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Commentary on Job 4 verses 12–21
Eliphaz, having undertaken to convince Job of the sin and folly of his discontent and impatience, here vouches a vision he had been favoured with, which he relates to Job for his conviction. What comes immediately from God all men will pay a particular deference to, and Job, no doubt, as much as any. Some think Eliphaz had this vision now lately, since he came to Job, putting words into his mouth wherewith to reason with him; and it would have been well if he had kept to the purport of this vision, which would serve for a ground on which to reprove Job for his murmuring, but not to condemn him as a hypocrite. Others think he had it formerly; for God did, in this way, often communicate his mind to the children of men in those first ages of the world, Job 33:15. Probably God had sent Eliphaz this messenger and message some time or other, when he was himself in an unquiet discontented frame, to calm and pacify him. Note, As we should comfort others with that wherewith we have been comforted (Co2 1:4), so we should endeavour to convince others with that which has been powerful to convince us. The people of God had not then any written word to quote, and therefore God sometimes notified to them even common truths by the extraordinary ways of revelation. We that have Bibles have there (thanks be to God) a more sure word to depend upon than even visions and voices, Pe2 1:19. Observe,
I. The manner in which this message was sent to Eliphaz, and the circumstances of the conveyance of it to him. 1. It was brought to him secretly, or by stealth. Some of the sweetest communion gracious souls have with God is in secret, where no eye sees but that of him who is all eye. God has ways of bringing conviction, counsel, and comfort, to his people, unobserved by the world, by private whispers, as powerfully and effectually as by the public ministry. His secret is with them, Psa 25:14. As the evil spirit often steals good words out of the heart (Mat 13:19), so the good Spirit sometimes steals good words into the heart, or ever we are aware. 2. He received a little thereof, Job 4:12. And it is but a little of divine knowledge that the best receive in this world. We know little in comparison with what is to be known, and with what we shall know when we come to heaven. How little a portion is heard of God! Job 26:14. We know but in part, Co1 13:12. See his humility and modesty. He pretends not to have understood it fully, but something of it he perceived. 3. It was brought to him in the visions of the night (Job 4:13), when he had retired from the world and the hurry of it, and all about him was composed and quiet. Note, The more we are withdrawn from the world and the things of it the fitter we are for communion with God. When we are communing with our own hearts, and are still (Psa 4:4), then is a proper time for the Holy Spirit to commune with us. When others were asleep Eliphaz was ready to receive this visit from Heaven, and probably, like David, was meditating upon God in the night-watches; in the midst of those good thoughts this thing was brought to him. We should hear more from God if we thought more of him; yet some are surprised with convictions in the night, Job 33:14, Job 33:15. 4. It was prefaced with terrors: Fear came upon him, and trembling, Job 4:14. It should seem, before he either heard or saw any thing, he was seized with this trembling, which shook his bones, and perhaps the bed under him. A holy awe and reverence of God and his majesty being struck upon his spirit, he was thereby prepared for a divine visit. Whom God intends to honour he first humbles and lays low, and will have us all to serve him with holy fear, and to rejoice with trembling.
II. The messenger by whom it was sent - a spirit, one of the good angels, who are employed not only as the ministers of God's providence, but sometimes as the ministers of his word. Concerning this apparition which Eliphaz saw we are here told (Job 4:15, Job 4:16), 1. That it was real, and not a dream, not a fancy. An image was before his eyes; he plainly saw it; at first it passed and repassed before his face, moved up and down, but at length it stood still to speak to him. If some have been so knavish as to impose false visions on others, and some so foolish as to be themselves imposed upon, it does not therefore follow but that there may have been apparitions of spirits, both good and bad. 2. That it was indistinct, and somewhat confused. He could not discern the form thereof, so as to frame any exact idea of it in his own mind, much less to give a description of it. His conscience was to be awakened and informed, not his curiosity gratified. We know little of spirits; we are not capable of knowing much of them, nor is it fit that we should: all in good time; we must shortly remove to the world of spirits, and shall then be better acquainted with them. 3. That it puts him into a great consternation, so that his hair stood on end. Ever since man sinned it has been terrible to him to receive an express from heaven, as conscious to himself that he can expect no good tidings thence; apparitions therefore, even of good spirits, have always made deep impressions of fear, even upon good men. How well it is for us that God sends us his messages, not by spirits, but by men like ourselves, whose terror shall not make us afraid! See Dan 7:28; Dan 10:8, Dan 10:9.
