“And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.”
My Notes
What Does Job 11:6 Mean?
Zophar delivers the cruelest line any of Job's friends speak: "God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth." Translation: your suffering isn't enough. You deserve worse. Whatever you're going through, it's less than what your sins merit. The comfort is non-existent. The accusation is maximum.
"The secrets of wisdom" that Zophar wishes God would reveal are, in his view, evidence of Job's hidden sin. If God would just pull back the curtain, Job's guilt would be visible. Zophar assumes the secret wisdom would condemn Job, not vindicate him.
The irony: the reader knows (from chapters 1-2) that the "secret wisdom" would actually vindicate Job. If God revealed the heavenly conversation, Job would be exonerated. Zophar assumes the hidden truth is Job's guilt. The actual hidden truth is Job's innocence. The friend is completely, devastatingly wrong.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you ever been Zophar — telling someone their suffering is deserved when you didn't know the whole story?
- 2.Does the irony (the hidden truth would vindicate Job, not condemn him) challenge confident theological assessments of others' pain?
- 3.How do you maintain appropriate humility when you think you understand why someone is suffering?
- 4.Has anyone said something to you in your pain that was as cruel and wrong as Zophar's statement?
Devotional
You deserve worse. That's what Zophar says to a man covered in boils, sitting in ashes, grieving his dead children.
Of all the cruel things Job's friends say, this is the worst: God is being lenient. Your suffering isn't even close to what you deserve. Whatever you're going through is less than your iniquity merits. The punishment is actually mercy — because the real punishment would be worse.
Zophar says this with confidence. He's not tentative. He's certain. If God would just show you the secrets of wisdom, you'd see: you're getting off easy. The hidden truth, in Zophar's view, is that Job's sin is even greater than his suffering. The suffering is the discounted version.
The reader knows better. The secret behind Job's suffering isn't hidden sin. It's the throne-room conversation between God and Satan. The actual secret wisdom would exonerate Job completely — God Himself said Job's suffering was "without cause" (2:3). The hidden truth is the opposite of what Zophar assumes.
This is the danger of confident theology applied to someone else's pain: you can be completely wrong and completely certain at the same time. Zophar's framework (sin produces suffering, suffering proves sin) is partially true in general. It's catastrophically false in Job's case. And the certainty makes the cruelty worse.
The next time you're tempted to tell a suffering person they deserve it — or even that God is being gentle compared to what they merit — remember Zophar. He was the most confident person in the room. And he was the most wrong.
"God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth." The cruelest sentence in Job. And the most mistaken.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom,.... Either of sound doctrine, in opposition to his own doctrine he…
And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom - The hidden things that pertain to wisdom. The reference here is to…
It is sad to see what intemperate passions even wise and good men are sometimes betrayed into by the heat of…
shew thee the secrets of wisdom Wisdomhere is God's omniscience. Its secretsare not the things known to it, such, for…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture