Zophar

For other uses, seeZophar (disambiguation).

Illustration ofJoband his friends from theKiev Psalter of 1397

Zophar(Hebrew:צוֹפַר‎Ṣōp̄ar,"chirping"; "rising early"; alsoTzofar)the Naamathite. "Naamathite" (na'-a-ma-thit) is aGentilename,suggesting he was from a city called Naamah, perhaps inArabia.

Zophar is one of the three friends ofJobwho visit him during his illness in theBook of Job(c. 6th century BCE?),Hebrew Bible/Old Testament.Zophar's comments can be found inJob 11:1–20andJob 20:1–29.He suggests that Job's suffering could bedivine punishment,and goes into great detail about the consequences of living a life of sin.

Speeches

Zophar only speaks twice to Job, unlike friendsBildadandEliphazwho each give three speeches. Zophar is the most impetuous and dogmatic of Job's three visitors: He is the first to accuse Job directly of wickedness; claiming that Job's punishment is indeed too good for him (Job 11:6), and he rebukes Job's impious presumption in trying to find out the unsearchable secrets of God (Job 11:7–12). Despite his dogmatic speech, Zophar promises Job peace and restoration, on condition of penitence and putting away iniquity (Job 11:13–19), redoubling the promises of Job's other visitors.

Zophar's second speech is a lecture on the fate of the wicked, ending with a summary appraisal, in the same style as his friend Bildad,

This is the portion of the wicked, the heritage appointed him by God.

See also

• Bildad
• Eliphaz
• Elihu

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Easton, Matthew George(1897). "Naamathite".Easton's Bible Dictionary(New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.