In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him.
Parallel translations
- WEB In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress shall overtake him. The hand of everyone who is in misery shall come on him.
- KJV In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: every hand of the wicked shall come upon him.
- NKJV In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him.
- NASB “In the fullness of his excess he will be cramped; The hand of everyone who suffers will come against him.
- NLT “In the midst of plenty, they will run into trouble and be overcome by misery.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
At the peak of his abundance, distress overtakes him, and the hand of every sufferer comes against him. His fullness suddenly turns to misery.
Overview
Zophar describes calamity striking the wicked man precisely when he seems most secure, with the troubles of all the wretched descending on him. The sudden reversal at the height of plenty underscores the precariousness of godless prosperity. It warns that worldly security is no safeguard against judgment, and that true security is found only in God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 15:29He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.
- Rev 18:7As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
- Job 16:11God has delivered me to unjust men; He has thrown me to the clutches of the wicked.
- Job 18:7His vigorous stride is shortened, and his own schemes trip him up.
- Ps 39:5You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah
- Job 1:17While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels, and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
- 2 Kgs 24:2And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets.
- Job 3:17There the wicked cease from raging, and there the weary find rest.
- Isa 10:6I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets.
- Job 1:15the Sabeans swooped down and took them away. They put the servants to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
- Eccl 2:18–20I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 20:22 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.