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Commentary on Job 5 verses 1–5
A very warm dispute being begun between Job and his friends, Eliphaz here makes a fair motion to put the matter to a reference. In all debates perhaps the sooner this is done the better if the contenders cannot end it between themselves. So well assured is Eliphaz of the goodness of his own cause that he moves Job himself to choose the arbitrators (Job 5:1): Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; that is, 1. "If there be any that suffer as thou sufferest. Canst thou produce an instance of any one that was really a saint that was reduced to such an extremity as thou art now reduced to? God never dealt with any that love his name as he deals with thee, and therefore surely thou art none of them." 2. "If there be any that say as thou sayest. Did ever any good man curse his day as thou dost? Or will any of the saints justify thee in these heats or passions, or say that these are the spots of God's children? Thou wilt find none of the saints that will be either thy advocates or my antagonists. To which of the saints wilt thou turn? Turn to which thou wilt, and thou wilt find they are all of my mind. I have the communis sensus fidelium - the unanimous vote of the faithful on my side; they will all subscribe to what I am going to say." Observe, (1.) Good people are called saints even in the Old Testament; and therefore I know not why we should, in common speaking (unless because we must loqui cum vulgo - speak as our neighbours), appropriate the title to those of the New Testament, and not say St. Abraham, St. Moses, and St. Isaiah, as well as St. Matthew and St. Mark; and St. David the psalmist, as well as St. David the British bishop. Aaron is expressly called the saint of the Lord. (2.) All that are themselves saints will turn to those that are so, will choose them for their friends and converse with them, will choose them for their judges and consult them. See Psa 119:79. The saints shall judge the world, Co1 6:1, Co1 6:2. Walk in the way of good men (Pro 2:20), the old way, the footsteps of the flock. Every one chooses some sort of people or other to whom he studies to recommend himself, and whose sentiments are to him the test of honour and dishonour. Now all true saints endeavour to recommend themselves to those that are such, and to stand right in their opinion. (3.) There are some truths so plain, and so universally known and believed, that one may venture to appeal to any of the saints concerning them. However there are some things about which they unhappily differ, there are many more, and more considerable, in which they are agreed; as the evil of sin, the vanity of the world, the worth of the soul, the necessity of a holy life, and the like. Though they do not all live up, as they should, to their belief of these truths, yet they are all ready to bear their testimony to them.
Now there are two things which Eliphaz here maintains, and in which he doubts not but all the saints concur with him: -
I. That the sin of sinners directly tends to their own ruin (Job 5:2): Wrath kills the foolish man, his own wrath, and therefore he is foolish for indulging it; it is a fire in his bones, in his blood, enough to put him into a fever. Envy is the rottenness of the bones, and so slays the silly one that frets himself with it. "So it is with thee," says Eliphaz, "while thou quarrellest with God thou doest thyself the greatest mischief; thy anger at thy own troubles, and thy envy at our prosperity, do but add to thy pain and misery: turn to the saints, and thou wilt find they understand their interest better." Job had told his wife she spoke as the foolish women; now Eliphaz tells him he acted as the foolish men, the silly ones. Or it may be meant thus: "If men are ruined and undone, it is always their own folly that ruins and undoes them. They kill themselves by some lust or other; therefore, no doubt, Job, thou hast done some foolish thing, by which thou hast brought thyself into this calamitous condition." Many understand it of God's wrath and jealousy. Job needed not be uneasy at the prosperity of the wicked, for the world's smiles can never shelter them from God's frowns; they are foolish and silly if they think they will. God's anger will be the death, the eternal death, of those on whom it fastens. What is hell but God's anger without mixture or period?
