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 Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2
“Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind? ​
3
Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4
Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God. ​
5
For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
6
Your own mouth condemns you, and not I. Yes, your own lips testify against you.

The Frailty of Human Wisdom

7
“Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought out before the hills? ​
8
Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? ​
9
What do you know, that we don’t know? What do you understand, which is not in us?
10
With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much elder than your father. ​
11
Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
12
Why does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13
That you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
14
What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? ​
15
Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight; ​
16
how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water! ​

The Inevitable Fate of the Wicked

17
“I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare:
18
(Which wise men have told by their fathers, and have not hidden it; ​
19
to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them):
20
the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor. ​
21
A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come on him.
22
He doesn’t believe that he shall return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
23
He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24
Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25
Because he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty; ​
26
he runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers; ​
27
because he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs. ​
28
He has lived in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
29
He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth.
30
He shall not depart out of darkness. The flame shall dry up his branches. By the breath of God’s mouth shall he go away.
31
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; for emptiness shall be his reward. ​
32
It shall be accomplished before his time. His branch shall not be green.
33
He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive tree.
34
For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery. ​
35
They conceive mischief, and produce iniquity. Their heart 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.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options