The increase of his house shall depart - Septuagint, "Destruction shall bring his house to an end." The word rendered "depart" (יגל yı̂gel from גלה gâlâh), means, properly, "shall go into captivity." The sense is, that whatever he had laid up in his house would entirely disappear.

His goods shall flow away - What he had gained would seem to flow away like water.

In the day of his wrath - The wrath of God - for so the connection demands.

The increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath - A farther allusion to the punishment of the rebellious company of Korah, who not only perished themselves, but their houses also, and their goods. Numbers 16:32. These examples were all in point, on the ground assumed by Zophar; and such well-attested facts would not be passed over by him, had he known the record of them; and that he did know it, alludes to it, and quotes the very circumstances, is more than probable.

The increase of his house shall depart,.... Either his children or his substance. Some interpret it, as Kimchi (h) observes, of the walls of his house, because of what follows, "they shall flow away", &c. as if he should say, the stones of his house shall fall down, and his habitation shall be destroyed, according to Micah 1:6; where a dilapidation is expressed by a flow, or pouring down of stones:

and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath; in the day of the wrath of God upon him, which will come upon him like water split on the ground, of no more use and service to him; the Targum interprets it of oil and wine, which shall flow away and cease, and so Mr. Broughton renders it, "fruits for his house"; all desirable and useful ones, see Revelation 18:14.

(h) Sepher Shorash. rad.

The {q} increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath.

(q) Meaning, the children of the wicked will flow away like rivers and be dispersed in various places.

20:28 Increase of his house - His estate. Depart - Shall be lost. Flow - Like waters, swiftly and strongly, and so as to return no more. His - Of God's wrath.

28. increase-prosperity. Ill got-ill gone.

flow away-like waters that run dry in summer; using Job's own metaphor against himself (Job 6:15-17; 2Sa 14:14; Mic 1:4).

his wrath-God's.

20:23-29 Zophar, having described the vexations which attend wicked practices, shows their ruin from God's wrath. There is no fence against this, but in Christ, who is the only Covert from the storm and tempest, Isa 32:2. Zophar concludes, This is the portion of a wicked man from God; it is allotted him. Never was any doctrine better explained, or worse applied, than this by Zophar, who intended to prove Job a hypocrite. Let us receive the good explanation, and make a better application, for warning to ourselves, to stand in awe and sin not. One view of Jesus, directed by the Holy Spirit, and by him suitably impressed upon our souls, will quell a thousand carnal reasonings about the suffering of the faithful.