II. That their prosperity is short and their destruction certain, Job 5:3-5. He seems here to parallel Job's case with that which is commonly the case of wicked people. 1. Job had prospered for a time, seemed confirmed, and was secure in his prosperity; and it is common for foolish wicked men to do so: I have seen them taking root - planted, and, in their own and others' apprehension, fixed, and likely to continue. See Jer 12:2; Psa 37:35, Psa 37:36. We see worldly men taking root in the earth; on earthly things they fix the standing of their hopes, and from them they draw the sap of their comforts. The outward estate may be flourishing, but the soul cannot prosper that takes root in the earth. 2. Job's prosperity was now at an end, and so has the prosperity of other wicked people quickly been. (1.) Eliphaz foresaw their ruin with an eye of faith. Those who looked only at present things blessed their habitation, and thought them happy, blessed it long, and wished themselves in their condition. But Eliphaz cursed it, suddenly cursed it, as soon as he saw them begin to take root, that is, he plainly foresaw and foretold their ruin; not that he prayed for it (I have not desired the woeful day), but he prognosticated it. He went into the sanctuary, and there understood their end and heard their doom read (Psa 73:17, Psa 73:18), that the prosperity of fools will destroy them, Pro 1:32. Those who believe the word of God can see a curse in the house of the wicked (Pro 3:33), though it be ever so finely and firmly built, and ever so full of all good things; and they can foresee that the curse will, in time, infallibly consume it with the timber thereof, and the stones thereof, Zac 5:4. (2.) He saw, at length, what he had foreseen. He was not disappointed in his expectation concerning him; the event answered it; his family was undone, and his estate ruined. In these particulars he plainly and very invidiously reflects on Job's calamities. [1.] His children were crushed, Job 5:4. They thought themselves safe in their eldest brother's house, but were far from safety, for they were crushed in the gate. Perhaps the door or gate of the house was highest built, and fell heaviest upon them, and there was none to deliver them from perishing in the ruins. This is commonly understood of the destruction of the families of wicked men, by the execution of justice upon them, to oblige them to restore what they have ill-gotten. They leave it to their children; but the descent shall not bar the entry of the rightful owners, who will crush their children, and cast them by due course of law (and there shall be none to help them), or perhaps by oppression, Psa 109:9, etc. [2.] His estate was plundered, Job 5:5. Job's was so. The hungry robbers, the Sabeans and Chaldeans, ran away with it, and swallowed it; and this, says he, I have often observed in others. What has been got by spoil and rapine has been lost in the same way. The careful owner hedged it about with thorns, and then thought it safe; but the fence proved insignificant against the greediness of the spoilers (if hunger will break through the stone walls, much more through thorn hedges), and against the divine curse, which will go through the thorns and briers, and burn them together, Isa 27:4.
Notice how Eliphaz anticipates possible objections. “Do not say to me, ‘Often they also had children.’ Yes, but never for a long time.” Since it made good sense to ask, “If Job was a sinner, how had he come to possess such great wealth?” Eliphaz responds, “I have seen fools taking root.” You see that by fool he means the sinner. It is typical of the divine economy not to destroy sinners immediately. Rather, God grants them a delay so that they may repent, or so that others not be forced to act in a righteous manner.
7. ‘The foolish’ is as it were made fast in the earth by ‘taking root,’ in that he is fixed in the love of earth with all his heart's desire. And hence Cain is recorded to have been the first that builded a city in the earth, that it might be plainly shown, that that same man laid a foundation in the earth, who was turned adrift from the firm hold of our heavenly country. The foolish man as it were lifts himself up by ‘taking root,’ when he is buoyed up in this world with temporal good fortune, so that he obtains whatsoever he desires, is subject to no crosses, prevails against the weak without meeting with resistance, gainsays those that do well with authority, is ever attaining to better circumstances by means of worse practices, so that from the very cause that he is forsaking the path of life, he lives for the time the happier. But when the weak see that the wicked flourish, they are alarmed, and being troubled in their own breasts by the prosperity of sinners, they inwardly falter in the mind's footsteps. It was the likeness of these same that the Psalmist took when he declared, But as for me, my feet were almost gone, my step, had well nigh slipped; for I was envious at the sinner, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. [Ps. 73, 2. 3.]
