Job 20:15
He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse vividly portrays ill-gotten wealth not as a blessing, but as a toxic substance. The intense imagery of "swallowing" and "vomiting" emphasizes that riches gained through wickedness are inherently unstable, destined to be violently expelled by either conscience or divine judgment.
Zophar, the third friend to speak, is here continuing his harsh speech against Job, accusing him of wicked deeds and declaring that Job’s suffering is a direct consequence of those sins. He paints a vivid, almost repulsive picture of how ill-gotten gains will ultimately be useless and cause distress, implying that Job must have acquired wealth through sinful means because he is clearly suffering.
Ever felt that insatiable hunger for more? This verse paints a vivid picture of greed, comparing it to a primal, uncontrollable appetite.
The Hebrew word used here, bela, carries a strong sense of consuming with extreme eagerness, like a wild animal gorging itself. Zophar, one of Job's friends, uses this powerful imagery to accuse Job. He's not just saying Job accumulated wealth; he's saying Job devoured it, consuming it greedily and voraciously. This isn't about responsible stewardship; it's about an obsessive, almost pathological desire for possessions, to the point where it consumes the person.
This intense imagery highlights the destructive nature of unchecked greed. It portrays wealth not as a blessing to be managed, but as prey to be hunted and devoured, with no thought for its source or consequence.
What goes in must come out – especially when it's not rightfully yours. This verse reveals a divine principle about ill-gotten wealth.
The graphic image of 'vomiting up' riches is unsettling but clear: the wicked person will be forced to disgorge what they've unlawfully gained. This isn't a gentle refund; it's a violent, reluctant expulsion, like an emetic forcing out poison.
This restoration can happen in a few ways:
The core message is that ill-gotten gains don't ultimately prosper. God ensures that what is taken unjustly will, in the end, be painfully expelled, whether by the person's own hand or by divine intervention.
Understand the original words
chayil · Hebrew Noun
Material possessions, wealth, or substance. In wisdom literature, riches are often viewed as precarious; if gained through wickedness, they are subject to divine judgment and confiscation.
‘El · Hebrew Noun
The one true Creator and Judge of all. In this context, He acts as the active agent who intervenes in human affairs to strip the wicked of their ill-gotten gains and execute justice.
This passage speaks of a thief working in secret but facing a far greater restitution, echoing the theme of ill-gotten gains being forcefully taken away, just as Job 20:15 describes the wicked man vomiting up riches.
Jeremiah 17:11This verse describes the futility of unrighteous wealth, stating it will be lost just as a partridge hatches eggs it did not lay, paralleling the idea in Job 20:15 that riches acquired unjustly will not ultimately benefit the owner.
Matthew 21:12-13Jesus cleansing the temple shows God's forceful rejection of commerce and greed within sacred space, mirroring the divine action described in Job 20:15 where God casts out ill-gotten gains.
Luke 12:16-21The parable of the rich fool highlights how wealth can be suddenly and unexpectedly taken away, a consequence that strongly resonates with the imagery in Job 20:15 of riches being forcefully expelled.
barnesJob 20:15: "He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly."
He hath swallowed down riches - He has "glutted" down riches - or gormandized them - or devoured them greedily. The Hebrew word בלע bela‛, means "to absorb, to devour with the idea of greediness." It is descriptive of the voracity of a wild beast, and means here that he had devoured them eagerly, or voraciously. And he shall vomit - As an epicure does that which he has drunk or s…
bensonJob 20:15: "He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly."
Job 20:15-16 . He hath swallowed down riches — He hath got possession of them, and thought them to be as much his own as the meat he had eaten. But he is deceived. He shall vomit them up again — Shall be compelled to restore them: his own conscience perhaps may make him so uneasy in the keeping of what he has gotten, that, for the quiet of his own mind, he shall make restitution,…
This verse vividly portrays ill-gotten wealth not as a blessing, but as a toxic substance. The intense imagery of "swallowing" and "vomiting" emphasizes that riches gained through wickedness are inherently unstable, destined to be violently expelled by either conscience or divine judgment.
Zophar, the third friend to speak, is here continuing his harsh speech against Job, accusing him of wicked deeds and declaring that Job’s suffering is a direct consequence of those sins. He paints a vivid, almost repulsive picture of how ill-gotten gains will ultimately be useless and cause distress, implying that Job must have acquired wealth through sinful means because he is clearly suffering.
Zophar, the third friend to speak, is here continuing his harsh speech against Job, accusing him of wicked deeds and declaring that Job’s suffering is a direct consequence of those sins. He paints a vivid, almost repulsive picture of how ill-gotten gains will ultimately be useless and cause distress, implying that Job must have acquired wealth through sinful means because he is clearly suffering.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Job 20:15 is available in the Sola app.
Who's really in charge when wealth is unjustly gained? This verse points to the divine authority behind every loss.
The final phrase, 'God shall cast them out of his belly,' is crucial. While fear, remorse, or legal consequences might be the immediate mechanism, the ultimate source of this expulsion is God. He is the sovereign Lord who holds all things accountable.
Even if a person escapes human justice, they cannot escape God's. He ensures that ill-gotten wealth does not remain a permanent fixture of the wicked. It is God who orchestrates the loss, compelling the disgorgement and returning what was stolen.
This doesn't mean God is the author of evil, but that He is the righteous judge who brings about justice, even using the consequences of sin to restore balance and hold sinners accountable.
"He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly." — This verse vividly portrays ill-gotten wealth not as a blessing, but as a toxic substance. The intense imagery of "swallowing" and "vomiting" emphasizes that riches gained through wickedness are inhe…