III. The message itself. Before it was delivered there was silence, profound silence, Job 4:16. When we are to speak either from God or to him it becomes us to address ourselves to it with a solemn pause, and so to set bounds about the mount on which God is to come down, and not be hasty to utter any thing. It was in a still small voice that the message was delivered, and this was it (Job 4:17): "Shall mortal man be more just than God, the immortal God? Shall a man be thought to be, or pretend to be, more pure than his Maker? Away with such a thought!" 1. Some think that Eliphaz aims hereby to prove that Job's great afflictions were a certain evidence of his being a wicked man. A mortal man would be thought unjust and very impure if he should thus correct and punish a servant or subject, unless he had been guilty of some very great crime: "If therefore there were not some great crimes for which God thus punishes thee, man would be more just than God, which is not to be imagined." 2. I rather think it is only a reproof of Job's murmuring and discontent: "Shall a man pretend to be more just and pure than God? more truly to understand, and more strictly to observe, the rules and laws of equity than God? Shall Enosh, mortal and miserable man, be so insolent; nay, shall Geber, the strongest and most eminent man, man at his best estate, pretend to compare with God, or stand in competition with him?" Note, It is most impious and absurd to think either others or ourselves more just and pure than God. Those that quarrel and find fault with the directions of the divine law, the dispensations of the divine grace, or the disposals of the divine providence, make themselves more just and pure than God; and those who thus reprove God, let them answer it. What! sinful man! (for he would not have been mortal if he had not been sinful) short-sighted man! Shall he pretend to be more just, more pure, than God, who, being his Maker, is his Lord and owner? Shall the clay contend with the potter? What justice and purity there is in man, God is the author of it, and therefore is himself more just and pure. See Psa 94:9, Psa 94:10.
IV. The comment which Eliphaz makes upon this, for so it seems to be; yet some take all the following verses to be spoken in vision. It comes all to one.
1.He shows how little the angels themselves are in comparison with God, Job 4:18. Angels are God's servants, waiting servants, working servants; they are his ministers (Psa 104:4); bright and blessed beings they are, but God neither needs them nor is benefited by them and is himself infinitely above them, and therefore, (1.) He puts no trust in them, did not repose a confidence in them, as we do in those we cannot live without. There is no service in which he employs them but, if he pleased, he could have it done as well without them. he never made them his confidants, or of his cabinet-council, Mat 24:36. He does not leave his business wholly to them, but his own eyes run to and fro through the earth, Ch2 16:9. See this phrase, Job 39:11. Some give this sense of it: "So mutable is even the angelical nature that God would not trust angels with their own integrity; if he had, they would all have done as some did, left their first estate; but he saw it necessary to give them supernatural grace to confirm them." (2.) He charges them with folly, vanity, weakness, infirmity, and imperfection, in comparison with himself. If the world were left to the government of the angels, and they were trusted with the sole management of affairs, they would take false steps, and everything would not be done for the best, as now it is. Angels are intelligences, but finite ones. Though not chargeable with iniquity, yet with imprudence. This last clause is variously rendered by the critics. I think it would bear this reading, repeating the negation, which is very common: He will put no trust in his saints; nor will he glory in his angels (in angelis suis non ponet gloriationem) or make his boast of them, as if their praises, or services, added any thing to him: it is his glory that he is infinitely happy without them.
2.Thence he infers how much less man is, how much less to be trusted in or gloried in. If there is such a distance between God and angels, what is there between God and man! See how man is represented here in his meanness.
(1.)Look upon man in his life, and he is very mean, Job 4:19. Take man in his best estate, and he is a very despicable creature in comparison with the holy angels, though honourable if compared with the brutes. It is true, angels are spirits, and the souls of men are spirits; but, [1.] Angels are pure spirits; the souls of men dwell in houses of clay: such the bodies of men are. Angels are free; human souls are housed, and the body is a cloud, a clog, to it; it is its cage; it is its prison. It is a house of clay, mean and mouldering; an earthen vessel, soon broken, as it was first formed, according to the good pleasure of the potter. It is a cottage, not a house of cedar or a house of ivory, but of clay, which would soon be in ruins if not kept in constant repair. [2.] Angels are fixed, but the very foundation of that house of clay in which man dwells is in the dust. A house of clay, if built upon a rock, might stand long; but, if founded in the dust, the uncertainty of the foundation will hasten its fall, and it will sink with its own weight. As man was made out of the earth, so he is maintained and supported by that which cometh out of the earth. Take away that, and his body returns to its earth. We stand but upon the dust; some have a higher heap of dust to stand upon than others, but still it is the earth that stays us up and will shortly swallow us up. [3.] Angels are immortal, but man is soon crushed; the earthly house of his tabernacle is dissolved; he dies and wastes away, is crushed like a moth between one's fingers, as easily, as quickly; one may almost as soon kill a man as kill a moth. A little thing will destroy his life. He is crushed before the face of the moth, so the word is. If some lingering distemper, which consumes like a moth, be commissioned to destroy him, he can no more resist it than he can resist an acute distemper, which comes roaring upon him like a lion. See Hos 5:12-14. Is such a creature as this to be trusted in, or can any service be expected from him by that God who puts no trust in angels themselves?
