Job4

Eliphaz the Temanite begins his address to Job, questioning Job's reaction to suffering despite his past role as a comforter. He asserts that the innocent do not perish, implying Job's suffering is a consequence of sin, as those who sow wickedness reap destruction. Eliphaz then recounts a terrifying night vision where a spirit declared that no mortal man can be more just or pure than God, emphasizing humanity's frailty and God's absolute sovereignty.

Eliphaz Begins His Counsel

1
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, ​
2
“If someone ventures to talk with you, will you be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking? ​
3
Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands.
4
Your words have supported him who was falling, You have made firm the feeble knees.
5
But now it has come to you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled. ​
6
Isn’t your piety your confidence? Isn’t the integrity of your ways your hope?

The Doctrine of Retribution

7
“Remember, now, whoever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off? ​
8
According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity, and sow trouble, reap the same. ​
9
By the breath of God they perish. By the blast of his anger are they consumed.
10
The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken. ​
11
The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad.

Eliphaz’s Mystical Revelation

12
“Now a thing was secretly brought to me. My ear received a whisper of it. ​
13
In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
14
fear came on me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake.
15
Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up. ​
16
It stood still, but I couldn’t discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying,
17
‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? ​
18
Behold, he puts no trust in his servants. He charges his angels with error.
19
How much more, those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth! ​
20
Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it.
21
Isn’t their tent cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.’ ​

Study Notes for Job 4

Verse 1

Eliphaz the Temanite is the first and most diplomatic of Job’s three friends to speak. Teman was a region renowned for its wisdom tradition (Jer. 49:7).

Verse 2

Eliphaz justifies his intervention, suggesting that Job's despairing outburst (Chapter 3) is so grave that silence is impossible, even if speaking might cause Job further grief.

Verse 5

This verse marks the turning point in Eliphaz's opening. He contrasts Job's past strength and ministry (vv. 3–4) with his current collapse, subtly implying that Job’s faith lacked true foundation.

Verse 7

This is the central thesis of the friends' argument: suffering is always proportional to sin. Eliphaz challenges Job to recall any innocent person who has truly perished, ignoring the complexities of life.

Verse 8

A classic expression of the wisdom tradition’s principle of retribution, known as 'sowing and reaping.' This belief holds that God’s justice operates strictly through immediate, observable cause and effect.

Verse 10

The metaphor of the lion and its whelps represents the powerful, predatory wicked. Eliphaz asserts that God’s judgment (v. 9) inevitably breaks the strength and prosperity of the ruthless.

Verse 12

Eliphaz shifts his argument from tradition and observation (vv. 7–11) to personal, divine revelation, thereby attempting to lend irrefutable authority to his subsequent claims.

Verse 15

The description of the 'spirit' (or 'breath') creates a sense of terror and awe, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of the confrontation with the divine messenger.

Verse 17

This is the core message of the vision: no mortal can claim righteousness or purity when judged against God’s absolute holiness. This premise is designed to silence Job’s protests of innocence.

Verse 19

The phrase 'houses of clay' is a powerful metaphor for the physical body, stressing human frailty and mortality. Humans are easily 'crushed' like a garment eaten by a moth.

Verse 21

The conclusion of the vision insists that human life is fleeting and insignificant. They die 'without wisdom,' meaning they fail to grasp their own lowliness and the omnipotence of God before destruction.

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