Job — Chapter 11
Loading ESV text...
1Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2“Should this stream of words go unanswered and such a speaker be vindicated?
3Should your babbling put others to silence? Will you scoff without rebuke?
4You have said, ‘My doctrine is sound, and I am pure in Your sight.’
5But if only God would speak and open His lips against you,
6and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.
7Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
8They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
9Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
10If He comes along to imprison you, or convenes a court, who can stop Him?
11Surely He knows the deceit of men. If He sees iniquity, does He not take note?
12But a witless man can no more become wise than the colt of a wild donkey can be born a man!
13As for you, if you direct your heart and lift up your hands to Him,
14if you put away the iniquity in your hand, and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents,
15then indeed you will lift up your face without blemish; you will stand firm and unafraid.
16For you will forget your misery, recalling it only as waters gone by.
17Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
18You will be secure, because there is hope, and you will look around and lie down in safety.
19You will lie down without fear, and many will court your favor.
20But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; they will hope for their last breath.”
1Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
2Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?
3Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?
4For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.
5But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;
6And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
7Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
8It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
9The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
10If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?
11For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
12For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.
13If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
14If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
15For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
16Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
17And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
18And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
19Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.
20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.
1Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
2Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be justified?
3Should thy boastings make men hold their peace? And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?
4For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in thine eyes.
5But oh that God would speak, And open his lips against thee,
6And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
7Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
8It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than Sheol; what canst thou know?
9The measure thereof is longer than the earth, And broader than the sea.
10If he pass through, and shut up, And all unto judgment, then who can hinder him?
11For he knoweth false men: He seeth iniquity also, even though he consider it not.
12But vain man is void of understanding, Yea, man is born [as] a wild ass`s colt.
13If thou set thy heart aright, And stretch out thy hands toward him;
14If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away, And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents.
15Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
16For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away,
17And [thy] life shall be clearer than the noonday; Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning.
18And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; Yea, thou shalt search [about thee], and shalt take thy rest in safety.
19Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; Yea, many shall make suit unto thee.
20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, And they shall have no way to flee; And their hope shall be the giving up of the ghost.
1Then Zophar the Naamathite spoke up and said:
2“Should not this abundance of words be answered, or should this talkative man be vindicated?
3Should people remain silent at your idle talk, and should no one rebuke you when you mock?
4For you have said, ‘My teaching is flawless, and I am pure in your sight.’
5But if only God would speak, if only he would open his lips against you
6and reveal to you the secrets of wisdom— for true wisdom has two sides— so that you would know that God has forgiven some of your sins.
7“Can you discover the essence of God? Can you find out the perfection of the Almighty?
8It is higher than the heavens—what can you do? It is deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
9Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.
10If he comes by and confines you and convenes a court, then who can prevent him?
11For he knows deceitful men; when he sees evil, will he not consider it?
12But an empty man will become wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a human being.
13“As for you, if you prove faithful, and if you stretch out your hands toward him,
14if iniquity is in your hand—put it far away, and do not let evil reside in your tents.
15For then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be securely established and will not fear.
16For you will forget your trouble; you will remember it like water that has flowed away.
17And life will be brighter than the noonday; though there be darkness, it will be like the morning.
18And you will be secure because there is hope; you will be protected and will take your rest in safety.
19You will lie down with no one to make you afraid, and many will seek your favor.
20But the eyes of the wicked fail, and escape eludes them; their one hope is to breathe their last.”
1Then Zophar, the Naamathite, answered,
2“Shouldn’t the multitude of words be answered? Should a man full of talk be justified?
3Should your boastings make men hold their peace? When you mock, shall no man make you ashamed?
4For you say, ‘My doctrine is pure. I am clean in your eyes.’
5But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against you,
6that he would show you the secrets of wisdom! For true wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves.
7“Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
8They are high as heaven. What can you do? They are deeper than Sheol. What can you know?
9Its measure is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
10If he passes by, or confines, or convenes a court, then who can oppose him?
11For he knows false men. He sees iniquity also, even though he doesn’t consider it.
12An empty-headed man becomes wise when a man is born as a wild donkey’s colt.
13“If you set your heart aright, stretch out your hands toward him.
14If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away. Don’t let unrighteousness dwell in your tents.
15Surely then you shall lift up your face without spot; Yes, you shall be steadfast, and shall not fear:
16for you shall forget your misery. You shall remember it like waters that have passed away.
17Life shall be clearer than the noonday. Though there is darkness, it shall be as the morning.
18You shall be secure, because there is hope. Yes, you shall search, and shall take your rest in safety.
19Also you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid. Yes, many shall court your favor.
20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail. They shall have no way to flee. Their hope shall be the giving up of the spirit.”
Summary
Zophar the Naamathite speaks next, the bluntest of the three, accusing Job of empty and mocking talk and insisting Job's claim to be pure in God's sight cannot go unanswered (vv. 1-4). He wishes God himself would speak and reveal the depths of wisdom, arguing that God is actually exacting less punishment than Job's guilt deserves (vv. 5-6). Zophar declares that God's greatness is unsearchable — higher than the heavens, deeper than Sheol, broader than the sea — and that no one can resist or fully know him (vv. 7-12). He urges Job to put away any iniquity in his hand, promising that if he does, his life will grow brighter than noonday, secure and untroubled, while the wicked have no such hope and only look toward death (vv. 13-20).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes that Zophar combines the worst elements of both previous friends: he has Eliphaz's certainty without his initial gentleness, and Bildad's dogmatism without his appeal to authority. Zophar speaks from pure arrogance. His theology of God's transcendence (vv.7-9) is correct, but he uses it as a blunt instrument rather than a source of comfort. The irony: Zophar says God's ways are beyond finding out, then proceeds to explain exactly what God is doing with Job.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the speech from the whirlwind, and why it answers Job the way it does.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Job -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Certainty That Condemns (v.6) — Zophar doesn't suggest Job might have sinned; he flatly claims God is punishing Job less than he deserves, speaking with total confidence about a situation he doesn't understand. When you feel most certain about someone else's spiritual condition, is that certainty rooted in truth or in judgment?
- Transcendence Used to Silence (vv.7-9) — Zophar rightly describes God's wisdom as higher than heaven and deeper than the grave, but he uses that truth to shut Job's questions down rather than to humble his own assumptions. Does acknowledging God's mystery make you more humble about what you claim to know, or more confident in your own conclusions?
- Contempt Dressed as Counsel (v.12) — Zophar compares Job to a wild donkey's colt, mocking any hope that a "foolish" man could gain understanding. Have you ever let frustration with someone turn your words into contempt instead of genuine help?
- A Simple Fix for Complex Pain (vv.13-14) — Zophar's prescription — just repent and everything will be fine — assumes guilt without evidence and offers no room for Job's actual situation. When someone you care about is suffering, do you offer quick formulas or take the time to actually understand what they're carrying?
- Truth Turned Into a Threat (v.20) — Zophar closes with a warning about the fate of the wicked, aimed squarely at Job as an accusation rather than a general truth. Do you ever use a real biblical truth as a weapon against a specific person instead of letting it stand on its own?