Job5

Eliphaz begins by challenging Job to find anyone who agrees with him, asserting that foolishness leads to destruction and that man is born to trouble. He then advises Job to seek God, who performs great and unsearchable works, exalting the humble and frustrating the wicked. Eliphaz concludes by proclaiming that happy is the man whom God corrects, promising deliverance, peace, and prosperity for those who accept divine chastening.

The Consequences of Folly and Wrath

“Call now; is there any who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?

For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple.

I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.

His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,

whose harvest the hungry eats up, and take it even out of the thorns. The snare gapes for their substance.

For affliction doesn’t come out of the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground;

but man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

Eliphaz Counsels Seeking God

“But as for me, I would seek God. I would commit my cause to God,

who does great things that can’t be fathomed, marvelous things without number;

who gives rain on the earth, and sends waters on the fields;

so that he sets up on high those who are low, those who mourn are exalted to safety.

He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands can’t perform their enterprise.

He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.

They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope at noonday as in the night.

But he saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty.

So the poor has hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.

The Blessings of Divine Discipline

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

For he wounds, and binds up. He injures, and his hands make whole.

He will deliver you in six troubles; yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.

In famine he will redeem you from death; in war, from the power of the sword.

You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.

At destruction and famine you shall laugh, neither shall you be afraid of the animals of the earth.

For you shall be allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field shall be at peace with you.

You shall know that your tent is in peace. You shall visit your fold, and shall miss nothing.

You shall know also that your seed shall be great, Your offspring as the grass of the earth.

You shall come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season.

Look this, we have searched it, so it is. Hear it, and know it for your good.”

Study Notes for Job 5

Verse 1

Eliphaz challenges Job to find any 'saints' (holy ones, perhaps angels or righteous men) who would agree with his complaints. This sets the stage for Eliphaz’s argument that Job’s suffering is unique because he is standing against accepted wisdom.

Verse 2

This is classic wisdom literature: uncontrolled emotion, whether wrath or envy, leads to self-destruction. Eliphaz applies this general truth to Job, implying that Job’s anguish comes from his own foolish reaction to his troubles.

Verse 3

Eliphaz uses a personal observation to support his theological claim: the seemingly prosperous wicked man is swiftly judged by God. This reinforces the principle of immediate divine retribution.

Verse 4

To be 'crushed in the gate' refers to legal or social ruin. The city gate was the place where legal judgments were rendered, suggesting the wicked man’s lack of divine protection extends to his whole family and reputation.

Verse 6

Eliphaz acknowledges that suffering is not random or accidental. It has a cause, which he will immediately link to the inherent nature of humanity and, implicitly, human sin.

Verse 7

This famous simile asserts that trouble is intrinsic to the human condition, as inevitable as fire sparks rising. While true, Eliphaz uses this universal truth to sidestep the question of *why* Job specifically is suffering so intensely.

Verse 8

Eliphaz transitions from critique to prescription. His advice is sound theology—to appeal to the sovereign God—but it is based on the flawed premise that Job must first confess a great sin.

Verse 9

Eliphaz begins a hymn of praise, emphasizing God’s transcendence and inscrutable power. This serves to humble Job and remind him that human suffering must be viewed in light of God’s absolute sovereignty.

Verse 13

This proverb highlights God’s ability to overturn human schemes. It is later quoted by the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 3:19) to illustrate that God’s wisdom always triumphs over worldly cleverness.

Verse 17

Eliphaz introduces the concept of suffering as divine correction (chastening) rather than pure punishment. This theological principle, later central to Proverbs and the New Testament (Heb. 12), offers hope if Job accepts the discipline.

Verse 19

The parallelism 'six troubles, yea, in seven' is a common ancient Near Eastern literary device (numerical sequence) meaning 'complete deliverance' or 'from every imaginable trouble.'

Verse 23

To be 'in league with the stones of the field' is a poetic hyperbole symbolizing absolute peace and security. Nature itself will not hinder or harm the righteous man, reversing the conditions of the curse in Genesis 3.

Verse 26

This verse promises a long life culminating in a peaceful death. The image of the 'shock of corn' (sheaf of grain) gathered in season symbolizes a life that has reached its full maturity and is ready for harvest.

Verse 27

Eliphaz concludes his speech by asserting the veracity of his traditional wisdom, claiming it has been thoroughly 'searched' and proven true. He presents this advice as the definitive path to Job’s recovery and well-being.

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Job5

The Consequences of Folly and Wrath

Eliphaz Counsels Seeking God

The Blessings of Divine Discipline

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