8. But when the strong see their glory, they forthwith fix their minds upon the punishment which is to follow after that glory, and with deep thought of heart within they contemn that, which swells the proud without with the bigness of empty inflation. It is then well said, I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his beauty. For to ‘curse the beauty’ of the fool is to condemn his glory by an advised sentence, for he is the more frightfully drowned in torments, the higher he is lifted up in sins; for the being lifted up is transient, but the being punished is perpetual; for he, that meets with honour on his road, will meet with condemnation on his arrival; and he is as it were coming to a prison through pleasant meadows, who is going on to ruin through this world's prosperity. But it is to be observed, that, when he says that he ‘cursed the beauty of the fool,’ he directly adds, suddenly; for it is the way with man's weak mind to vary according to the modification of the objects which it beholds. Thus it often happens that his judgment is led by the mere appearance of the object presented, and his bias and feeling are framed according to the thing which is before his eyes. For often persons, while they see the glory of certain individuals, are charmed with the appearances thereof, and account it something great, and heartily wish they might themselves obtain the like; but when they see the children of glory severally either overthrown of a sudden, or perchance even brought to death, they acknowledge with a sigh that human glory is altogether nought, so as to exclaim at once, ‘See what a nothing is man!’ Which indeed they would say with more propriety, if when they saw man in possession of glory, then thinking of his destruction, they had felt that transitory power is nought. For it is then that we are to reflect what a nothing human exaltation is, when by its successes it mounts above others; then we ought to reflect with what speed happiness will flee away, when it flourishes, as if for ever, before the eyes of men. For that the glory of a perishable being is nothing in the actual hour of death, any of the weak sort can presently consider. For then even they hold it cheap, who even until death follow after it with affection. So that it is well said, I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his beauty. As if he said plainly; ‘Against the beauty of the foolish I admitted no delay in my cursing, for as soon as I discerned it, I saw along with it the punishment that comes after; for I should not have cursed suddenly, if any delight in that glory had kept hold of me, but I cursed without tardiness, for beholding his punishments which are destined to endure, I condemned his power without hesitating.’ But because in every case the more the wicked make way in this world, the greater numbers they drag to destruction, it is rightly subjoined, Let his children be [al. his children shall be] far from safety. For the children of the foolish one are they, that after his copy are brought forth in this world's ambition; who truly are so much the further from safety, in proportion as in the practice of iniquity they are stricken by no infirmity.
3. For the Jewish people showed itself to be ‘foolish,’ in that it slightly regarded the very Presence of Eternal Wisdom in the flesh. And it waxed strong, as it were, by taking root, in that it had power over the life of the Elect to the extinction thereof in time. And Eliphaz despises such an one, cursing him, in that all heretics, whom we have said the friends of blessed Job bear a figure of, while they boast themselves in the name of Christ, censure in a way of authority the unbelief of the Jews.
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SUMMARY
Job 5:3 encapsulates Eliphaz the Temanite's foundational argument in his initial response to Job's profound lament, articulating a rigid traditional retribution theology. Eliphaz asserts a personal observation: he has witnessed the temporary prosperity and apparent establishment of those he deems "foolish"—individuals characterized by moral wickedness and a lack of spiritual discernment—only for their seemingly secure foundation and entire sphere of influence to be abruptly and decisively brought to ruin through an undeniable divine curse. This verse serves as a crucial premise for Eliphaz's subsequent counsel, subtly implying that Job's catastrophic suffering is a direct, albeit perhaps hidden, consequence of his own iniquity, aligning with the conventional wisdom of his era regarding God's immediate and direct justice.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 5:3 is rich with literary techniques that amplify its impact and powerfully convey Eliphaz's theological viewpoint. The most prominent is Metaphor, specifically the vivid agricultural image of the "foolish taking root." This imagery vividly portrays the apparent establishment, stability, and prosperity of the wicked, making their subsequent, abrupt downfall even more striking and ironic. The phrase "cursed his habitation" also functions as a form of Synecdoche or Merism, where "habitation" (the home) stands for the entirety of one's life, family, possessions, and legacy, implying a total and comprehensive ruin. The adverb "suddenly" introduces a strong element of Dramatic Irony, as Eliphaz, in his unwavering certainty, pronounces a judgment that he believes is universally applicable to all who suffer, yet it stands in stark and painful contrast to Job's innocent suffering, which is the central Paradox and theological problem the entire book of Job seeks to explore. Eliphaz's speech, including this verse, relies heavily on Didacticism, aiming to instruct Job (and, by extension, the reader) on the supposed predictable workings of divine justice, even though the book's larger narrative ultimately critiques and refines this simplistic, formulaic view of God's sovereignty and justice.