Job15

Eliphaz begins his second discourse by rebuking Job's words as vain and unprofitable, accusing him of casting off the fear of God. He challenges Job's perceived wisdom, asserting the inherent impurity of all humanity before God. Eliphaz then describes the inevitable suffering and destruction that befall the wicked, emphasizing that their defiance of God leads to a desolate end.

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Eliphaz's Second Speech: Job's Vain Talk

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind?

Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

Yea, thou doest away with fear, And hinderest devotion before God.

For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee.

The Frailty of Human Wisdom

Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills?

Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?

What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us?

With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, Much elder than thy father.

Are the consolations of God too small for thee, Even the word that is gentle toward thee?

Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash,

That against God thou turnest thy spirit, And lettest words go out of thy mouth?

What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight:

How much less one that is abominable and corrupt, A man that drinketh iniquity like water!

The Inevitable Fate of the Wicked

I will show thee, hear thou me; And that which I have seen I will declare

(Which wise men have told From their fathers, and have not hid it;

Unto whom alone the land was given, And no stranger passed among them):

The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, Even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.

A sound of terrors is in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, And he is waited for of the sword.

He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.

Distress and anguish make him afraid; They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

Because he hath stretched out his hand against God, And behaveth himself proudly against the Almighty;

He runneth upon him with astiffneck, With the thick bosses of his bucklers;

Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, And gathered fat upon his loins;

And he hath dwelt in desolate cities, In houses which no man inhabited, Which were ready to become heaps;

He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, Neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.

He shall not depart out of darkness; The flame shall dry up his branches, And by the breath of God’s mouth shall he go away.

Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.

It shall be accomplished before his time, And his branch shall not be green.

He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, And shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree.

For the company of the godless shall be barren, And fire shall consume the tents of bribery.

They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, And their heart prepareth deceit.

Study Notes for Job 15

Verse 2

Eliphaz dismisses Job’s arguments as 'vain knowledge' and 'east wind,' a metaphor for hot, destructive, and ultimately worthless speech (cf. Hosea 12:1).

Verse 4

Eliphaz accuses Job of abandoning 'fear' (piety and reverence for God) and undermining true worship, suggesting that Job’s complaints are evidence of moral decay.

Verse 7

This rhetorical question challenges Job’s perceived antiquity and authority, mocking him for speaking as if he possessed primordial wisdom or predated creation.

Verse 8

The 'secret of God' (sod) refers to the divine council or hidden decrees. Eliphaz mocks Job’s claim to insight, suggesting Job acts like a privy counselor to the Almighty.

Verse 10

Eliphaz appeals to the authority of age and tradition ('grayheaded and very aged men') to validate his own position against Job, claiming his wisdom is superior due to its source.

Verse 14

This verse presents a classic statement on universal sinfulness, asserting that no human, being 'born of a woman,' can attain absolute cleanness or righteousness before God.

Verse 15

Eliphaz argues that divine purity is so absolute that even heavenly beings ('saints' or angels) are considered imperfect in God’s sight, emphasizing the vast gulf between creature and Creator.

Verse 16

If celestial beings are impure, how much more so is humanity, which is described vividly as 'drinking iniquity like water,' suggesting a natural, habitual indulgence in sin.

Verse 18

Eliphaz grounds his ensuing discourse in the established wisdom tradition passed down through generations, claiming universal and undeniable authority for his doctrine of retribution.

Verse 20

This verse begins the detailed description of the wicked man’s constant torment. Eliphaz asserts that the unrighteous live in perpetual pain and fear of impending doom.

Verse 25

The ultimate cause of the wicked man’s suffering is his overt rebellion against God, characterized by intentional defiance and self-assertion against the Almighty.

Verse 26

This vivid imagery—rushing violently against God, using the bosses (knobs) of a shield—presents the wicked man as a foolhardy warrior attacking the divine presence.

Verse 27

Covering the face with fatness signifies arrogance, prosperity, and self-indulgence, which in wisdom literature often precedes a swift and devastating fall from power.

Verse 31

Eliphaz warns against trusting in 'vanity' (false hopes or empty wealth), emphasizing that the wicked man’s reward will ultimately be emptiness and delusion.

Verse 34

The 'hypocrites' (Heb. *chanef*) here refers to the godless or profane. Eliphaz concludes his argument by stating that the community of the irreligious will be consumed by divine judgment.

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Job15

Eliphaz's Second Speech: Job's Vain Talk

The Frailty of Human Wisdom

The Inevitable Fate of the Wicked

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