Job Chapter 11

The First Speech of Zophar

A. Zophar criticizes Job for his complaining.

1. (Job 11:1–6) Zophar tells Job that he actually deserves far worse from God.

“Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
Should not the multitude of words be answered?
and should a man full of talk be justified?
Should thy lies make men hold their peace?
and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?
For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure,
and I am clean in thine eyes.
But oh that God would speak,
and open his lips against thee;
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.” (Job 11:1–6, KJV)

a. Zophar the Naamathite: Zophar is the third and final friend to speak in the first cycle of Job’s dialogues. Although he speaks less frequently than Eliphaz and Bildad, appearing only here and later in Job chapter 20, his tone is the harshest and most confrontational. Unlike Eliphaz, who appealed to spiritual experience, or Bildad, who leaned on tradition, Zophar relies on blunt dogmatism. He shows little patience and virtually no compassion. His speech reflects an abrasive certainty that leaves no room for mystery, suffering without explanation, or divine purposes beyond immediate moral retribution. Zophar assumes that theological clarity gives him moral authority, and this assumption drives the severity of his accusations.

b. Should a man full of talk be justified: Zophar views Job’s extended lament and protestations as empty verbosity rather than the cry of a suffering man. In his mind, Job’s many words are evidence of guilt, not innocence. He assumes that truth is brief, simple, and obvious, and therefore prolonged speech must be evasive. By asking whether a man full of talk should be justified, Zophar dismisses Job’s reasoning entirely and reduces his anguish to mere noise. When he asks whether no one should rebuke Job, he appoints himself as God’s spokesman, confident that rebuke is both necessary and righteous.

This reaction shows how far Job’s friends have deteriorated from their original posture. “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” (Job 2:13, KJV). Their silence was compassionate, but once they began speaking, their patience steadily eroded. Job’s refusal to confess imaginary sins frustrated them, and their frustration hardened into accusation. Zophar represents the peak of this escalation, where sympathy has been replaced by contempt.

c. For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes: Zophar misrepresents Job’s position. Job never claimed sinless perfection or absolute purity before God. Rather, he consistently denied that a specific hidden sin had caused his extraordinary suffering. Zophar collapses this careful distinction and portrays Job as self righteous. In fairness, Job did insist on his integrity in this particular matter, but he never denied his general sinfulness as a fallen man.

Job himself openly acknowledged his frailty and sin before God. “For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.” (Job 6:3, KJV). “I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?” (Job 7:20, KJV). “How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?” (Job 25:4, KJV). “Though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.” (Job 9:15, KJV). These statements show humility, not arrogance.

When Job described himself as blameless, he meant that there was no specific moral failure explaining his calamity. This assessment was later confirmed by God Himself. “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?” (Job 1:8, KJV). Zophar ignores this crucial distinction and substitutes caricature for careful listening.

d. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth: This statement reveals the core of Zophar’s theology. He argues that Job’s suffering, however severe it appears, is actually merciful restraint on God’s part. According to Zophar, Job deserves far worse, and the fact that he is still alive proves divine leniency. This logic flows from a rigid retribution principle that assumes all suffering is directly proportional to personal guilt.

Zophar’s reasoning resembles the later theological formulation often called total depravity, the idea that human sinfulness is so pervasive that any suffering falls short of what is deserved. While Scripture certainly affirms universal sin and moral corruption, Zophar misapplies this truth by using it to silence legitimate lament and inquiry. His theology leaves no room for testing, discipline, refinement, or cosmic purposes beyond immediate punishment.

This harsh conclusion is precisely why Job later refers to his friends as miserable comforters. “I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” (Job 16:2, KJV). At the end of the book, God Himself rebukes this line of thinking. “And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.” (Job 42:7, KJV).

Zophar’s confidence is misplaced. Though some of his statements sound theologically serious, they are pastorally destructive and contextually false. He speaks truth abstracted from compassion and applies doctrine without discernment. In doing so, he deepens Job’s wounds rather than leading him toward healing or understanding.

2. (Job 11:7–12) Zophar teaches Job theology.

**“Canst thou by searching find out God?
canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do?
deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
The measure thereof is longer than the earth,
and broader than the sea.

If he cut off, and shut up, or gather together,
then who can hinder him?
For he knoweth vain men:
he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
For vain man would be wise,
though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.”** (Job 11:7–12, KJV)

a. Canst thou by searching find out God: Having already asserted that Job deserved more suffering than he had received, Zophar now pivots to what he considers sound theology. He emphasizes the transcendence and incomprehensibility of God. In Zophar’s reasoning, God is so far above man in wisdom, power, and knowledge that any attempt by Job to question God’s actions is presumptuous. The height of heaven and the depths of hell are invoked to stress the infinite distance between God and man. Zophar is correct in affirming God’s transcendence, but he weaponizes this truth to silence Job rather than to humble himself before divine mystery. Instead of acknowledging that God’s ways may be beyond human understanding, Zophar insists that this very distance proves Job wrong for even asking why he suffers.

b. Then who can hinder him: Zophar continues by asserting the absolute sovereignty of God. If God passes by, imprisons, or gathers to judgment, no one can stop Him. This is a true statement about divine authority, but Zophar draws a flawed conclusion from it. He assumes that sovereignty necessarily means Job must accept his suffering as deserved punishment. In Zophar’s framework, God’s power leaves no room for appeal, lament, or protest. Submission, in his view, means silent acceptance of guilt. He cannot conceive of a righteous man suffering for reasons other than retribution, nor can he imagine that God’s sovereign purposes might extend beyond immediate judgment.

