the theme that abundance can result in toil and calamity.
- Proverbs 11:4 (thematic): 'Riches profit not in the day of wrath' — like Job 20:22, riches or fulfilled desires do not avert coming disaster and suffering.
- Psalm 73:19-20 (structural): The suddenness and totality of the wicked's downfall (they are consumed in a moment) parallels the abrupt visitation of toil and calamity when a man's desires are satisfied.
- Luke 12:20 (allusion): In the parable of the rich fool the man's abundance is met by an immediate demand for his soul — a New Testament parallel to the motif that fulfilled prosperity can be followed by sudden loss and labor.
Alternative generated candidates
- When his belly is full, the pangs will overtake him; all the labor of his hands will come upon him.
- When he is filled, calamity will prepare against him; all the work of his hands will come upon him.
Job.20.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- למלא: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- בטנו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- חרון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
- וימטר: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- עלימו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- בלחומו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 11:6 (verbal): Both verses use the image of God ‘raining’ judgment on the wicked—God’s wrath/punishment falling upon them (rain of fire/brimstone in Ps. 11:6 parallels ימטר עלימו בלחומו).
- Nahum 1:6 (verbal): Both portray the fierceness of God’s anger as something poured out and devastating; Nahum’s imagery of fury poured out like fire echoes Job’s language of God’s heat/anger being poured upon a man.
- Job 18:5-21 (structural): Within Job’s dialogues, Bildad’s description of the wicked’s sudden ruin and the divine calamity that comes upon them parallels Zophar’s account here—both speeches structurally parallel the motif of swift, consuming punishment.
- Psalm 7:16 (thematic): Both passages emphasize the theme that the wicked’s own deeds and plots rebound on them and provoke divine retribution—mischief returning upon his own head and God’s anger falling upon the evildoer.
Alternative generated candidates
- The wrath of God will be poured out upon him, and it will rain down on him in the fury of his anger.
- When his belly is full, God's fierce anger will be sent upon him; it will rain down into his inward parts.
Job.20.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יברח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מנשק: VERB,qal,ptc,NA,m,sg
- ברזל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחלפהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- קשת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נחושה: ADJ,f,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 18:34 (verbal): Uses the same striking phrase about a "bow of bronze/steel" (Hebrew קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה), a close verbal parallel in weapon imagery.
- 2 Samuel 22:35 (verbal): Duplicate tradition of Psalm 18 (2 Sam 22:35) with the identical image—arms/bow of bronze—matching Job’s metal-weapon metaphor.
- Psalm 64:7 (thematic): Speaks of God shooting an arrow at the wicked so they are suddenly wounded—the theme of arrows/striking weapons bringing sudden ruin echoes Job 20:24.
- Zechariah 9:14 (thematic): Describes the Lord’s arrow going forth like lightning and striking enemies; parallels the theme of a powerful projectile weapon executing judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will flee from the iron weapon; the bronze bow will strike him.
- He will flee from the iron weapon; the bronze bow will strike him.
Job.20.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שלף: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מגוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וברק: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ממררתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יהלך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- אמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 7:16 (verbal): Both verses portray the wicked's own wrongdoing returning upon him — 'mischief returns upon his own head' parallels the image of a deadly implement turning back and coming upon the man himself.
- Proverbs 26:27 (thematic): Uses the motif of self-inflicted ruin (the pit one digs ensnares him, the stone rolls back) analogous to the picture of a weapon/terror coming out of or upon the evildoer.
- Isaiah 3:11 (thematic): Declares woe to the wicked and that they receive the reward of their hands, echoing Job's theme that the wicked suffer an immediate, fitting punishment.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (allusion): God’s declaration 'Vengeance is mine... I will repay' underlies the poetic tradition in which punishment overtakes the wicked — a theological background to Job’s image of terror and injury coming upon him.
Alternative generated candidates
- A sword will come out from his house; terror will meet him at every step.
- He draws it out, and it goes forth from his own body; the gleam of the spear will wound him.
Job.20.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- חשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- טמון: VERB,pual,ptc,_,m,sg
- לצפוניו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- תאכלהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+obj=3,m,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- נפח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- שריד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- באהלו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 18:18 (thematic): Bildad's portrait of the wicked's sudden ruin (roots dried up, branches cut off) parallels 20:26's motif of total consumption and loss within the wicked man's dwelling.
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Speaks of the wicked perishing and being consumed like smoke; parallels the theme of the wicked's final destruction and the image of being consumed by fire.
- Proverbs 24:20 (verbal): “The lamp of the wicked shall be put out” echoes the darkness/extinguishing imagery of 20:26 (darkness stored up for his treasures; fire consumes).
- Deuteronomy 32:22 (verbal): God’s anger described as a fire that burns to Sheol and consumes the earth, paralleling the motif of consuming fire and divinely‑ordained destruction in 20:26.
