Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure. Because his appetiteThe Hebrew word for "appetite" here is "בִּטְנוֹ" (bitno), which can also be translated as "belly" or "desire." This word often symbolizes the inner cravings and desires of a person, not just physical hunger but also a metaphor for greed and insatiable longing. In the context of Zophar's speech, it reflects the idea that the wicked are driven by an unquenchable thirst for more, which ultimately leads to their downfall. This aligns with the broader biblical theme that unchecked desires can lead to sin and separation from God. is never satisfied
The phrase "never satisfied" underscores the futility of trying to fulfill one's desires through material means. The Hebrew root "שָׂבַע" (sava) means to be sated or full, and its negation here emphasizes a perpetual state of want. This reflects the biblical teaching found in Ecclesiastes 5:10, which states that those who love money will never have enough. It serves as a warning against the pursuit of worldly wealth as a means to achieve true contentment, which can only be found in a relationship with God. he cannot escape
The inability to "escape" suggests a sense of entrapment or bondage. The Hebrew word "פָּלַט" (palat) means to deliver or save, indicating that despite his efforts, the wicked man cannot save himself from the consequences of his greed. This is a powerful reminder of the biblical principle that sin has consequences, and without repentance and turning to God, one cannot find true deliverance. It echoes the New Testament teaching that salvation is found only through Christ (Acts 4:12). with his treasure
The term "treasure" in Hebrew is "חֵיל" (cheil), which can refer to wealth, strength, or resources. In this context, it represents the material possessions that the wicked accumulate. The irony here is that despite amassing great wealth, it provides no security or escape from judgment. This reflects Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6:19-21, where He advises storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth. The verse serves as a caution against placing trust in material wealth, which is temporary and ultimately powerless to save. Persons / Places / Events 1. Zophar the NaamathiteOne of Job's three friends who comes to comfort him. Zophar is known for his harsh and direct speeches, often emphasizing God's justice and the consequences of wickedness. 2. JobThe central figure of the Book of Job, a man known for his righteousness and suffering. Job's account is a profound exploration of faith, suffering, and divine justice. 3. The DialogueThis verse is part of Zophar's second speech to Job, where he argues that the wicked will ultimately face divine retribution. Teaching Points The Insatiable Nature of GreedGreed is a powerful force that can never be fully satisfied. Like a bottomless pit, it consumes without ever being filled. Christians are called to find contentment in Christ rather than in material possessions. The Futility of Earthly TreasuresEarthly treasures are temporary and cannot provide true security or satisfaction. Believers are encouraged to store up treasures in heaven, where they are eternal and secure. The Consequences of WickednessZophar's speech serves as a reminder that wickedness ultimately leads to destruction. While the wicked may seem to prosper temporarily, their end is one of loss and emptiness. Contentment in GodTrue contentment comes from a relationship with God, not from accumulating wealth or possessions. Christians are called to trust in God's provision and find satisfaction in His presence. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Zophar's perspective on the fate of the wicked challenge or affirm your understanding of justice and retribution? 2. In what ways can the pursuit of material wealth become an insatiable appetite in our lives today? How can we guard against this? 3. Reflect on a time when you felt unsatisfied despite having what you thought you wanted. How does Job 20:20 speak to that experience? 4. How can we practically "store up treasures in heaven" in our daily lives, as opposed to focusing on earthly treasures? 5. Compare the message of Job 20:20 with Jesus' teachings in the New Testament about wealth and contentment. How do these teachings influence your view on material possessions? Connections to Other Scriptures Ecclesiastes 5:10This verse discusses the insatiable nature of wealth and how it never satisfies those who love it, similar to the theme in Job 20:20. Proverbs 27:20This proverb highlights the insatiable nature of human desires, paralleling the idea that the wicked's appetite is never satisfied. Luke 12:15-21Jesus' parable of the rich fool warns against greed and storing up earthly treasures, echoing the futility of the wicked's pursuit of wealth in Job 20:20. People Job, ZopharPlaces UzTopics Anything, Aught, Belly, Craving, Delight, Delighteth, Delights, Delivereth, Desirable, Desired, Desires, Ease, Escape, Feel, Greed, Nought, Peace, Quiet, Quietness, Respite, Rest, Retain, Salvation, Save, Suffered, Surely, Treasure, Wealth, Wherein, WithinDictionary of Bible Themes Job 20:20 5558 storing
5591 treasure Job 20:17-20 8810 riches, dangers Job 20:20-23 5185 stomach Library June 9 Evening
The triumphing of the wicked is short.--JOB 20:5. Thou shalt bruise his heel.--This is your hour, and the power of darkness.--As the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.--Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily PathThe Christian Urged To, and Assisted In, an Express Act of Self-Dedication to the Service of God.