(2.)Look upon him in his death, and he appears yet more despicable, and unfit to be trusted. Men are mortal and dying, Job 4:20, Job 4:21. [1.] In death they are destroyed, and perish for ever, as to this world; it is the final period of their lives, and all the employments and enjoyments here; their place will know them no more. [2.] They are dying daily, and continually wasting: Destroyed from morning to evening. Death is still working in us, like a mole digging our grave at each remove, and we so continually lie exposed that we are killed all the day long. [3.] Their life is short, and in a little time they are cut off. It lasts perhaps but from morning to evening. It is but a day (so some understand it); their birth and death are but the sun-rise and sun-set of the same day. [4.] In death all their excellency passes away; beauty, strength, learning, not only cannot secure them from death, but must die with them, nor shall their pomp, their wealth, or power, descend after them. [5.] Their wisdom cannot save them from death: They die without wisdom, die for want of wisdom, by their own foolish management of themselves, digging their graves with their own teeth. [6.] It is so common a thing that nobody heeds it, nor takes any notice of it: They perish without any regarding it, or laying it to heart. The deaths of others are much the subject of common talk, but little the subject of serious thought. Some think the eternal damnation of sinners is here spoken of, as well as their temporal death: They are destroyed, or broken to pieces, by death, from morning to evening; and, if they repent not, they perish for ever (so some read it), Job 4:20. They perish for ever because they regard not God and their duty; they consider not their latter end, Lam 1:9. They have no excellency but that which death takes away, and they die, they die the second death, for want of wisdom to lay hold on eternal life. Shall such a mean, weak, foolish, sinful, dying creature as this pretend to be more just than God and more pure than his Maker? No, instead of quarrelling with his afflictions, let him wonder that he is out of hell.
47. For because they desire to appear objects of wonder for the loftiness of their instructions, they affect to be awed at the accounts which they make up. And whilst it is a less difficulty to hear than to speak, they are bold enough to put forth that, which, forsooth, they feign that they the very same persons were scarcely able to hear.
56. What is denoted by ‘bones’ but strong deeds? Of which also it is said by the Prophet, He keepeth all their bones. [Ps. 34, 20] And it often happens that the things which men do, they reckon to be of some account, because they know not, how keen is the discernment of His inward sifting; but when, transported on the wings of contemplation, they behold things above, in some sort they melt away from the security they felt in their presumption, and quake in sight of God the more, in proportion as they do not even reckon their excellences fit for the searching eye of Him, Whom they behold. For it is hence that he, who had gained ground in doing strong deeds, being lifted up by the Spirit, exclaimed, All my hones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee? [Ps. 35, 10] As though he said, ‘My flesh is without words, in that my infirmities are wholly silent before Thee, but my bones sing the praises of Thy greatness. In that the very things, which I thought to be strong in me, tremble at the view of Thee.’ It is hence that Manoah shrinking at the vision of the Angel, says, We shall surely die, for we have seen The Lord. [Judg. 13, 22. 23.] Whom his wife immediately comforts, with these words, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, He would not have received a burnt-offering, and a meat-offering at our hand. But how is it that the man becomes fearful at the vision of the Angel, and the woman bold; but that as often as heavenly things are shown us, the spirit indeed is shaken with affright, yet hope has confidence? For hope lifts itself to dare greater feats from the same cause, whereby the spirit is troubled, in that it sees the first the things that are above. Therefore because, when the mind, being lifted on high, beholds the higher depths of the secrets of heaven, all that is most solid of human strength trembles, it is well said here, Fear came upon me and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. As though it were expressed in plain words; ‘When I perceived the secrets of inmost subtlety, in that quarter where I thought myself in my own eyes strong, I faltered in the sight of the Judge.’ For contemplating the strictness of Divine Justice, we justly fear even for the very works themselves, which we flattered ourselves we had so done that they were strong. For our uprightness, when drawn parallel to the inward rule, if it meets with strict judgment, comes cross, with many sinuosities of its windings, to the inward uprightness. And hence, when Paul both perceived that he had the bones of the several virtues, and yet that these same bones trembled under the searching scrutiny, he saith, But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment; yea, I judge not mine own self; for I know nothing against myself: [1 Cor. 4, 3. 4.] Yet because, when the ‘veins’ of the divine ‘whispering’ were heard, these same bones quaked, he thereupon added, For I am not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me is the Lord. As though be were to say, ‘I remember that I have done light things, yet I presume not on my merits; for our life is brought to the scrutiny of Him, under Whom even the bones of our strength are dismayed.
