Job 20:20 kjv
Surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly, he shall not save of that which he desired.
Job 20:20 nkjv
"Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires.
Job 20:20 niv
"Surely he will have no respite from his craving; he cannot save himself by his treasure.
Job 20:20 esv
"Because he knew no contentment in his belly, he will not let anything in which he delights escape him.
Job 20:20 nlt
They were always greedy and never satisfied.
Nothing remains of all the things they dreamed about.
Job 20 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 37:16 | Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues... | Contentment vs. much gained unrighteously. |
| Ps 73:18-19 | Surely you set them in slippery places; you cast them down... | Wicked's prosperity is fleeting and leads to destruction. |
| Prov 1:19 | So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life... | Greed leads to destruction. |
| Prov 23:5 | When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for it will surely sprout wings and fly away like an eagle... | Wealth gained unfairly is fleeting. |
| Prov 27:20 | Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and the eyes of man are never satisfied. | Insatiable human desires, a constant hunger. |
| Eccl 5:10 | He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this too is vanity. | Riches do not bring true satisfaction. |
| Eccl 5:11 | When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner... | Accumulation leads to more hangers-on and no true benefit. |
| Isa 57:20-21 | But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire... there is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. | Inner restlessness of the wicked. |
| Hab 2:5-6 | Moreover, wealth is treacherous, and he is a proud man who does not stay at home; he enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and he is like death... | Description of the insatiable nature of the arrogant and greedy. |
| Lk 12:15 | Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. | Warning against covetousness; true life is not found in possessions. |
| Lk 12:20-21 | But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'... | Parable of the rich fool who loses everything in death. |
| Matt 6:19-21 | Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in... | Earthly treasures are perishable; true wealth is spiritual. |
| 1 Tim 6:6 | But godliness with contentment is great gain. | True contentment with godliness brings gain. |
| 1 Tim 6:9 | But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare... ruin and destruction. | Desire for riches leads to destructive pitfalls. |
| 1 Tim 6:10 | For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away... | Craving for money leads to wandering from faith and much sorrow. |
| Heb 13:5 | Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have... | Exhortation to contentment, freedom from love of money. |
| Jas 4:2-3 | You desire and do not have... you covet and cannot obtain. | Unfulfilled desires stemming from covetousness and wrong motives. |
| Zep 1:18 | Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath... | Worldly wealth provides no deliverance in divine judgment. |
| Job 27:8 | For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life? | The hope of the wicked perishes. |
| Job 15:20 | The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, and the number of his years is stored up for the ruthless oppressor. | Wicked experience constant inner turmoil and inevitable suffering. |
Job 20 verses
Job 20 20 Meaning
Job 20:20 declares that a wicked person, consumed by an insatiable craving and lacking any inner contentment, will ultimately fail to retain anything of what they eagerly pursued and desired. Their deep-seated restlessness and greed prevent them from experiencing lasting satisfaction, leading to a forfeiture of their gains. This statement is part of Zophar's argument, emphasizing the swift and complete demise of the wicked's prosperity.
Job 20 20 Context
Job 20:20 is found within the second speech of Zophar the Naamathite. In the overall narrative of the Book of Job, Zophar, like Bildad and Eliphaz, is an advocate of the traditional retribution theology, which posits a direct cause-and-effect relationship between righteousness and prosperity, and wickedness and suffering. Zophar argues vehemently that the wicked, despite any temporary gains, are doomed to quick and utter destruction, their prosperity being merely an illusion. This verse directly supports his contention that the wicked's inner life is marked by turmoil, and their material acquisitions, born of insatiable greed, will ultimately provide no security or lasting satisfaction and will be lost. Zophar's words are a direct counter to Job's experience and his claim that the righteous can suffer, and the wicked can, at times, prosper. From Zophar's perspective, any perceived prosperity of the wicked is unstable and fleeting due to their inherent covetousness.
Job 20 20 Word analysis
- Because: Introduces the reason or cause for the inevitable loss that follows.
