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Job 11 KJV

Zophar's First Speech

Wisdom Literature 2 min 20 verses 337 words shalt ร—10 thine ร—6 canst ร—4 answered ร—2 eyes ร—2

Job Chapter 11: Zophar's First Speech

Zophar's unique phrasing that God 'exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth' (v.6) introduces a rare acknowledgment of mitigated divine justice within strict retribution theology, implying even intense suffering falls short of full desert.

T1๐Ÿ”—hen answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,

2๐Ÿ”— Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified?

3๐Ÿ”— Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?

4๐Ÿ”— For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.

5๐Ÿ”— But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;

6๐Ÿ”— And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

7๐Ÿ”— Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?

8๐Ÿ”— It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?

9๐Ÿ”— The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

10๐Ÿ”— If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can hinder him?

11๐Ÿ”— For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?

12๐Ÿ”— For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild assโ€™s colt.

13๐Ÿ”— If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;

14๐Ÿ”— If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.

15๐Ÿ”— For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:

16๐Ÿ”— Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:

17๐Ÿ”— And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.

18๐Ÿ”— And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

19๐Ÿ”— Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee.

20๐Ÿ”— But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

Continue Reading Job 12 Job's Reply: God's Sovereignty

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Chapter Context

Did You Know?

1

Zophar's unique phrasing that God 'exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth' (v.6) introduces a rare acknowledgment of mitigated divine justice within strict retribution theology, implying even intense suffering falls short of full desert.

2

The comparison of innate human folly to 'a wild ass's colt' (v.12) draws on ancient Near Eastern animal symbolism for untamed stubbornness, underscoring Zophar's view that wisdom requires forceful divine intervention rather than human effort.

3

Zophar's vertical cosmology measuring divine wisdom as 'higher than heaven... deeper than hell' (vv.8-9) echoes Babylonian and Egyptian creation texts where gods alone span cosmic axes, positioning Job's suffering within an unbridgeable ontological gap.

4

The call to 'stretch out thine hands toward him' (v.13) merges prayer posture with legal submission gestures attested in Ugaritic and Akkadian texts, framing repentance as both cultic and covenantal reorientation.

5

By labeling Job's expected restoration as forgetting 'thy misery' like 'waters that pass away' (v.16), Zophar evokes flood imagery from Genesis 6-9 and Atrahasis, recasting personal deliverance as erasure of chaotic memory rather than ongoing vindication.