1. The advantages of such a surrender are briefly suggested.-- 2, 3, 4. Advice for the manner of doing it; that it be deliberate, cheerful, entire, perpetual.--5. And that it be expressed with some affecting solemnity.--6. A written instrument to be signed and declared before God, at some season of extraordinary devotion, reposed. The chapter concludes with a specimen of such an instrument, together with an abstract of it, to be used with proper and requisite alterations. 1. AS I would hope, that, …
Philip Doddridge—The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul Whether the Ashes from which the Human Body Will be Restored have any Natural Inclination Towards the Soul which Will be United to Them?
Objection 1: It would seem that the ashes from which the human body will be restored will have a natural inclination towards the soul which will be united to them. For if they had no inclination towards the soul, they would stand in the same relation to that soul as other ashes. Therefore it would make no difference whether the body that is to be united to that soul were restored from those ashes or from others: and this is false. Objection 2: Further, the body is more dependent on the soul than …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica God.
GLORY OF GOD. God is the chief good--good so as nothing is but himself. He is in himself most happy; yea, all good and all true happiness are only to be found in God, as that which is essential to his nature; nor is there any good or any happiness in or with any creature or thing but what is communicated to it by God. God is the only desirable good; nothing without him is worthy of our hearts. Right thoughts of God are able to ravish the heart; how much more happy is the man that has interest in …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan The Hardening Operation of Love.
"Being grieved for the hardness of their heart."--Mark iii. 5. Love may also be reversed. Failing to cherish, to uplift, and to enrich, it consumes and destroys. This is a mystery which man can not fathom. It belongs to the unsearchable depths of the divine Being, of which we do not wish to know more than has been revealed. But this does not alter the fact. No creature can exclude itself from the divine control. No man can say that he has nothing to do with God; that he or any other creature exists …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Tit. 2:06 Thoughts for Young Men
WHEN St. Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus about his duty as a minister, he mentioned young men as a class requiring peculiar attention. After speaking of aged men and aged women, and young women, he adds this pithy advice, "Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded" (Tit. 2:6). I am going to follow the Apostle's advice. I propose to offer a few words of friendly exhortation to young men. I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most …
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times The Barren Fig-Tree;
OR, THE DOOM AND DOWNFALL OF THE FRUITLESS PROFESSOR: SHOWING, THAT THE DAY OF GRACE MAY BE PAST WITH HIM LONG BEFORE HIS LIFE IS ENDED; THE SIGNS ALSO BY WHICH SUCH MISERABLE MORTALS MAY BE KNOWN. BY JOHN BUNYAN 'Who being dead, yet speaketh.'--Hebrews 11:4 London: Printed for J. Robinson, at the Golden Lion, in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1688. This Title has a broad Black Border. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This solemn, searching, awful treatise, was published by Bunyan in 1682; but does not appear …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 A Few Sighs from Hell;
or, The Groans of the Damned Soul: or, An Exposition of those Words in the Sixteenth of Luke, Concerning the Rich Man and the Beggar WHEREIN IS DISCOVERED THE LAMENTABLE STATE OF THE DAMNED; THEIR CRIES, THEIR DESIRES IN THEIR DISTRESSES, WITH THE DETERMINATION OF GOD UPON THEM. A GOOD WARNING WORD TO SINNERS, BOTH OLD AND YOUNG, TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BETIMES, AND TO SEEK, BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, TO AVOID, LEST THEY COME INTO THE SAME PLACE OF TORMENT. Also, a Brief Discourse touching the …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 An Exhortation to Love God
1. An exhortation. Let me earnestly persuade all who bear the name of Christians to become lovers of God. "O love the Lord, all ye his saints" (Psalm xxxi. 23). There are but few that love God: many give Him hypocritical kisses, but few love Him. It is not so easy to love God as most imagine. The affection of love is natural, but the grace is not. Men are by nature haters of God (Rom. i. 30). The wicked would flee from God; they would neither be under His rules, nor within His reach. They fear God, …
Thomas Watson—A Divine Cordial Man's Misery by the Fall
Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. 'And were by nature children of wrath.' Eph 2:2. Adam left an unhappy portion to his posterity, Sin and Misery. Having considered the first of these, original sin, we shall now advert to the misery of that state. In the first, we have seen mankind offending; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Job 20:20 NIVJob 20:20 NLTJob 20:20 ESVJob 20:20 NASBJob 20:20 KJV
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