Job 20 — Poison Under the Tongue, Fire Not Fanned
Zophar is impatient: “Therefore my thoughts answer me.” He summons ancient tradition—“since man was placed on the earth”—and pours out a liturgy of doom for “the wicked.” Short-lived joy. Vomited wealth. Unfanned fire. Heaven and earth as witnesses. On the ash heap where Job sits, this speech lands like a stone. Yesterday we heard Job whisper hope in a Redeemer who stands on the dust; today Zophar tries to bury that hope under a perfect moral calculus.
The belly and the anti-sacrament A surprising center of this poem is the belly. Hebrew beten, repeated here, means belly and also womb. Zophar sketches greed as an anti-womb—devouring, never gestating life. “Though evil is sweet in his mouth … he hides it under his tongue” (New International Version). The phrase “under his tongue” is a poetic pocket, the place we keep what we savor. Scripture elsewhere says to keep honey there—“milk and honey are under your tongue” (Song of Songs 4:11, New International Version)—and calls wisdom “sweet like honey” (Proverbs 24:13). Zophar flips the image: not honey but venom—“the poison of serpents within him.” The rare word pethen (cobra) hisses here; Paul will later cite a similar line when he universalizes sin: “the poison of vipers is on their lips” (Romans 3:13, New International Version). Zophar narrows it to “the wicked man”; the apostle widens it to all. That widening matters.
True lines, wrongly aimed Portions of the speech echo the prophets: “He has oppressed the poor and left them destitute; he has seized houses he did not build” (Job 20:19). James will preach like this to rich oppressors (James 5:1–5). But Zophar misfires. Job is not a land-grabber; he is a ruin. Calvin observed that the friends often say true things turned cruel by misapplication. Gregory the Great warned that we may speak gold and, by pride, make it dust. Note the chilling close: “This is the portion of a wicked man from God, the heritage decreed by God” (New International Version). The Hebrew uses amar—“said.” Zophar claims divine speech for his verdict. That is the most dangerous sentence in the chapter.
Cosmic witness—and the Cross “Heaven will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him” (Job 20:27, New International Version). In the Ancient Near East, creation often testifies; Abel’s blood cried from the ground. Zophar wields that courtroom against Job. But the Gospel reveals a staggering turn: the Righteous One endures the heritage of the wicked. On Calvary, darkness gathers, fire not fanned burns the Holy One, heaven and earth give signs, and bystanders read the scene like Zophar—“surely stricken by God” (Isaiah 53:4). The cross discloses that retribution is real—and that God himself bears it to break its tyranny. Yesterday’s Redeemer stands on the dust; today he swallows the dust of death and offers, in place of venom, a cup of blessing.
Practice - Taste your words (Job 12:11). What do you keep “under your tongue”—honeyed wisdom or a lozenge of judgment? - Preach the prophets to yourself before you apply them to another. - Let cosmic witness humble you: creation will tell the truth. So must the church—but truth served with cruciform mercy.
Cultural note “Rivers of honey and cream” (Job 20:17) is a stock ancient image of abundance across pastoral cultures. Archaeology even uncovers large-scale beekeeping in Iron Age Israel (Tel Rehov). Zophar denies the wicked the world’s sweetness; Christ gives his enemies milk and honey at his table.
Suggested cross-references - Psalm 73; Isaiah 53:4–6; Proverbs 24:13; Song of Songs 4:11; Luke 12:15–21; Romans 3:9–19; Philippians 3:19; James 5:1–6; Revelation 18.
Hymn for meditation “Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended” — the Innocent suffering the portion of the wicked.
Prayer Holy God, cleanse my mouth and my motives. Take the poison from under my tongue and place there the honey of your wisdom. Keep me from presuming to speak for you when I do not see as you see. Let the cross teach me how to tell the truth—with tears—and to leave judgment in your hands. Make my belly a womb of mercy, not an appetite that devours. Through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer who stands on the dust. Amen.