Job 20:7
New International Version
he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

New Living Translation
yet they will vanish forever, thrown away like their own dung. Those who knew them will ask, ‘Where are they?’

English Standard Version
he will perish forever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

Berean Standard Bible
he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’

King James Bible
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

New King James Version
Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

New American Standard Bible
He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

NASB 1995
He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

NASB 1977
He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

Legacy Standard Bible
He perishes forever like his refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

Amplified Bible
Yet he perishes forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

Christian Standard Bible
he will vanish forever like his own dung. Those who know him will ask, “Where is he? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
he will vanish forever like his own dung. Those who know him will ask, “Where is he?”

American Standard Version
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: They that have seen him shall say, Where is he?

Contemporary English Version
they will disappear like dust, and those who knew them will wonder what happened.

English Revised Version
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
he will certainly rot like his own feces. Those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'

Good News Translation
but they will be blown away like dust. Those who used to know them will wonder where they have gone.

International Standard Version
he'll perish forever, like his own excrement; those who saw him will ask, 'Where is he?'

Majority Standard Bible
he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’

NET Bible
he will perish forever, like his own excrement; those who used to see him will say, 'Where is he?'

New Heart English Bible
yet he shall perish forever like his own dung. Those who have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?'

Webster's Bible Translation
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they who have seen him shall say, Where is he?

World English Bible
yet he will perish forever like his own dung. Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
He perishes as his own dung forever, "" His beholders say, Where [is] he?

Young's Literal Translation
As his own dung for ever he doth perish, His beholders say: 'Where is he?'

Smith's Literal Translation
As his dung he shall perish forever: they seeing him shall say, Where is he?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the end he shall be destroyed like a dunghill, and they that has seen him shall say: Where is he?

Catholic Public Domain Version
in the end, he will be destroyed like a trash heap, and those who had seen him will say: “Where is he?”

New American Bible
Yet he perishes forever like the dung he uses for fuel, and onlookers say, “Where is he?”

New Revised Standard Version
they will perish forever like their own dung; those who have seen them will say, ‘Where are they?’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Yet he shall perish for ever like a whirlwind; those who have seen him shall say, Where is he?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
As a hurricane he will be destroyed for eternity; those who saw him will say: ‘Where is he?’
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung; They that have seen him shall say: 'Where is he?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For when he shall seem to be now established, then he shall utterly perish: and they that knew him shall say, Where is he?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Zophar: Destruction Awaits the Wicked
6Though his arrogance reaches the heavens, and his head touches the clouds, 7he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’ 8He will fly away like a dream, never to be found; he will be chased away like a vision in the night.…

Cross References
Psalm 37:10
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.

Psalm 73:19-20
How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! / Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.

Proverbs 10:25
When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.

Proverbs 12:7
The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the house of the righteous will stand.

Psalm 37:36
yet he passed away and was no more; though I searched, he could not be found.

Psalm 103:16
when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

Isaiah 41:11-12
Behold, all who rage against you will be ashamed and disgraced; those who contend with you will be reduced to nothing and will perish. / You will seek them but will not find them. Those who wage war against you will come to nothing.

Isaiah 14:19-20
But you are cast out of your grave like a rejected branch, covered by those slain with the sword, and dumped into a rocky pit like a carcass trampled underfoot. / You will not join them in burial, since you have destroyed your land and slaughtered your own people. The offspring of the wicked will never again be mentioned.

Psalm 49:10-12
For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others. / Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes. / But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

Ecclesiastes 8:10
Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile.

Matthew 7:26-27
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

Luke 12:20
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

James 1:10-11
But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. / For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

2 Peter 2:12
These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed.


Treasury of Scripture

Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

perish

1 Kings 14:10
Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.

2 Kings 9:37
And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

Psalm 83:10
Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

shall say

Job 14:10
But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

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Job 20
1. Zophar shows the state and portion of the wicked














he will perish forever
The phrase "he will perish forever" speaks to the ultimate fate of the wicked, as understood in the context of Zophar's speech. The Hebrew root for "perish" is "אָבַד" (avad), which conveys a sense of being lost or destroyed completely. In the conservative Christian perspective, this reflects the eternal separation from God that awaits those who live in rebellion against Him. The permanence of "forever" underscores the finality of divine judgment, reminding believers of the importance of living a righteous life in accordance with God's will.

like his own dung
This vivid imagery, "like his own dung," is meant to convey the utter worthlessness and contemptibility of the wicked once they are judged. In ancient Near Eastern culture, dung was considered unclean and was disposed of without thought. The Hebrew word "גֵּלָל" (gelal) for dung emphasizes the repulsive nature of sin and its consequences. This comparison serves as a stark warning to those who might be tempted to follow a path of unrighteousness, highlighting the degradation that sin brings upon a person.

those who had seen him
The phrase "those who had seen him" refers to the acquaintances and observers of the wicked person during his lifetime. In the context of Job, this suggests that the wicked may have once been prominent or influential, seen and recognized by many. However, their eventual downfall serves as a testimony to the transient nature of earthly power and success. This serves as a reminder that human recognition is fleeting, and only what is done for God will endure.

will ask, ‘Where is he?’
The question "will ask, ‘Where is he?’" indicates the complete disappearance and insignificance of the wicked after their judgment. This rhetorical question implies that the wicked will be so thoroughly removed from memory and existence that people will wonder about their whereabouts. In a broader biblical context, this reflects the theme of divine justice, where the wicked are ultimately held accountable for their actions. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of living apart from God's righteousness and the ultimate vindication of the righteous.

Verse 7.- Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung. Some understand "his own dung-heap," regarding the "ashes" of Job 2:8 as, in reality, a heap of refuse of all kinds; but it is simple

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
he will perish
יֹאבֵ֑ד (yō·ḇêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6: To wander away, lose oneself, to perish

forever,
לָנֶ֣צַח (lā·ne·ṣaḥ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5331: Eminence, enduring, everlastingness, perpetuity

like his own dung;
כְּֽ֭גֶלֲלוֹ (kə·ḡe·lă·lōw)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1561: Dung

those who had seen him
רֹ֝אָ֗יו (rō·’āw)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

will ask,
יֹאמְר֥וּ (yō·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Where is he?’
אַיּֽוֹ׃ (’ay·yōw)
Interrogative | third person masculine singular
Strong's 335: Where?, how?


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OT Poetry: Job 20:7 Yet he shall perish forever like his (Jb)
Job 20:6
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