Job — Chapter 11

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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
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Zophar's first speech — the bluntest of the three friends, he accuses Job of empty talk and insists God is actually punishing him less than his sin deserves.

Authorship & Background

Author: Unknown. Candidates include Job himself, Moses, Solomon, or an anonymous sage. Likely the oldest book in the Bible by setting (patriarchal era, approximately 2000-1800 BC), though the date of composition is debated. The book addresses the problem of innocent suffering and God's sovereignty. Key themes: Why do the righteous suffer? Is God just? Can faith survive without answers? The inadequacy of simplistic theology ('you suffer because you sinned'). God's sovereignty transcends human understanding. True worship says 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him' (13:15).
Historical Context: Chapter 11 introduces the third and harshest friend: Zophar the Naamathite. While Eliphaz spoke from experience and Bildad from tradition, Zophar speaks from blunt dogmatism. He has no subtlety, no diplomacy, no patience. He calls Job a liar (v.3), says God is punishing him LESS than he deserves (v.6), and demands repentance without evidence of specific sin. Zophar represents the person who is absolutely certain of their theology and absolutely insensitive in its application. His description of God's unsearchable wisdom (vv.7-9) is beautiful — but he uses it to argue that God sees hidden sin in Job that Job himself cannot perceive. The chapter completes the first round of speeches by the three friends, each escalating in harshness: Eliphaz (gentle then firm), Bildad (blunt), Zophar (brutal).
Zophar's Attack (vv.1-6): Zophar opens with insult: "Should not the multitude of words be answered?" — Job talks too much. "Should thy lies make men hold their peace?" (v.3) — Zophar calls Job a liar directly. He quotes Job (inaccurately): "My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes" (v.4). Then his devastating wish: "Oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee" (v.5) — Zophar wants God to condemn Job directly. His cruelest line: "God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth" (v.6). You deserve WORSE than what you're getting. This is theology without a shred of compassion.
God's Unsearchable Wisdom (vv.7-12): Zophar asks: "Canst thou by searching find out God?" (v.7). God's wisdom is higher than heaven, deeper than hell, longer than earth, broader than sea (vv.8-9). This is magnificent theology — God transcends human comprehension. But Zophar uses it to silence Job: you cannot understand God's ways, therefore stop questioning. He knows "vain men" and sees wickedness (v.11) — implying God sees Job's hidden sin. Verse 12 is scathing: "vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt" — Job is as likely to gain wisdom as a wild donkey is to be born human. Pure contempt.
Zophar's Prescription (vv.13-20): IF Job will "prepare his heart" and "stretch out his hands" (v.13), IF he puts away iniquity (v.14), THEN he will lift his face without shame (v.15), forget his misery (v.16), live brighter than noonday (v.17), lie down in security (v.18-19). The prescription is simple: repent and be restored. The problem: it assumes guilt without evidence. The conditional "if" is again the accusation. The chapter ends with a warning: "the eyes of the wicked shall fail... their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost" (v.20) — the implication: this is your fate if you don't repent.

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

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.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "Zophar was the worst kind of comforter — the kind who kicks a man when he is down and then calls it spiritual counsel. 'God is punishing you less than you deserve' — what sort of friend says this to a man covered in sores who has buried ten children? If this is comfort, then a rack is a bed of ease. Zophar had the right God but the wrong heart. He knew the Almighty was great but did not know that the Almighty was also gracious."

Videos

The Bible Project — Job Overview

Reflection

  • 1. Beware the certainty that condemns (v.6). Zophar is absolutely certain — and absolutely wrong. He does not say "perhaps you have sinned" but "God punishes you less than you deserve." When you are most certain about someone else's spiritual condition, pause. Certainty about another person's guilt before God is almost always presumption.
  • 2. God's transcendence should humble the counselor, not embolden him (vv.7-9). "Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?" The correct response to this question is: "Then I too cannot fully explain what God is doing with Job." Zophar acknowledges God is beyond finding out, then immediately claims to know exactly what God is doing. The inconsistency is breathtaking.
  • 3. "Less than you deserve" is never comfort (v.6). Even if theologically true in some ultimate sense (all sinners deserve judgment), this statement never helps a suffering person. In Job's case, it is factually wrong. Resist the urge to tell suffering people they deserve worse — even if your theology says so. The place for that truth is private conviction, not public accusation.
  • 4. Simple prescriptions for complex problems (vv.13-14). "Prepare your heart, put away iniquity, and all will be well." This is the ancient equivalent of "have you tried praying more?" Simple answers to complex suffering are not just inadequate — they are insulting. Honor the complexity of another person's pain.
  • 5. The wicked's fate is real but not everyone who suffers is wicked (v.20). Zophar's warning about the wicked is theologically valid — the wicked will face judgment. But applying it to Job as a veiled threat reveals Zophar's true assessment: he thinks Job is wicked. Never use general theological truths as personal threats against specific individuals whose situations you do not fully understand.