Job 20:1 — Word Study
WLCוַ֭יַּעַן צֹפַ֥ר הַנַּֽעֲמָתִ֗י וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
BSAThen ZopharTsôwphar [the sparrow, a friend of Job] the NaamathiteNaʻămâthîy [from Naamah, a place of pleasantness] repliedʻânâh▸ [answered, made a response, and said]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וַ֭יַּעַן | and he answered | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
| צֹפַ֥ר | Zophar | Noun proper masculine |
| הַנַּֽעֲמָתִ֗י | the Naamathite | Particle, noun gentilic masculine singular absolute |
| וַיֹּאמַֽר׃ | and he said | Verb, Qal, sequential imperfect third person masculine singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: |
| KJV | Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, |
| ASV | Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, |
| YLT | And Zophar the Naamathite answereth and saith: — |
| WEB | Then Zophar the Naamathite answered, |
| BBE | Then Zophar the Naamathite made answer and said, |
All translations agree on the essence of Zophar's reply.
The sentence has a main clause followed by two verb phrases detailing Zophar's actions.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
verbעָנָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 20:1
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Zophar's Response to Jobgenerated
Job 20:1 introduces Zophar the Naamathite, who is one of Job's friends. In this chapter, Zophar responds to Job's previous lamentations about his suffering. His reply is driven by a sense of urgency and a desire to address Job's questions about justice and suffering, as seen in the subsequent verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 2:11 | Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him. |
| 2 | Job 11:1 | Then Zophar the Naamathite replied: |
| 3 | Job 42:9 | So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s request. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 3 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — עָנָה, Vai.ya.'angenerated
The Hebrew verb עָנָה (*anah*) is derived from a root meaning to heed or pay attention. It encompasses a range of meanings, including to answer, respond, testify, and even to sing. In this context, it indicates Zophar's action of responding to Job's situation, highlighting the relational dynamic between the two characters.
The parsing as a sequential imperfect third person masculine singular verb indicates that Zophar is actively engaging in the conversation. This verb often appears in contexts where someone is responding to a question or situation, which is precisely what Zophar is doing here.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree that Zophar is responding to Job.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse is structured around two finite verbs: וַיַּעַן (*and he answered*) and וַיֹּאמַר (*and he said*). The first verb introduces Zophar's response, while the second verb indicates what he said. This structure emphasizes Zophar's active role in the dialogue.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on Zophar as the subject, followed by his actions of answering and speaking, which is typical in Hebrew prose to establish the speaker's prominence.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates עָנָה as ὑπολαβὼν (*having taken up*), which suggests an interpretation that Zophar is not just answering but also taking up the challenge of Job's words. This choice indicates a more engaged response.
Zophar's name צֹפַר is rendered as σωφαρ, maintaining the identity of the character while aligning with the Greek phonetics.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 20:1 shows Zophar the Naamathite replying to Job. He is one of Job's friends who attempts to address Job's suffering. Zophar's response is prompted by Job's previous lamentations, reflecting the ongoing dialogue between friends during Job's trials.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Zophar's response shows that he is eager to engage with Job's suffering, indicating a desire to provide counsel, though his approach may be perceived as harsh.
Being a Naamathite, Zophar may bring a regional perspective to the discussion, emphasizing the cultural context of his understanding of justice and suffering.
Zophar feels compelled to answer Job due to the turmoil within him and the need to respond to what he perceives as Job's misguided lament.
Zophar's words contribute to the dialogue on suffering and divine justice, reflecting the differing perspectives of Job's friends and the complexity of Job's situation.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do Zophar's responses reflect the challenges of comforting someone in distress?
- What can we learn from Zophar's approach to Job's suffering?
- In what ways do the responses of Zophar and Job illustrate the complexities of friendship during difficult times?
- How can we apply the lessons from Zophar's response to our own interactions with those who are suffering?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early interpretations, such as from Gregory the Dialogist, reflect on the nature of Zophar's response and its implications for understanding suffering.