57. But when the mind is suspended in contemplation, when, exceeding the narrow limits of the flesh, with all the power of her ken, she strains to find something of the freedom of interior security, she cannot for long rest standing above herself, because though the spirit carries her on high, yet the flesh sinks her down below by the yet remaining weight of her corruption.
Whoever is inclined to do worldly things is, as it were, awake, but he who seeks inward rest eschews the riot of this world and is, as it were, asleep. Yet first we must know that when sleep is described figuratively in holy Scripture, it is understood in three senses. Sometimes we have used “sleep” to express the death of the body; sometimes “sleep” represents the grogginess of neglect; and sometimes “sleep” signifies tranquility of life. Earthly desires have been tramped underfoot.… What is denoted by the word bones but strong deeds? The prophet refers to the same thing when he writes, “He keeps all their bones.” In addition, it often happens that the things that people do are often reckoned to be of some account, largely because they do not realize how keen is God’s inward discernment. However, when transported on the wings of contemplation, they behold things above. Somehow, they melt away from the security they felt in their presumption and quake all the more in the sight of God, a response proportionate to their awareness that whatever is excellent in them will not stand up to the searching eye of him whom they behold.… To “stand,” then, is the attribute of the Creator alone, through whom all things pass away, though he himself never passes away, and in whom some things are held fast so that they might not pass away. Hence, our Redeemer, because the fixed state of his divine nature cannot be comprehended by the human mind, showed this to us as it were in passing, by coming to us, by being created, born, dead, buried, by rising again and returning to the heavenly realms. Christ foreshadowed this well in the gospel by enlightening the blind man, to whom Jesus promised hearing as he passed by, but he stood still as he healed his eyes. For in the economy of his human nature he passed by, but in the power of his divine nature he stood still, demonstrating that he is present everywhere.
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SUMMARY
Job 4:14 vividly portrays Eliphaz the Temanite's profound and overwhelming experience of a terrifying spiritual encounter, a vision that left him physically and psychologically incapacitated. This verse serves as the powerful climax of his narrative, designed to imbue his forthcoming theological arguments regarding divine justice and human sinfulness with irrefutable, divinely revealed authority. The intensely visceral language employed masterfully conveys the paralyzing fear that gripped him, establishing his personal revelation as the foundational premise for his subsequent counsel to Job.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 4:14 masterfully employs several powerful literary devices to convey the intensity of Eliphaz's experience. Hyperbole is strikingly evident in the phrase "made all my bones to shake," which is an exaggeration used to emphasize the extreme, debilitating nature of his fear, suggesting a total physical collapse rather than a mere shiver. Visceral Language is central to the verse, utilizing words like "fear," "trembling," and "bones to shake" to evoke a strong physical and emotional response in the reader, mirroring Eliphaz's own profound distress. This creates a vivid and unsettling Imagery of a man utterly undone by a supernatural encounter. The phrase "bones to shake" also functions as Synecdoche, where "bones" (a part of the body) represents the entire physical and perhaps even psychological being of Eliphaz, indicating that the fear permeated his very essence. These devices collectively amplify the sense of overwhelming dread and the profound, transformative impact of the spiritual realm on a mortal man.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Eliphaz's terrifying vision, as described in Job 4:14, serves as a crucial theological touchstone within the book of Job, highlighting both the awe-inspiring nature of divine encounters and the ever-present potential for human misinterpretation. While the experience itself was undeniably real and profoundly impactful for Eliphaz, his subsequent use of it to condemn Job and justify a rigid, retributive theology reveals the inherent limitations of personal revelation when divorced from a comprehensive and compassionate understanding of God's character. The vision instilled a profound fear, leading Eliphaz to conclude that no human can be truly righteous before God—a truth that is partially correct but applied with a harshness that fails to account for God's grace and Job's blamelessness. This raises critical questions about the discernment of spiritual experiences and the inherent danger of using them to construct narrow, inflexible theological frameworks that may ultimately misrepresent God's broader truth and add to the suffering of others.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Eliphaz's account of overwhelming fear in the face of a spiritual encounter offers a profound and sobering reminder of the immense power and unapproachable holiness of God, before whom all humanity stands in awe. While his subsequent interpretation of the vision led him to flawed and uncharitable conclusions about Job's suffering, the raw, visceral experience of dread he describes speaks powerfully to the inherent human frailty and vulnerability when confronted with the divine. For us today, this verse encourages a healthy and profound reverence for God's majesty, acknowledging that true encounters with the spiritual realm can indeed be deeply unsettling, beyond our full comprehension, and even terrifying. It also serves as a crucial caution: spiritual experiences, however powerful or seemingly authoritative, must always be discerned rigorously through the lens of the complete Scripture and the revealed character of God in Jesus Christ. This discernment is vital to prevent us, like Eliphaz, from drawing erroneous conclusions, forming rigid theological frameworks, or using such experiences to justify uncharitable judgments that may inadvertently add to another's suffering. Our awe should lead us to profound humility and worship, not to self-assured pronouncements.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Eliphaz's vision a genuine divine encounter, or was it a delusion?
