Job 4:7

¶ Remember, I pray thee, who [ever] perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

Remember {H2142}, I pray thee, who ever perished {H6}, being innocent {H5355}? or where {H375} were the righteous {H3477} cut off {H3582}?

"Think back: what innocent person has perished? Since when are the upright destroyed?

Consider now, I plead: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Or where have the upright been destroyed?

Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?

Context of Job 4:7

This verse is part of Eliphaz the Temanite's first speech to Job, found in Job chapters 4 and 5. Eliphaz is the first of Job's three friends to speak, arriving to "comfort" him in his immense suffering. Job has just expressed his profound anguish and wished he had never been born (Job 3). Eliphaz, operating from a traditional theological framework often called retribution theology, believes that God always punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous. His words here are meant to challenge Job, subtly implying that Job's unprecedented suffering must be due to some hidden sin.

Key Themes and Messages

  • The Flawed Premise of Retribution Theology: Eliphaz's rhetorical question, "who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?" reveals his rigid belief system. He assumes that severe suffering is an undeniable indicator of sin, and true innocence guarantees divine protection from calamity. This premise directly contradicts the narrative's introduction, which clearly states Job was "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1).
  • Human Wisdom vs. Divine Mystery: Eliphaz speaks with an air of certainty, presuming to fully understand the mechanisms of divine justice. His perspective represents a common human tendency to create simplistic explanations for complex realities, particularly suffering. The book of Job as a whole challenges this limited human understanding, revealing that God's ways are often beyond our comprehension.
  • The Nature of Suffering: This verse highlights the central tension of the book: why do righteous people suffer? Eliphaz's answer (they don't, or if they do, they weren't truly righteous) is later proven inadequate by God Himself, demonstrating that suffering can serve purposes beyond immediate punishment, such as testing faith or refining character.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word translated "perished" is 'avad (אבד), which means to be lost, destroyed, or ruined. The phrase "cut off" comes from 'nikrat (נכרת), implying being exterminated, severed, or removed. Both terms are strong, emphasizing complete destruction or removal, and Eliphaz uses them to underscore his point that the truly innocent avoid such ultimate fates.

Practical Application

Job 4:7 serves as a crucial point of reflection for understanding suffering and offering comfort. It challenges us to:

  • Avoid Simplistic Explanations for Suffering: We should be wary of assuming that suffering is always a direct consequence of sin. The book of Job powerfully refutes this idea, reminding us that there are deeper, often mysterious, reasons for affliction.
  • Exercise Humility and Compassion: When others are in distress, it is vital to approach them with empathy rather than judgment. Eliphaz's words, though well-intentioned, ultimately brought more pain to Job because they were based on a flawed premise and lacked true understanding.
  • Trust in God's Sovereignty: While we may not always comprehend the reasons for suffering, the ultimate message of Job is to trust in God's perfect justice and wisdom, even when His ways seem inscrutable. As Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Psalms 37:25

    I have been young, and [now] am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

  • Job 36:7

    He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings [are they] on the throne; yea, he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.

  • 2 Peter 2:9

    The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

  • Job 8:20

    ¶ Behold, God will not cast away a perfect [man], neither will he help the evil doers:

  • Acts 28:4

    And when the barbarians saw the [venomous] beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

  • Ecclesiastes 9:1

    ¶ For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred [by] all [that is] before them.

  • Ecclesiastes 9:2

    All [things come] alike to all: [there is] one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner; [and] he that sweareth, as [he] that feareth an oath.
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