What was Zophar the Naamathite’s message to Job?

Response

Zophar the Naamathite is first mentioned in Job 2:11 as one of three friends who came to comfort Job after learning about the misfortunes that had befallen him. Verses 12–13 depict their reaction to his anguish: “When they saw him from afar, they could barely recognize him; they began to weep loudly, tore their garments, and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat beside him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, not speaking a word, as they saw how intense his suffering was.”

Following Eliphaz and Bildad, Zophar spoke third, offering counsel to Job. Zophar’s discourse commences in chapter 11. Delivering the most forceful of the initial three speeches, Zophar asserts that Job deserved even harsher punishment. In verse 6, he proclaims, “Know then that God punishes you less than your iniquity deserves” (ESV). Job replies in chapter 12, attributing his afflictions to the Lord, and in chapter 13, he maintains his innocence: “I am sure I will be proven right” «See, I have prepared my case; I know I will be vindicated.», (Job 13:18).

Zophar’s second address (in Job 20) centers on the idea that evildoers will face consequences for their actions. He expresses, “A flood will sweep away his house, / torrents of mud on the day of God’s wrath. / This is what God has in store for the wicked, / what God has decreed for them” (Job 20:28-29). In Job 21, Job counters that God, for reasons unknown, permits the prosperity of the wicked: “They live out their days in prosperity / and go peacefully to the grave” «They spend their days in wealth, And in a moment go down to the grave.», (Job 21:13). Zophar’s evaluation of Job’s situation is part of the ongoing theological dialogue in the Book of Job.

The situation was not accurate because Job had done nothing wrong and was suffering, while others who did evil lived “safe and free from fear” (verse 9).

Job’s other two friends each give three speeches, but Zophar gives only two. Following Job’s extended defense after Bildad’s third speech, a fourth man, Elihu, speaks up (Job 32). Elihu’s two concerns are expressed in Job 32:2–3: “He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends because they had found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong” (ESV).

In the end, Zophar is rebuked by God along with his two friends: “My anger burns against you… for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” «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). Zophar last appears in verse 9, where we find him offering the sacrifices God had required: “So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them.” Despite his bad advice and his inaccurate portrayal of God, Zophar repented when rebuked by God and was forgiven.

Zophar and his friends serve as an example of how people often view suffering from a human perspective that overlooks God’s divine plan. While it is true that those who do wrong often suffer, God also allows suffering for other reasons often unknown to us at the time. Instead of assuming all suffering is due to a person’s wrongdoing, we should examine our own lives before the Lord and see how we can live for Him during times of struggle «Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitif

, and of tender mercy. », (James 5:11), acknowledging that affliction can be a part of His divine purpose.
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