Job 20:29 Meaning and Explanation
“This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage appointed unto him by God.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Zophar concludes that this ruin is the portion God assigns and the inheritance He appoints for the wicked.
What Does Job 20:29 Mean?
Zophar closes his speech with a summary verdict. All the doom he has described is, he says, “the portion of a wicked man from God”, the inheritance God Himself appoints for the ungodly. He frames the entire poem as a fixed law of divine justice, and then he falls silent, his last word spoken.
Zophar speaks a real truth — that God does requite evil — yet he wields it wrongly, implying it explains Job’s anguish. The book will show that the suffering before him is not the simple wage of secret sin. For us, the better “portion” is the one the faithful claim: “The Lord is my portion, saith my soul.” Our truest inheritance is not what we possess, but God Himself.
Job 20:29 in the Original Language
chelqah (חֶלְקָה), 'portion' -- an allotted share or inheritance, the lot assigned to a person.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 20:29
What does Job 20:29 mean?
Zophar concludes that this ruin is the portion God assigns and the inheritance He appoints for the wicked.