- he knew (לֹא־יָדַ֣ע - lō-yāḏaʿ): Lit. "he did not know." This implies an absence of acquaintance, experience, or perception. The wicked person fundamentally lacked or rejected this quality.
- no quietness (שֶׁ֫קֶט - sheqet): This Hebrew term signifies stillness, quiet, rest, ease, or tranquility. In this context, it points to a profound inner state of peace, contentment, or satisfaction. The wicked are depicted as never truly at rest, driven by an incessant internal demand.
- in his belly (בְבִטְנ֖וֹ - bə·ḇiṭ·nōw): The Hebrew word beṭen literally means "belly" or "womb," but idiomatically in Hebrew thought, it often refers to the innermost being, the seat of emotions, desires, thoughts, and deepest urges. It's not just physical hunger, but a spiritual or psychological insatiability residing at the core of their being. This implies their restless covetousness emanates from their very essence.
- he shall not save aught / he will not retain anything (לֹֽא־יְמַלֵּ֬ט אִם־מֵחֶמְדָּתֽוֹ - lō yə·mal·lêṭ ʾîm-mē·ḥem·dā·ṯōw):
- לֹא־יְמַלֵּט (lo-y'mallēt): "He will not escape" or "he will not deliver himself." Here, it carries the sense of "he will not get away with" or "he will not retain." It conveys the certainty of loss, the inability to preserve his ill-gotten gains.
- אִם־מֵחֶמְדָּתוֹ (im-mēḥemdātō): "Even from his desires" or "anything of that which he craved/desired." ḥemdah refers to a desirable thing, a covetous desire, an object of longing. The very things the wicked greedily accumulated will not remain in their possession; they will not even satisfy their deep craving. The irony is that the pursuit of ḥemdah leads to the ultimate loss of ḥemdah.
Words-group analysis:
- "Because he knew no quietness in his belly": This phrase paints a picture of profound internal turmoil and lack of contentment. It describes the wicked person's spiritual poverty despite any material riches. Their internal restlessness is the fundamental cause of their ultimate downfall, preventing any lasting peace or enjoyment of their possessions. This highlights an ethical truth: genuine peace comes from within, not from external acquisition.
- "he shall not save aught of that which he desired": This second clause describes the inevitable outcome of the first. The very things that were the object of their restless desire become volatile and ultimately lost. It underscores the futility and emptiness of a life driven by insatiable greed, demonstrating that what is acquired by discontent will be lost in a way that provides no lasting benefit.
Job 20 20 Bonus section
The strong emphasis on the "belly" (beṭen) as the seat of insatiable desire is culturally significant. In Hebrew thought, the "belly" was deeply connected to one's appetites and emotions. This imagery effectively conveys the internal, visceral nature of the wicked person's cravings, portraying it as an all-consuming force from within. Zophar's pronouncements, while stark and sometimes rigid in their application to Job, underscore a timeless biblical principle: material gain pursued without moral uprightness and contentment often leads to emptiness and loss. This serves as a cautionary tale not only against outward acts of wickedness but against the internal heart condition of covetousness itself, showing its inherently destructive power from within the individual.
Job 20 20 Commentary
Job 20:20 encapsulates Zophar's steadfast belief in the swift and inescapable justice for the wicked. For Zophar, the root cause of the wicked's downfall isn't merely external judgment but an internal void—an absence of inner quietness or contentment. This internal spiritual unrest, this "gnawing hunger in the belly," propels the wicked into relentless, often unethical, accumulation. However, this insatiable desire acts as a boomerang; the very drive that acquires wealth also ensures its loss and ultimately prevents any true satisfaction or security from it. What is gathered without inner peace will be dispersed without personal retention. Zophar argues that this deep-seated lack of contentment ensures that no matter how much the wicked accumulate, it can never truly be "saved" or truly benefit them. Their entire life is a pursuit that is inherently self-defeating, leading to an empty handed conclusion.