Ver. 1. Therefore do my thoughts changefully succeed one another, and my mind is transported diverse ways. [LITERAL INTERPRETATION] 1.Early Church Fathers on Job 20 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 20:1 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThen answered Zophar the Naamathite,.... Notwithstanding the sad distressed condition Job was in, an account of which is given in the preceding chapter, enough to pierce a heart of stone,
Read John Gill on Job 20 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThen answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, No JFB commentary on this verse.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 20 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 20:1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,Ver. 1. Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said] "If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest," Proverbs 29:9. Christ piped to that crooked generation, John mourned to them, but all to no purpose; absurd and unreasonable people will never be satisfied or set down, say what yon can to them, such is their pertinacy and peevishness. Job had uttered himself in such passionate expressions as might have moved stony hearts, Sed surdo fabulam. He had set forth his own misery, begged their pity, made an excellent confession of his faith, every word whereof had its weight, each syllable its…
Read John Trapp on Job 20 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersXX.(1) Then answered Zophar.—Zophar retorts with yet greater vehemence than before, and assumes a more ornate and elaborate style, still reiterating the former burden of the speedy doom of the wicked man.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Job 20 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleCHAPTER XX Zophar answers Job, and largely details the wretchedness of the wicked and the hypocrite; shows that the rejoicing of such is short and transitory, 1-9. That he is punished in his family and in his person, 10-14. That he shall be stripped of his ill-gotten wealth, and shall be in misery, though in the midst of affluence, 15-23. He shall at last die a violent death, and his family and property be finally destroyed, 24-29. NOTES ON CHAP. XX
Read AdamClarke on Job 20 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleZOPHAR’S SECOND REPLY.1. The strange composure of Job, his consciousness of innocency, and his faith in God, instead of winning the sympathy, have served only to cut to the quick the heart of his antagonist.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 20 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered,
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
Tyndale line
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said,
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite and saide,
Strictly literal
And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
And Zophar the Naamathite answereth and saith: —
And Zophar the Naamathite answers and says:
Then answered Zophar the Na'amathite, and said,
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
From the Latin
Then Sophar the Naamathite answered, and said:
Simplified
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
Then Zophar the Naamathite made answer and said,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all four words matched in the Hebrew and Greek texts. This consistency indicates a shared understanding of Zophar's response.
וַ֭יַּעַן צֹפַ֥ר הַנַּֽעֲמָתִ֗י וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
4 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 20:1
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word עָנָה (*anah*) is built from a primitive root meaning to heed or pay attention, covering a range of meanings including to answer, respond, testify, and sing. It appears in contexts where one responds to speech or circumstances, and can also refer to singing. The lexicons indicate that it can imply both verbal responses and musical expression.
[עוּן] vb. dwell
base
עָנָה 316 vb. answer, respond
Qal
answer, respond to sthg. said, actual or implied
respond to an occasion, speak in view of circumstances
money meets all demands
specif. respond as a witness, testify
less oft. make response as one accused (respondent)
Niph.
make answer
be answered
Hiph. wholly dub.; causes all things to respond in the joy of his heart
base
עָנָה vb. sing
Qal sing, utter tunefully
Pi. sing sweetly of it
base
H6030a עוּן dwell H6030b עָנָה answer, respond .. answer, respond to sthg. said, actual or implied
. . respond to an occasion, speak in view of circumstances
. money meets all demands
. . specif. respond as a witness, testify
. less oft. make response as one accused (respondent)
. . make answer
. be answered
. wholly dub.; causes all things to respond in the joy of his heart
H6030c עָנָה sing
6030 `anah aw-naw'
a primitive root; properly, to eye or (generally) to heed,
i.e. pay attention; by implication, to respond; by extens. to
begin to speak; specifically to sing, shout, testify,
announce:--give account, afflict (by mistake for 6031),
(cause to, give) answer, bring low (by mistake for 6031), cry,
hear, Leannoth, lift up, say, X scholar, (give a) shout, sing
(together by course), speak, testify, utter, (bear) witness.
See also 1042, 1043.
see HEBREW for 06031
see HEBREW for 06031
see HEBREW for 01042
see HEBREW for 01043
עוּן (un) — to dwell.
(Qal) to dwell
עָנָה (a.nah) — to answer.
1) to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to answer, respond to
1a2) to testify, respond as a witness
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to make answer
1b2) to be answered, receive answer
Aramaic equivalent: a.nah (עֲנָה "to answer" H6032)
עָנָה (a.nah) — to sing.