Answer: The biblical text presents Eliphaz's vision as a genuine, though terrifying, spiritual encounter, not a mere delusion. The language used—"a word was secretly brought to me," "my ear caught a whisper of it" (Job 4:12), followed by the visceral fear in Job 4:14—strongly suggests a real, external spiritual presence. However, the critical point of the book of Job is not the authenticity of the vision itself, but Eliphaz's interpretation of it and the flawed conclusions he draws. While the experience was real, his application of its perceived truth to Job's situation was ultimately incorrect and contradicted by God's own assessment later in the book (Job 42:7).
What was the primary purpose of Eliphaz describing this terrifying vision to Job?
Answer: Eliphaz described his terrifying vision primarily to establish the divine authority and irrefutable weight behind his subsequent arguments. By recounting such a profound and unsettling experience, he aimed to convince Job (and himself) that his understanding of God's justice and humanity's inherent impurity was not merely human wisdom but a direct, divinely revealed truth. He believed this vision validated his assertion that God is perfectly just and that suffering must therefore be a consequence of sin, thus subtly implying Job's guilt. It was a powerful rhetorical strategy intended to lend undeniable authority to his counsel, positioning himself as a recipient of a unique divine truth.
How does Eliphaz's vision relate to the overall message of the book of Job?
Answer: Eliphaz's vision, and his subsequent use of it, is central to the book of Job's profound exploration of the problem of suffering and the inherent limitations of human wisdom. His vision reinforces the traditional, rigid theology of retribution that he and his friends espouse: God is perfectly just, therefore suffering only comes to the wicked. The terrifying nature of the vision underscores the "otherness" and immense power of God, leading Eliphaz to emphasize human impurity and the impossibility of mortals being righteous before God (Job 4:17-19). However, the book's ultimate message challenges this simplistic framework, demonstrating that God's ways are far more complex and mysterious than human wisdom can grasp, and that suffering is not always a direct result of personal sin. Eliphaz's vision, while a genuine spiritual encounter, serves as a poignant example of how even authentic experiences can be misinterpreted when filtered through preconceived notions, ultimately failing to provide true comfort or understanding in the face of profound mystery.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Eliphaz's experience of overwhelming fear and trembling before an indirect, terrifying spiritual encounter in Job 4:14 stands in stark contrast to the full and perfect revelation of God found in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, encounters with God's holiness often evoked profound fear and an acute sense of unworthiness, as seen with Isaiah's cry of "Woe is me!" (Isaiah 6:5) or the people's trembling at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16). This fear was a natural and appropriate response to the infinite, unapproachable holiness of God by finite, sinful humanity. However, in Christ, this dynamic is profoundly transformed. Jesus, the Word made flesh, is the ultimate, complete, and perfect revelation of God's very being (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-3). He does not merely whisper from the shadows or appear as a terrifying, disembodied spirit, but fully embodies God's boundless love, abounding grace, and unwavering truth. Through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, Christ definitively removes the barrier of sin that separated humanity from God, making it possible for believers to approach God not with paralyzing fear, but with confidence, peace, and boldness (Hebrews 4:16). The fear of judgment is cast out by perfect love (1 John 4:18), and believers are graciously invited into intimate relationship with a God who is both perfectly holy and infinitely loving, no longer needing to tremble in dread but to worship in spirit and truth.