He will fly away like a dream, never to be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night.
Parallel translations
- WEB He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found. Yes, he shall be chased away like a vision of the night.
- 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.
- NKJV He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
- NASB “He flies away like a dream, and they cannot find him; Like a vision of the night he is chased away.
- NLT They will fade like a dream and not be found. They will vanish like a vision in the night.
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 vanish like a dream and be chased away like a night vision. His prosperity proves unreal and fleeting.
Overview
The wicked man's life and success evaporate like a dream that cannot be found on waking, gone without trace. The imagery stresses how insubstantial and temporary ungodly gain truly is. It echoes Scripture's warning that those who forget God fade like a fleeting vision, while only what is built on the Lord endures (Psalm 73:20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 90:5You whisk them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—
- Ps 73:20Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.
- Job 18:18He is driven from light into darkness and is chased from the inhabited world.
- Isa 29:7–8All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel—even all who war against her, laying siege and attacking her—will be like a dream, like a vision in the night,
- Job 27:21–23The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place.
- Ps 18:10He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 20:8 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.