Job 20:28 kjv
The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.
Job 20:28 nkjv
The increase of his house will depart, And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath.
Job 20:28 niv
A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God's wrath.
Job 20:28 esv
The possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God's wrath.
Job 20:28 nlt
A flood will sweep away their house.
God's anger will descend on them in torrents.
Job 20 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 39:6 | Surely every man walks as a phantom... He heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them. | Futility of acquiring wealth |
| Ps 49:10 | For he sees that even wise men die... they leave their wealth to others. | Inevitable loss of possessions at death |
| Ps 73:18-19 | Surely you set them in slippery places; you cast them down to destruction... How they are destroyed in a moment! | Sudden downfall and ruin of the wicked |
| Prov 11:4 | Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. | Wealth offers no protection from judgment |
| Prov 13:22 | A good man leaves an inheritance... but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous. | Wealth of wicked ultimately passes away |
| Prov 28:8 | Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit... gathers it for him who is gracious to the poor. | Unjust wealth taken from the wicked |
| Jer 17:11 | Like the partridge that gathers a brood which it has not hatched... so is he who gets riches, but not by right; in the midst of his days they will leave him. | Ill-gotten gains depart |
| Ezek 7:19 | They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing... for it cannot satisfy their appetite or fill their stomachs in the day of the wrath of the Lord. | Worthlessness of wealth in God's judgment |
| Zeph 1:15 | A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation... | Description of "day of wrath" |
| Rom 2:5 | But because of your hard and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath. | Sin stores up judgment |
| Eph 5:6 | Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. | Consequences of disobedience |
| Col 3:6 | On account of these the wrath of God is coming. | Divine wrath on ungodliness |
| Rev 6:17 | For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand? | "Day of wrath" in Revelation |
| Job 27:8-10 | For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off...? Will God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? | God not hearing cries of the wicked in distress |
| Ps 37:10 | In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. | Transience of the wicked |
| Lk 12:20 | But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' | Wealth seized from the rich fool |
| 1 Tim 6:7-10 | For we brought nothing into the world... but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation... | Danger and fleeting nature of riches |
| James 1:10-11 | But let the rich man boast in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of the field... the sun rises... and withers the grass; and its flower falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So too will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. | Riches and their owners will perish |
| Matt 6:19-21 | Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal... | Earthly treasures are perishable |
| Matt 7:26-27 | And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came... and great was its fall. | Destruction built on an unstable foundation |
| Heb 10:27 | ...a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. | Judgment as consuming wrath |
| Prov 1:32 | For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them. | Self-destruction due to folly |
| Isa 10:3 | What will you do in the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help...? | Day of punishment with ruin |
| Jer 30:23-24 | Behold, the storm of the Lord! Wrath has gone forth... The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. | The Lord's wrath and its purpose |
| Nah 1:6 | Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire. | Power of God's poured-out wrath |
Job 20 verses
Job 20 28 Meaning
Zophar declares that all accumulated wealth, prosperity, and possessions of the wicked, regardless of their origin, will be forcefully removed or rapidly dissipate. This ultimate loss is an inevitable consequence, occurring specifically in the designated "day" of God's righteous and severe judgment. It speaks to the impermanence of ill-gotten gains in the face of divine retribution.
Job 20 28 Context
Job chapter 20 presents Zophar's second and final speech. It is an impassioned and highly structured discourse asserting the brevity of the wicked's triumph and the certainty of their catastrophic downfall. Zophar argues that though the wicked may flourish temporarily, their joy is fleeting (vv. 5-7), their gains are ultimately vomited up (vv. 15-16), and their lives end in total ruin and divine judgment. Verse 28 is a climactic statement summarizing this inevitable loss of all material wealth. Historically, losing one's entire household and possessions was the epitome of utter ruin and disgrace in the ancient Near East, symbolizing complete societal collapse and personal desolation. Zophar, like Job's other friends, applies a generalized theological truth about divine justice to Job's specific suffering, inaccurately concluding that Job must be wicked because he has lost everything.