c. For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it: Here Zophar moves from theology to accusation. He implies that God sees through Job’s claims of innocence and recognizes him as one of the vain and wicked. Zophar suggests that Job wants God to overlook sin and suspend justice. According to Zophar, such a desire is itself wicked. He assumes that Job’s pleas for understanding are actually attempts to evade accountability. This reveals Zophar’s fundamental error, he confuses honest lament with deceit and equates unanswered suffering with hidden wickedness. In doing so, he turns the justice of God into a blunt instrument rather than a righteous and discerning judgment.

d. For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt: Zophar concludes this section with open contempt. The imagery of a wild donkey’s colt, a proverbial symbol of stubbornness and untamed foolishness, is applied directly to Job. Zophar asserts that Job has no more chance of becoming wise than a wild donkey has of giving birth to a man. This is not instruction but insult. It shows that Zophar has completely abandoned any pretense of compassion. His theology leaves no room for mystery, patience, or grace. To him, the equation is simple and closed, God is sovereign and just, suffering proves guilt, therefore Job is a deeply sinful man masquerading as righteous.

Zophar’s rigid system allows for no exceptions. Wherever there is suffering, there must be proportionate sin. God’s justice, in his view, operates mechanically and visibly in this life. This worldview makes Job not a mystery to be understood but a problem to be condemned. Zophar’s confidence is absolute, and because of that confidence, his counsel becomes cruel rather than corrective.

B. Zophar’s advice to Job.

1. (Job 11:13–19) Zophar calls upon Job to repent.

“If thou wouldest prepare thine heart,
and stretch out thine hands toward him;
If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away,
and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot;
yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
Because thou shalt forget thy misery,
and remember it as waters that pass away:
And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday;
thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope;
yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid;
yea, many shall make suit unto thee.” (Job 11:13–19, KJV)

a. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away: Based on his fixed interpretation of Job’s suffering, Zophar’s counsel is straightforward and forceful. Job must repent. Zophar assumes that Job’s calamity is the direct result of personal sin, therefore confession and repentance are the obvious solution. He does not ask whether iniquity is actually present, he asserts it as fact. In Zophar’s mind, repentance is not an act of humility before an inscrutable God, but an admission of guilt that Zophar believes has already been proven by suffering itself.

The imagery of stretching out the hands toward God reflects the posture of prayer and surrender. It is the language of appeal and dependence. Zophar urges Job to approach God as one seeking mercy, but the appeal is hollow because it is built on a false accusation. Zophar assumes that repentance will automatically reverse Job’s condition, revealing his belief in a predictable and mechanical moral order.

b. Because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away: Zophar promises restoration if Job repents. He paints a compelling picture of healing and relief. Misery will fade like water flowing past and never returning. This is precisely what Job longs for, not because he desires to deny God’s justice, but because he desires relief from inexplicable suffering. Zophar falsely assures him that such relief is guaranteed if he confesses the sins Zophar assumes he has committed.

Zophar is correct in describing what restoration looks like. Forgetting misery and remembering it only as something that has passed is a genuine picture of divine healing. However, Zophar is wrong in identifying the cause. He confuses the nature of repentance with a transaction. In his view, repentance obligates God to restore prosperity, safety, and honor. This reduces repentance to a lever rather than an act of submission to God’s will.

c. Thine age shall be clearer than the noonday, thou shalt shine forth: Zophar continues by describing the blessings that will follow repentance. Life will be brighter than noon, darkness will give way to morning, fear will be replaced by confidence, and insecurity will be replaced by peace. Job will rest without fear, and his former honor will return so fully that many will seek his favor. Zophar’s appeal is motivational and enticing. He presents repentance as the gateway back to public esteem, personal security, and visible blessing.

The tragedy is that Zophar speaks these truths without understanding Job’s situation. The blessings he describes are real, but they are not always immediate, nor are they always tied to a specific act of repentance. Zophar cannot imagine righteous suffering, nor can he conceive of God using suffering for purposes beyond correction.

2. (Job 11:20) Zophar warns and rebukes Job.

“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.” (Job 11:20, KJV)

a. The eyes of the wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape: Zophar ends his speech with a warning that functions as both threat and accusation. If Job refuses to repent, Zophar places him firmly among the wicked. The image of failing eyes suggests despair, exhaustion, and the collapse of expectation. To Zophar, there is no neutral ground. Either Job repents and is restored, or he persists in wickedness and faces inevitable judgment.

b. Their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost: Zophar directly rebukes Job’s earlier desire for death, when Job longed for release from suffering. By associating Job with the wicked whose only hope is death, Zophar condemns both Job’s words and his heart. In Zophar’s framework, even despair becomes evidence of guilt. Hope, for Zophar, belongs only to those who conform to his theological expectations.

There is much in Zophar’s theology that is generally true. He affirms God’s power, righteousness, and willingness to forgive repentant sinners. These are foundational truths. However, Zophar’s failure lies in his application. He applies true doctrine without wisdom, compassion, or discernment. He turns doctrine into accusation and theology into a weapon.

Zophar and the other friends believed they fully understood how God governs the world, through immediate reward and punishment, clearly visible in this life. Because of this certainty, they could not imagine any explanation for Job’s suffering other than secret sin. The true reason for Job’s trials lay entirely outside their understanding, though they were confident they possessed the truth.