Job 20:7 Study Bible: yet he shall perish forever like his own dung. Those who have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?'

◄ Job 20:7 ►

he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, 'Where is he?'

he will perish forever
The phrase "he will perish forever" speaks to the ultimate fate of the wicked, as understood in the context of Zophar's speech. The Hebrew root for "perish" is "אָבַד" (avad), which conveys a sense of being lost or destroyed completely. In the conservative Christian perspective, this reflects the eternal separation from God that awaits those who live in rebellion against Him. The permanence of "forever" underscores the finality of divine judgment, reminding believers of the importance of living a righteous life in accordance with God's will.

like his own dung
This vivid imagery, "like his own dung," is meant to convey the utter worthlessness and contemptibility of the wicked once they are judged. In ancient Near Eastern culture, dung was considered unclean and was disposed of without thought. The Hebrew word "גֵּלָל" (gelal) for dung emphasizes the repulsive nature of sin and its consequences. This comparison serves as a stark warning to those who might be tempted to follow a path of unrighteousness, highlighting the degradation that sin brings upon a person.

those who had seen him
The phrase "those who had seen him" refers to the acquaintances and observers of the wicked person during his lifetime. In the context of Job, this suggests that the wicked may have once been prominent or influential, seen and recognized by many. However, their eventual downfall serves as a testimony to the transient nature of earthly power and success. This serves as a reminder that human recognition is fleeting, and only what is done for God will endure.

will ask, ‘Where is he?’
The question "will ask, ‘Where is he?’" indicates the complete disappearance and insignificance of the wicked after their judgment. This rhetorical question implies that the wicked will be so thoroughly removed from memory and existence that people will wonder about their whereabouts. In a broader biblical context, this reflects the theme of divine justice, where the wicked are ultimately held accountable for their actions. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of living apart from God's righteousness and the ultimate vindication of the righteous.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Zophar the Naamathite
One of Job's three friends who comes to comfort him. Zophar is known for his harsh and direct approach, often emphasizing God's justice and the fate of the wicked.

2. Job
The central figure of the Book of Job, a man of great faith and patience who undergoes severe trials and suffering. His account is a profound exploration of the nature of suffering and divine justice.

3. The Wicked
In this context, Zophar is speaking about the fate of the wicked, suggesting that their prosperity is temporary and their end is ignominious.

Teaching Points

The Temporary Nature of Earthly Success
Earthly success and prosperity are fleeting for those who live wickedly. True and lasting success is found in righteousness and obedience to God.

The Inevitable Justice of God
God's justice may not be immediate, but it is certain. The wicked may seem to prosper for a time, but their end is assured.

The Importance of a Godly Legacy
Unlike the wicked, whose memory fades, the righteous leave a lasting legacy. Our lives should be lived in such a way that they reflect God's glory and leave a positive impact.

The Danger of Pride and Self-Reliance
Pride and self-reliance can lead to a downfall. Humility and dependence on God are essential for a life that honors Him.

The Call to Trust in God's Sovereignty
In times of injustice or when the wicked seem to prosper, believers are called to trust in God's sovereign plan and timing.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does Zophar's description of the fate of the wicked in Job 20:7 challenge or affirm your understanding of justice?

2. In what ways can the temporary nature of earthly success be a reminder to focus on eternal values? Can you think of a New Testament passage that supports this idea?

3. How can we ensure that our lives leave a godly legacy, as opposed to the forgotten state of the wicked described in Job 20:7?

4. Reflect on a time when you witnessed or experienced what seemed like the prosperity of the wicked. How did you reconcile this with your faith in God's justice?

5. How can the themes in Job 20:7 encourage you to trust in God's sovereignty, especially when facing personal trials or observing injustice in the world? Consider how Romans 8:28 might relate to this trust.

Connections to Other Scriptures

Psalm 37
This Psalm contrasts the temporary success of the wicked with the enduring inheritance of the righteous, echoing the theme of the ultimate downfall of those who do evil.

Proverbs 10:7
This verse speaks about the memory of the righteous being a blessing, while the name of the wicked will rot, similar to the imagery used by Zophar in Job 20:7.

Ecclesiastes 8:10
Discusses the seeming prosperity of the wicked and their eventual forgotten state, aligning with Zophar's assertion of the wicked's ultimate demise.

Sermons

Godless Prosperity Short-Lived	E. Johnson	Job 20:1-29
The Temporary Triumph of the Wicked	R. Green	Job 20:5-20

People

Job, Zophar

Places

Topics

Beholders, Body, Dung, Forever, Perish, Perishes, Refuse, Waste, Yet

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Job 20:7

4639 dung and manure

Job 20:6-7

5961 superiority
6245 stubbornness

Job 20:6-11

6203 mortality

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 Path

The 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

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