(Qal) to sing, utter tunefully
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms
צֹפַר (Tsowphar) refers to Zophar, one of Job's friends in the Old Testament. The name is associated with the meaning 'sparrow' and is derived from a root meaning 'departing.' Zophar is first mentioned in Job 2:11 as the third friend who comes to comfort Job.
צֹפַר and צוֹפַר n.pr.m. Job’s third friend
base
H6691 צֹפַר, צוֹפַר
6691 Tsowphar tso-far'
from 6852; departing; Tsophar, a friend of Job:--Zophar.
see HEBREW for 06852
צוֹפַר (tso.phar) — Zophar.
A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Job.2.11
§ Zophar = "sparrow"
the 3rd friend of Job
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
zo'-far (tsphar, meaning doubtful, supposed from root meaning "to leap"; Sophar): One of the three friends of Job who, hearing of his affliction, make an appointment together to visit and comfort him. He is from the tribe of Naamah, a tribe and place otherwise unknown, for as all the other friends and Job himself are from lands outside of Palestine, it is not likely that this place was identical with Naamah in the West of Judah (Jos 15:41). He speaks but twice (Job 11; 20); by his silence the 3rd time the writer seems to intimate that with Bildad's third speech (Job 25; see under BILDAD) the friends' arguments are exhausted. He is the most impetuous and dogmatic of the three (compare Job 11:2,3; 20:2,3); stung to passionate response by Job's presumption in maintaining that he is…
Zophar
Chirping, one of Job’s friends who came to condole with him in his distress (Job 2:11. The LXX. render here “king of the Mineans” = Ma’in, Maonites, Judg. 10:12, in Southern Arabia). He is called a Naamathite, or an inhabitant of some unknown place called Naamah.
(sparrow), one of the three friends of Job. (Job 2:11; 11:1; 20:1; 42:9)
נַעֲמָתִי (Na`amathiy) refers to a Naamathite, someone from the place Naamah, which is associated with pleasantness. This term is used to describe Zophar, one of Job's friends, mentioned in Job 2:11. The word is built from a patrial form linked to the name Naamah.
נַעֲמָתִי adj.gent. (from unused n.pr.)
base
H5284 נַעֲמָתִי
5284 Na`amathiy nah-am-aw-thee'
patrial from a place corresponding in name (but not
identical) with 5279; a Naamathite, or inhabitant of
Naamah:--Naamathite.
see HEBREW for 05279
נַעֲמָתִי (na.a.ma.ti) — Naamathite.
Someone descended from Naamath(?), first mentioned at Job.2.11
§ Naamathite, of Naamah "pleasantness"
an inhabitant of Naamah ; describes Zophar the friend of Job
Art | Ngmsa — Particle · noun gentilic masculine singular absoluteHTd/Ngmsa
na'-a-ma-thit, na-am'-a-thit (na`amdthi, "a dweller in Naaman"; ho M(e)inaion basileus): The description of Zophar, one of Job's friends (Job 2:11; 11:1; 20:1, etc.). Naamah is too common a place-name to permit of the identification of Zophar's home; the Septuagint renders it as "king of the Minaeans."
Naamathite
The designation of Zophar, one of Job’s three friends (Job 2:11; 11:1), so called from some place in Arabia, called Naamah probably.
the Gentile name of one of Job’s friends, Zophar the Naamathite. (Job 2:11; 11:1; 20:1; 42:9) There is no other trace of this name in the Bible, and the town whence it is derived is unknown. (But as Uz was in Arabia, probably the Naamah where he lived was on the Arabian borders of Syria.)
אָמַר (amar) is a Hebrew verb meaning 'to say' or 'to utter,' with a broad range of uses including to promise, command, or even boast. It appears in various forms, such as in the Qal (to say), Niphal (to be told), and Hiphil (to avow). The entries highlight its versatility in both spoken and internal contexts, though no specific verse is noted.
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
Say
Say in the heart (= think)
Promise
Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
base
H559 אָמַר utter, say .. Say
. Say in the heart (= think)
. Promise
. Command (esp. late)
. be said, told
. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
. act proudly, boast
559 'amar aw-mar'
a primitive root; to say (used with great
latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call,
certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment),
commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X
expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise,
publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X
suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech),
utter, X verily, X yet.
אָמַר (a.mar) — to say.
1) to say, speak, utter
1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend
1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called
1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly
1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch
Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Hc/Vqw3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singularHc/Vqw3ms