Job 20 28 Word analysis
The increase (יְבוּל, yĕḇūl): This Hebrew term primarily denotes "produce," "yield," "fruit," often specifically agricultural. In context, it signifies wealth acquired through labor and continuous productivity, the gains and produce from one's enterprise or land. Its loss indicates the end of sustained income and prosperity.
of his house (בֵיתוֹ, bêṯōw): This refers not just to the physical dwelling but the entire household, encompassing family members, servants, and all the possessions and social standing associated with the family unit. The "increase of his house" therefore means the entire productive output and accrued wealth belonging to his lineage and dwelling.
shall depart (גָּלָה, gālāh): This verb means "to uncover," "to reveal," but more commonly, "to go into exile," "to be carried away captive." It implies a forceful, public, and complete removal, as if taken into bondage or banished, leaving the owner destitute and exposed. It suggests a thorough and irreversible dispossession.
and his goods (וּנְכוֹתָיו, ū·nə·ḵō·w·ṯāw): This refers to tangible personal possessions, valuable items, wealth, or property in general. While "increase" implies income/production, "goods" includes accumulated capital and material assets. The use of both terms emphasizes the totality of the loss.
shall flow away (יַנִּילוּ, yan·nî·lū): This vivid Hebrew verb (Hiphil of נָזַל, nāzal) means "to flow," "to stream," "to gush forth." Here, it creates an image of something rapidly dissolving, disappearing, or being swept away like water. It conveys suddenness, absolute dissipation, and irretrievability, implying no trace is left.
in the day (בְּיוֹם, bə·yōwm): This signifies a specific, appointed time or period. It is not a casual or random event but a predestined moment of divine intervention.
of His wrath (אַפּוֹ, ‘ap·pōw): "Appo" refers to the "nose" or "nostril," often used metaphorically for "anger" or "wrath," as angry breathing or snorting. It is a powerful anthropomorphism for God's righteous indignation and fury, a just and severe recompense for the wicked's deeds.
Words-group: "The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away": This pairing paints a comprehensive picture of loss. Not only does the productive output from his livelihood ("increase") disappear through forceful removal or exile, but his accumulated assets and material wealth ("goods") also rapidly dissipate as if melting or swept away by a flood. This dual expression underscores the totality and irreversible nature of the economic and social ruin.
Words-group: "in the day of His wrath": This phrase specifies the ultimate cause and timing of the ruin. The loss of possessions is not due to random misfortune or human agency alone, but is a direct, preordained consequence of divine judgment. This emphasizes that God is the sovereign executor of justice, unleashing His anger at a chosen time.
Job 20 28 Bonus section
The forceful verbs "depart" and "flow away" portray a sudden and complete devastation. The image of wealth being swept away like a flood is consistent with broader biblical themes of divine judgment (e.g., Noah's flood, the destruction of Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea). This concept of a decisive "day of wrath" prefigures the prophetic "Day of the Lord," where God directly intervenes to judge sin and restore justice, often accompanied by cosmic upheaval and the destruction of earthly institutions or assets built on unrighteousness. Zophar's assertion, though lacking pastoral sensitivity to Job's situation, reinforces a core biblical tenet: material prosperity obtained through unrighteousness is ultimately transient and counts for nothing in the face of God's unwavering moral governance.
Job 20 28 Commentary
Job 20:28 serves as a chilling summary of Zophar's unwavering conviction that the wicked face inevitable and total ruin. He asserts that their wealth, gained perhaps through oppression or deceit, will vanish under divine judgment. The imagery of "departing" like an exile and "flowing away" like a sudden torrent vividly portrays an absolute, inescapable loss of all accumulated possessions and productivity. This judgment is attributed to God's "wrath," highlighting its just and severe nature. While Zophar correctly understands God's righteous character and the ultimate fate of the truly ungodly, his fatal flaw lies in applying this universal truth to Job, presuming his friend's suffering was due to specific wickedness, rather than understanding God's broader, inscrutable purposes. The verse, therefore, holds true as a principle concerning the impermanence of ill-gotten gains and the certainty of divine retribution, underscoring that no amount of material wealth can insulate one from God's righteous anger.