Zophar delivers a well-meant but flawed promise that turning to God will instantly restore peace and gain widespread favor.
Zophar the Naamathite, who lived around the time scholars often associate with the patriarchal era (roughly 2000 BC), was one of Job’s three friends who came to console him in his suffering. In his speech, Zophar reprimands Job, urging him to repent in order to receive God’s blessing and favor. Towards the end of this rebuke, he promises Job peace and security, saying in Job 11:19, “You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor” (v.19). Zophar’s words imply that if Job would only align himself with God, he would be able to rest in safety, without the turmoil and sorrow that had overtaken him.
By stating “You would lie down and none would disturb you” (v.19), Zophar paints a portrait of tranquility, suggesting that Job’s life could return to calmness after the horrific losses and afflictions he has endured. This promise, however, comes from a simplistic assumption shared by Job’s friends, who often believed that God’s blessings were transactional—if Job would simply acknowledge some hidden sin and repent, all comfort and respect would speedily return. Although Zophar’s desire to see Job restored is compassionate in tone, the larger narrative of Job shows that this view of God’s ways is incomplete.
Zophar then declares “many would entreat your favor” (v.19), implying that an honorable reputation and perhaps material blessings would follow Job if he would just submit to God. In this, Zophar reveals his conviction that God always resolves matters swiftly for the righteous, an oversimplification that the Lord ultimately corrects by the end of Job’s ordeal (Job 42:7‑10). While Zophar’s words are intended as comfort, they reflect a misunderstanding of the deeper purposes God can accomplish through pain and faith.
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Job 11:19 meaning
Zophar the Naamathite, who lived around the time scholars often associate with the patriarchal era (roughly 2000 BC), was one of Job’s three friends who came to console him in his suffering. In his speech, Zophar reprimands Job, urging him to repent in order to receive God’s blessing and favor. Towards the end of this rebuke, he promises Job peace and security, saying in Job 11:19, “You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor” (v.19). Zophar’s words imply that if Job would only align himself with God, he would be able to rest in safety, without the turmoil and sorrow that had overtaken him.
By stating “You would lie down and none would disturb you” (v.19), Zophar paints a portrait of tranquility, suggesting that Job’s life could return to calmness after the horrific losses and afflictions he has endured. This promise, however, comes from a simplistic assumption shared by Job’s friends, who often believed that God’s blessings were transactional—if Job would simply acknowledge some hidden sin and repent, all comfort and respect would speedily return. Although Zophar’s desire to see Job restored is compassionate in tone, the larger narrative of Job shows that this view of God’s ways is incomplete.
Zophar then declares “many would entreat your favor” (v.19), implying that an honorable reputation and perhaps material blessings would follow Job if he would just submit to God. In this, Zophar reveals his conviction that God always resolves matters swiftly for the righteous, an oversimplification that the Lord ultimately corrects by the end of Job’s ordeal (Job 42:7‑10). While Zophar’s words are intended as comfort, they reflect a misunderstanding of the deeper purposes God can accomplish through pain and faith.