Job 5:14

They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

They meet {H6298} with darkness {H2822} in the daytime {H3119}, and grope {H4959} in the noonday {H6672} as in the night {H3915}.

They meet with darkness during the day, groping at noon like at night.

They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.

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

Job 5:14 is part of Eliphaz the Temanite's first speech to Job, where he asserts that suffering is often a consequence of sin and that God justly punishes the wicked while protecting the righteous. This verse vividly describes the disorientation and futility that befalls those who operate outside of God's wisdom and guidance.

Context

In the preceding verses of Job chapter 5, Eliphaz details how God intervenes to thwart the plans of the cunning and to expose the craftiness of the wicked. He states that God "disappointeth the devices of the crafty" (Job 5:12) and "taketh the wise in their own craftiness" (Job 5:13). Verse 14 serves as a powerful metaphor illustrating the result of such divine intervention: those who rely on their own deceptive schemes, even in broad daylight, are plunged into a state of utter confusion and spiritual blindness, unable to discern their path.

Key Themes

  • Divine Sovereignty and Judgment: The verse highlights God's ultimate control over human affairs, showing how He can confound the most astute human plans. It emphasizes that no human wisdom or cunning can escape His scrutiny or overpower His will.
  • Spiritual Blindness: The imagery of "darkness in the day-time" and "groping in the noonday" powerfully conveys a state of profound spiritual and intellectual disorientation. It suggests that even in circumstances where clarity should be abundant, those alienated from God's truth are unable to find their way or make sound judgments. This concept echoes other biblical warnings about those who choose to live in spiritual darkness, as seen in John 3:19.
  • Futility of Wicked Schemes: The verse underscores the ultimate failure of those who devise evil or manipulative plans. Their attempts to gain advantage or deceive others are exposed and rendered ineffective by divine wisdom, leading to their own confusion.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word for "darkness" (choshek) often signifies not just the absence of light, but also confusion, distress, misfortune, or judgment. The term "grope" (yegashshun) implies a desperate, aimless searching, akin to someone feeling their way in pitch blackness. The irony is intensified by the phrase "in the noonday" (tsohorayim), referring to the brightest part of the day, making the described confusion even more striking and emphasizing the supernatural nature of their disorientation. This vivid imagery is also found in other Old Testament passages, such as Deuteronomy 28:29 and Isaiah 59:10, which describe similar experiences of judgment or spiritual blindness.

Practical Application

Job 5:14 serves as a timeless reminder that true wisdom and guidance come from God alone. For believers, it encourages reliance on divine insight rather than human cunning or manipulation. For those who might be straying, it's a sobering warning: attempting to navigate life or achieve goals apart from God's principles can lead to profound disorientation and the collapse of even well-laid plans. Seeking God's light, found in His Word and through prayer, is essential to avoid stumbling and to walk with clarity and purpose, even amidst life's complexities.

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.

  • Job 12:25

    They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like [a] drunken [man].

  • Deuteronomy 28:29

    And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save [thee].

  • Isaiah 59:10

    We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if [we had] no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; [we are] in desolate places as dead [men].

  • Proverbs 4:19

    The way of the wicked [is] as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

  • Amos 8:9

    And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

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