yet he shall perish forever like his own dung. Those who have seen him shall say, ‘Where is he?’
Parallel translations
- KJV Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
- BSB he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
- NKJV Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
- NASB He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
- NLT yet they will vanish forever, thrown away like their own dung. Those who knew them will ask, ‘Where are they?’
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
Zophar says the wicked man will perish forever like his own dung, and onlookers will ask, 'Where is he?' His end is utter, contemptible ruin.
Overview
In deliberately crude terms, Zophar declares the wicked man's destruction as complete and worthless as refuse, his disappearance prompting astonished questions. The vivid contrast with his former heights drives home the totality of his fall. The verse underscores that pride exalted against God ends in disgrace, however lofty it once appeared.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 1 Kgs 14:10therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam everyone who urinates on a wall, he who is shut up and he who is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweeps away dung, until it is all gone.
- Job 4:20Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it.
- Job 8:18If he is destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’
- 2 Kgs 9:37and the body of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field on Jezreel’s land, so that they won’t say, “This is Jezebel.”’”
- Job 7:10He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
- Ps 83:10who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth.
- Job 14:10But man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?
- Jer 8:2and they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the army of the sky, which they have loved, and which they have served, and after which they have walked, and which they have sought, and which they have worshiped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried, they shall be for dung on the surface of the earth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 20:7 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.