Job 20:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Shall his appetite be so sated that God pours forth the intensity of His anger upon him, and the deluge of His judgment upon him? Job 20:23. God unleashes ‘the deluge of His judgment’ upon this deceiver when He strikes his deeds with the swords of His decrees. In this manner, God, through the ‘deluge of His judgment,’ brings ruin to the life of the ungodly in His severe edicts from above. The ‘downpour of divine conflict’ impacts the hearts that have risen against Him, and His arrows pierce the spirit, bursting within with His declarations, resembling clusters of raindrops. When he becomes ensnared by these decisions, he is reminded of his wicked desires and how he sinfully endeavored to amass all that he craved. At one moment he laments the potential loss of these possessions, while at another, he will face the very blaze of divine retribution, for which he was too apathetic to live righteously.

Should the unrighteous believe themselves to be overflowing with blessings and take pride in them, they will soon encounter every form of need and grief, saturating their beings with tribulation. The Lord will unleash the intensity of His indignation upon them, showering them with ailments. For the Almighty, striking from above like a fierce storm, will inundate them with afflictions.

Job's declarations have provoked Sophar, compelling him to speak up (1-3). As before, Sophar underscores the principle that wickedness leads to destruction (4-5) and emphasizes that regardless of how joyful a sinner may seem, such happiness is fleeting, akin to a fleeting vision (6-11). The very things that now delight the wicked, such as wealth, will ultimately become a source of bitterness for them (12-18). Due to their wrongdoings and the oppression of the downtrodden, calamity will inevitably overtake them (19-23). This fate is both certain and dreadful (24-29).