· Translation: KJV

Job 20:15He has swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again. God will cast them out of his belly.

The setting

Ancient Uz (modern Jordan/Saudi border), ~2000 BC. Zophar speaks with growing anger...

The emotion here: righteous indignation mixed with growing frustration

The original word

qayah (קיא) — violent vomiting, uncontrollable expulsion

Why it matters

Ancient Near Eastern literature often used digestive metaphors for justice

Read with care

What most readers miss in Job 20:15

This is Zophar's SECOND speech — he's getting more vicious with Job

Common misconceptionPeople think this applies to all wealth, but Zophar is specifically describing wealth gained through oppression and injustice. The 'swallowing' imagery shows greed, not legitimate prosperity.

Bible Genome reading

Job 20:15 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerZophar
EraPatriarchal
Primary emotionangry
Literary typepoetry
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability70%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone60%
Themes:divine judgmentloss of wealth

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Job 20

Job 20:15 comes from the book of Job, written during the Patriarchal period. These words are attributed to Zophar. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the poetry genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine judgment, loss of wealth. Notable phrases: God will cast them out. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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