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.

Eliphaz's Second Speech: Job's Vain Talk

1
Then Elifaz the Teimani spoke:
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"Should a wise man answer with hot-air arguments? Should he fill up his belly with the hot east wind? ​
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Should he reason with useless talk or make speeches that do him no good?
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"Why, you are abolishing fear of God and hindering prayer to him! ​
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Your iniquity is teaching you how to speak, and deceit is your language of choice.
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Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you.

The Frailty of Human Wisdom

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"Were you the firstborn of the human race, brought forth before the hills? ​
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Do you listen in on God's secrets? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? ​
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What do you know that we don't know? What discernment do you have that we don't?
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With us are gray-haired men, old men, men much older than your father. ​
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Are the comfortings of God not enough for you, or a word that deals gently with you?
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Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash angrily,
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so that you turn your spirit against God and let such words escape your mouth?
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"What is a human being, that he could be innocent, someone born from a woman, that he could be righteous? ​
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God doesn't trust even his holy ones; no, even the heavens are not innocent in his view. ​
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How much less one loathesome and corrupt, a human being, who drinks iniquity like water. ​

The Inevitable Fate of the Wicked

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"I will tell you - hear me out! I will recount what I have seen;
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wise men have told it, and it wasn't hidden from their fathers either, ​
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to whom alone the land was given -no foreigner passed among them.
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"The wicked is in torment all his life, for all the years allotted to the tyrant. ​
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Terrifying sounds are in his ears; in prosperity, robbers swoop down on him.
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He despairs of returning from darkness -he is destined to meet the sword.
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He wanders and looks for food, which isn't there. He knows the day of darkness is ready, at hand.
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Distress and anguish overwhelm him, assaulting him like a king about to enter battle.
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"He raises his hand against God and boldly defies Shaddai, ​
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running against him with head held high and thickly ornamented shield. ​
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"He lets his face grow gross and fat, and the rest of him bulges with blubber; ​
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he lives in abandoned cities, in houses no one would inhabit, houses about to become ruins;
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therefore he will not remain rich, his wealth will not endure, his produce will not bend [the grain stalks] to the earth.
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"He will not escape from darkness. The flame will dry up his branches. By a breath from the mouth of [God], he will go away.
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Let him not rely on futile methods, thereby deceiving himself; for what he will receive in exchange will be only futility. ​
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This will be accomplished in advance of its day. His palm frond will not be fresh and green;
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he will be like a vine that sheds its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that drops its flowers.
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"For the community of the ungodly is sterile; fire consumes the tents of bribery. ​
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They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb prepares 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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