- Isaiah 33:14 (verbal): The sinners' fate before a ‘devouring fire’ and ‘everlasting burnings’ parallels the image of fire devouring what remains in the tent and the theme of inexorable judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not blown upon will devour the residue in his tent.
- All darkness is stored up for his treasures; a fire not fanned will consume the remnant in his tent.
Job.20.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יגלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עונו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- וארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מתקוממה: VERB,hitpael,ptc,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:1-2 (structural): Both passages call heaven and earth to hear/witness a moral indictment; identical witness-formula ('Give ear, O heavens... let the earth hear') frames the divine accusation.
- Isaiah 1:2 (allusion): God summons the heavens and the earth to testify against Israel's transgressions—parallel use of the created order as witness to human sin.
- Habakkuk 2:11 (thematic): Depicts inanimate creation (stones, beams) crying out against wrongdoing—similar theme of creation revealing or condemning human guilt.
- Luke 19:40 (allusion): Jesus' remark that if the people were silent the stones would cry out echoes the idea that creation will bear witness to truth and judgment.
- Revelation 6:12-17 (thematic): Cosmic upheaval at divine judgment—heaven and earth react and humanity trembles—parallels Job's image of the heavens revealing guilt and the earth rising against the wicked.
Alternative generated candidates
- The heavens will disclose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
- The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
Job.20.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יגל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יבול: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נגרות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ביום: PREP
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
Parallels
- Job 20:29 (structural): Immediate continuation in Zophar's speech—explicitly interprets the preceding line as the portion/heritage allotted to the wicked by God (same argumentative unit about divine retribution).
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Depicts the wicked suddenly perishing and vanishing under God's anger—similar imagery of destruction and loss in the day of divine wrath.
- Nahum 1:6 (thematic): Speaks of the devastation that accompanies God's indignation and the inability to stand before his fierce anger, echoing the theme of a day of wrath that brings destruction.
- Isaiah 13:9 (thematic): Announces 'the day of the LORD' as a day of wrath and punishment—parallels Job's motif of judgment coming in a single, decisive day of divine anger.
Alternative generated candidates
- The yield of his house will be carried off; on the day of his wrath his possessions will be plundered.
- The yield of his house will be carried away, and his possessions will be cut off on the day of his wrath.
Job.20.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- חלק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ונחלת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מאל: PREP
Parallels
- Proverbs 16:4 (verbal): Asserts that the LORD has made all things for his purpose, including the wicked for the day of calamity—echoing Job’s claim that the wicked’s portion/lot is from God.
- Job 21:30 (structural): Within the same dialogue Job (and Bildad’s speeches) returns to the theme that the wicked are reserved for a day of destruction—closely related to 20:29’s idea of the wicked’s allotted fate from God.
- Psalm 73:18–20 (thematic): Speaks of the ultimate downfall and ruin that God appoints for the wicked—paralleling Job 20:29’s emphasis on the wicked’s allotted end being from God.
- Psalm 9:16–17 (thematic): Declares that the wicked are turned into Sheol and that God will judge the nations—reflecting the theme that the destiny or ‘portion’ of the wicked is ordained by God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Such is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed to him by the Almighty.
- This then is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage that the Almighty allots to him.
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
My inward thought compels me to reply, because of the hurry that is upon me.
I will give instruction from my knowledge, and the spirit of my understanding will answer me.
Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on the earth?
The mirth of the wicked is brief, and the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.
Though his exaltation mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds,
yet like his own dung he will perish forever; those who saw him will say, ‘Where is he?’
Like a dream he will vanish and not be found; he will be chased away like a night vision.
The eye that saw him will see him no more; his place will look upon him no more.
His sons will plead with the poor, and his hands will give back his gains.
The vigor of his youth remains in his bones, yet it will lie down with him in the dust.
Though he delights in evil in his mouth, he hides it under his tongue;
he cherishes it and will not let it go; he keeps it within his lips.
His food turns bitter in his belly; it becomes the venom of cobras within him.
He swallows down riches, but he will vomit them up; God will expel them from his belly.
He will suck poison; the fangs of a viper will kill him.
He will not behold the streams—rivers of honey and butter.
He will give back what he gained and will not keep it; his prosperity will not endure.
For he crushed and abandoned the needy, and plundered a house he did not build.
He will have no rest in the things he craves; that which he desires will not deliver him.
Nothing will be left of what he eats; therefore his prosperity will not endure.
When his belly is full, calamity will come upon him; the toil of all his hands will come down on him.
May his belly be the place of disaster; may the burning wrath of God be poured upon him and rain down in his consuming.
He shall flee before the iron weapon; the bar of bronze shall strike him; the arrow of a strong bow shall pass through him.
He draws it forth and it comes from his body; the shining spear goes out from his belly—terror attends him.
Darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not tended will consume what remains in his tent.
The heavens will disclose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.
The yield of his house will be carried off on the day of his anger.
Such is the portion of a wicked man from God, the heritage appointed to him by the Almighty.