In the fullness of his sufficiency he will be in distress; the hand of everyone in misery will come against him.
Zophar is speaking for the second and last time, and he paints the sudden fall of a rich, wicked man. He wants Job to see himself in that picture, and this verse is its turning point: the man has all he wanted, and it fails him.
Where the verse falls in Zophar's speech
The verse falls in the part of the speech where Zophar turns to punishment:
Samuel RidoutAs already noted, there is an intensity in Zophar that gives his words a distinct character. He fiercely denounces evil and leaves no room for doubt that he means Job. He describes the certain doom of the wicked, and the sheer force of his language soon exhausts what he has in mind. This seems to be why he ends all he has to say with this second address. The fiercer the fire, the quicker it burns out. All that he says is true; his own unpardonable error is that he tries to apply it to a righteous man. This address can be divided into seven parts; the last is only a closing word. (1) Brief triumph of the wicked (vv. 1-5). (2) He is soon cut off (vv. 6-11). (3) Poisoned with his own venom (vv. 12-16). (4) Past prosperity unavailing (vv. 17-20). (5) Retribution (vv. 21-25). (6) Lasting wrath (vv. 26-28). (7) Conclusion (v. 29).
Full, yet in distress
The man is at his fullest, and yet he is trapped. Zophar builds the crisis in steps:
Leslie M. GrantA wicked man could find his own wickedness recoiling on him. He could find no help in his past experiences. And he could also expect harsh retribution from the hand of God. "Nothing is left for him to eat," Zophar says. His prosperity will not last. His self-sufficiency will only serve to mock him, and misery would come on him from every hand (vv. 21-22). He intends to fill his stomach in self-satisfaction. But God would cast on him the fury of His wrath, and rain His anger on him while he is eating (v. 23).
Lifted out of the argument, the phrase has been used as a short verdict on what the world can and cannot do for a person:
Hamilton SmithThe world is enough to busy us, not to fill us. "In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits" (Job 20:22).
The hand that comes against him
The second half of the verse names who turns on the rich man. Translations differ here: some read "wicked," others "needy." The choice decides the picture:
Samuel RidoutZophar enlarges on the thought of retribution in this portion. Covetousness means ultimate ruin. The very ones he oppressed (the "needy," rather than the "wicked," v. 22) will line up against him. And, above all, God will pour out the fury of His wrath on him, like the fiery rain that fell on Sodom.
Another reading keeps the picture wide, and leaves the man with no one on his side:
William KellySee how Zophar paints the final scene! In the fullness of his plenty, says Zophar, his distress comes: there is not one wretch who does not stretch out his hand against him. God will give him plenty, but it will be the burning of His wrath, raining it on him with his food. Does he try to dodge some weapon of iron? The bow of copper pierces him through. The language is most telling.
True words, wrong man
The description itself is not the problem. The problem is the man Zophar aims it at:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe description of the wicked is great. No one can fault what he says about those who are ungodly... But the serious mistake Zophar made is twofold. Job had pleaded for pity. Not a word of pity comes from Zophar's lips. The whole address is meant to tell Job, "You are that man!" Here is the second mistake. He does not consider Job's words for a moment. They could not come from the lips of an ungodly person. They come from one who knows God.
The blindness of a religious theory
The chapter is therefore a warning about how a correct doctrine can be turned into a weapon:
William KellyHow blinding is religious prejudice, which could think this of Job! Wrath is cruel, anger is outrageous, and who is able to stand before envy or jealousy? But error in religious judgment may be the most cutting of all. It cuts all the more when a person holds it with great earnestness. The thought of God is then abused to shut out every atom of human kindness, let alone brotherly kindness.
Summary
- Fullness. The verse pictures a man at the very top of his plenty, and trapped there — "the world is enough to busy us, not to fill us."
- Failure. Past prosperity gives him no help now. His self-sufficiency only mocks him, and misery closes in from every side.
- Foes. The people he crushed now turn on him. Commentators differ over whether the word is "needy" or "wicked." Either way, he stands friendless.
- Fury. Above the human hands is the hand of God, whose wrath falls on him while he is still eating his fill.
- Fault. Every word Zophar says about the wicked is true. His unpardonable error is aiming it at a righteous man. He shows no pity, and he never weighs what Job's own words show about him.