What does "streams of honey and cream" symbolize in Job 20:17? The Setting in Job 20 “Though evil tastes sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue… he will no longer enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream” (Job 20:12, 17). Zophar is warning that the wicked person’s apparent success is temporary. Verse 17 becomes the pivot: the richest delights he once savored will dry up. What Honey and Cream Literally Evoke • Honey – the sweetest natural delicacy in the ancient Near East, difficult to obtain, prized for energy and pleasure (Judges 14:8-9; Proverbs 24:13). • Cream (or curds) – the richest part of milk, a nourishing luxury in a pastoral society (Genesis 18:8; Deuteronomy 32:14). Together they describe the finest food a shepherd-farmer could imagine—pure energy, sweetness, and satisfaction. Symbolic Meaning in Job 20:17 • Full prosperity and abundance • Sensory delight and personal satisfaction • Security and settled blessing—opposite of famine or want Zophar’s point: the wicked will “no longer enjoy” these marks of blessing; their feast will be cut short. Old-Testament Echoes That Shape the Image • Promised-Land language: “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 6:3). • Wisdom literature: “My son, eat honey, for it is good” (Proverbs 24:13). • Song of Solomon: “Honey and milk are under your tongue” (Songs 4:11). In every case honey (often paired with milk) signals God-given prosperity, covenant favor, and intimate delight. Job 20 flips that expectation: the wicked, though momentarily tasting such favor, will lose it. Zophar’s Intended Lesson • Wicked gain may glitter, but it is brief (vv.5-11). • The very symbols of blessing—honey and cream—become witnesses of judgment when God removes them (vv.14-23). • Divine justice ensures that no unrighteous person can permanently possess what God Himself defines as good (Psalm 73:18-20; Proverbs 10:3). Takeaways for Today • Earthly luxuries, however sweet, prove fleeting when sought apart from righteousness (Matthew 6:19-21). • True, enduring “streams” of blessing belong to those made upright through faith (Psalm 1:1-3; John 7:38). • Let the image of honey and cream remind us that every good gift is from God, to be enjoyed in obedience—and never prized above Him (James 1:17; Deuteronomy 8:10-14). |
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