Job 20 8

Job 20:8 kjv

He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.

Job 20:8 nkjv

He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.

Job 20:8 niv

Like a dream he flies away, no more to be found, banished like a vision of the night.

Job 20:8 esv

He will fly away like a dream and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night.

Job 20:8 nlt

They will fade like a dream and not be found.
They will vanish like a vision in the night.

Job 20 verses

Job 20 8 Meaning

Job 20:8, spoken by Zophar the Naamathite, powerfully describes the swift, complete, and unrecoverable disappearance and destruction of the wicked. Their apparent prosperity or elevation is presented as an illusion, vanishing suddenly and leaving no trace, much like a forgotten dream or an insubstantial night vision upon awakening. It asserts that whatever brief triumph the wicked experience will be quickly annulled.

Job 20 8 Context

Job 20:8 is part of Zophar the Naamathite's second and final speech, found in Job chapter 20. Zophar's core argument, like that of Job's other two friends, Eliphaz and Bildad, revolves around the traditional belief that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. His speech is a vehement rebuttal to Job's earlier lamentations and direct questioning of divine justice, particularly Job's observation in chapter 21 that the wicked often prosper and live long lives. In chapter 20, Zophar dogmatically asserts the swift, complete, and temporary nature of the wicked's triumph. He argues that whatever joy or prosperity the wicked experience is short-lived, inevitably leading to a sudden and terrible demise. While the general principle that evil does not ultimately triumph is affirmed elsewhere in Scripture, Zophar, like the other friends, errs by rigidly applying this to Job's specific suffering, implicitly (and often explicitly) accusing Job of unconfessed sin to justify his dire circumstances. This verse specifically uses vivid similes to underscore the illusiveness and sudden disappearance of the wicked's momentary glory.

Word Analysis

• He will fly away (יעף - ya'uph): Derived from the Hebrew root עוף ('uph), meaning "to fly," "to move swiftly," "to disappear suddenly." It depicts an immediate, unhindered departure, much like a bird startled or quickly passing out of sight. The passive voice implies being caused to fly or being swept away. This highlights the suddenness and inevitability of their removal.
• like a dream (כחלום - kechalom): The Hebrew word חלום (chalom) means "dream," specifically one experienced during sleep. Dreams are characterized by their fleeting nature, insubstantiality, and quick fading upon waking. Even vivid dreams leave no tangible trace, making them a perfect metaphor for the wicked's impermanent status.
• and not be found (ולא ימצא - v'lo yimmatze): Literally, "and he will not be found." This emphasizes the complete disappearance and irrecoverable loss. There is no trace or residue left behind, implying that any attempt to recall or locate the former presence will be fruitless. It signifies absolute annihilation or erasure.
• Yes, he will be chased away (וידף - vayiddafe): The Hebrew verb ידף (yadaph) means "to drive," "to push," "to chase away," "to scatter." The Niphal (passive) form here suggests that the wicked one is forcefully driven off or scattered by an external, more powerful agent, rather than simply fading on their own. This adds a nuance of active expulsion, likely by divine judgment or fate, emphasizing a forced, rather than a natural, departure.
• like a vision of the night (חזון ליל - chazon lail): חזון (chazon) means "vision," often one of supernatural origin or a prophetic sight. ליל (lail) means "night." Night visions, while sometimes profound, are typically as ethereal and insubstantial as dreams, and similarly prone to fading from memory upon waking. This reinforces the imagery of insubstantiality and fleeting reality, emphasizing that the wicked's prosperity is a mere illusion.

Words-group analysis:

• "He will fly away like a dream and not be found": This phrase introduces the central theme of ephemerality. The double emphasis of "fly away" and "not be found" immediately conveys the rapid, complete, and unrecoverable nature of the wicked's disappearance. The simile "like a dream" establishes the non-reality and quick oblivion awaiting their fleeting triumph.
• "Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night": This second part of the verse strongly reinforces and deepens the initial simile. "Chased away" (forcibly expelled) adds an element of active divine agency or overwhelming external force behind the wicked's removal, contrasting with a mere passive fading. "Like a vision of the night" further compounds the imagery of illusiveness and impermanence, making the wicked's brief ascendancy utterly devoid of lasting substance or reality. The two similes cumulatively paint a vivid picture of utter desolation and annihilation.

Job 20 8 Bonus section

The rhetorical force of Job 20:8 lies in Zophar's use of compound similes, building one upon the other to leave no doubt about the absolute and sudden finality of the wicked's undoing. This piling up of imagery (fly away like a dream, chased away like a night vision) is a poetic device to achieve maximum impact, portraying the wicked not just as declining but as entirely erased from existence as if they had never been. The terms used—dream and vision—often carry associations of divine communication or prophecy in the Old Testament, making Zophar's choice of these specific figures to represent nothingness all the more pointed: even a divinely granted vision can be fleeting and difficult to recall. This stands in sharp contrast to Job's actual suffering, which is undeniably real and prolonged, thereby highlighting the fundamental inadequacy of Zophar's oversimplified theological framework.

Job 20 8 Commentary

Zophar's words in Job 20:8 convey a deeply ingrained ancient Near Eastern belief in swift retribution, which held that a person's fortune was a direct indicator of their righteousness or wickedness. The verse’s vivid dual similes — "like a dream" and "like a vision of the night" — are potent metaphors for the extreme transience and utter lack of substance characterizing the wicked's prosperity. It is a forceful assertion that their triumph is superficial, fleeting, and ultimately dissolves without a trace. Zophar aims to console himself and others by dogmatically affirming divine justice as predictable and immediate, albeit severely misapplying this general theological truth to Job's situation. From a broader biblical perspective, while the immediate application to Job is flawed (as Job is not wicked), the principle that evil's dominion is temporary and that true security lies not in earthly gains but in God, is sound. This verse foreshadows ultimate divine judgment against all forms of unrighteousness, where the "success" of evil is ultimately exposed as an illusion.