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 5:3, though articulated by Eliphaz from a theological premise that the broader narrative of Job ultimately challenges and corrects, nonetheless touches upon profound biblical themes concerning divine justice, the intrinsic nature of true wisdom, and the often-perplexing transient prosperity of the wicked. While Eliphaz rigidly applies a direct retribution principle—that all suffering is an immediate and direct consequence of sin—the Bible elsewhere grapples with the apparent injustice of the wicked flourishing while the righteous endure hardship. This verse highlights the deep-seated human desire to witness immediate divine intervention and justice, a longing frequently and passionately expressed by the psalmists. However, the book of Job itself serves as a profound counter-narrative, challenging the simplistic cause-and-effect understanding of suffering and divine action. Ultimately, it points to a more complex, sovereign, and often mysterious working of God's justice that transcends human comprehension and neat theological formulas, inviting a deeper trust in God's character even when His ways are inscrutable.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Eliphaz's observation in Job 5:3, while leading him to an ultimately incorrect and insensitive conclusion regarding Job's suffering, offers valuable and enduring points for reflection on our own understanding of justice, prosperity, and the complexities of human suffering. Firstly, it serves as a powerful and necessary caution against hasty judgment. We must exercise profound humility and discernment, being wary of quickly attributing suffering to specific, identifiable sin, for God's ways are infinitely more complex and multifaceted than simple retribution. The book of Job profoundly reminds us that suffering can serve myriad purposes—testing and refining faith, cultivating character, revealing God's glory, or even serving as a mysterious part of a larger divine plan—far beyond being a mere direct punishment. Secondly, while the wicked may indeed appear to "take root" and prosper for a season, this verse, when viewed through the broader, redemptive lens of Scripture, powerfully reminds us that their success is often temporary, superficial, and ultimately fleeting. Believers can find profound solace and steadfast hope in the assurance that God is ultimately just and will set all things right in His perfect timing, even if we do not witness immediate manifestations of His justice in the present. Finally, the stark distinction between the "foolish" (those who reject God's wisdom) and the truly wise challenges us to diligently pursue genuine wisdom, which is profoundly rooted in the fear of the Lord and faithful obedience to His commands, rather than relying on worldly success, fleeting prosperity, or a superficial, formulaic understanding of God's intricate ways.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of Eliphaz's personal observation, "I have seen," in this verse?
Answer: Eliphaz's opening with "I have seen" (KJV) or "I myself have seen" (NIV/ESV) is a powerful rhetorical device that lends an air of personal authority, empirical evidence, and undeniable truth to his argument. He is presenting his theological framework not as abstract theory or mere speculation, but as a truth borne out by his own direct experience and acute observation of the world. This strategy aims to persuade Job by appealing to what Eliphaz believes is an undeniable reality—that the wicked do indeed suffer sudden and decisive reversals of fortune. By stating this as a universal principle, he subtly but firmly implies that Job's profound suffering must inevitably fit this observed pattern, thereby urging Job to acknowledge his presumed sin.
How does the concept of "cursed his habitation" relate to ancient Near Eastern views of prosperity and judgment?
Answer: In the ancient Near East, a person's "habitation" (encompassing their home, family, property, and entire legacy) was absolutely central to their identity, social standing, and overall well-being. Prosperity, a flourishing household, and numerous descendants were widely understood as tangible signs of divine blessing and favor, indicative of a righteous life. Conversely, a curse on one's habitation signified total ruin, divine judgment, and profound displeasure. This included the devastating loss of wealth, the tragic death of children, the destruction of property, and, most critically, the obliteration of one's name and legacy within the community. Eliphaz's statement precisely reflects this deep-seated cultural understanding that God's justice extends to every facet of a person's life, bringing complete and utter desolation to the "foolish" as an unmistakable sign of their offense against divine order and moral law.
How does Job 5:3, and Eliphaz's overall argument, contribute to the central theological tension of the book of Job?
Answer: Job 5:3 perfectly encapsulates the rigid, formulaic retribution theology held by Job's friends: that suffering is invariably a direct consequence of sin, and prosperity is an exclusive sign of righteousness. This unwavering belief forms the primary theological tension and dramatic conflict of the entire book, as Job, a man explicitly described by God Himself as "blameless and upright" (Job 1:1), suffers immensely and inexplicably without any apparent cause. The book of Job ultimately and profoundly challenges this simplistic, deterministic view, demonstrating that God's ways are far more complex, mysterious, and sovereign than human wisdom can comprehend. It reveals that suffering can serve purposes beyond immediate punishment, such as testing faith, refining character, or revealing God's glory. Eliphaz's argument, though perhaps well-intentioned, ultimately proves inadequate and even cruel in explaining Job's unique situation, highlighting the severe limitations of human wisdom in fully comprehending divine sovereignty and justice, a point God Himself underscores when He later rebukes the friends for their erroneous counsel in Job 42:7.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Eliphaz's words in Job 5:3 reflect a flawed and incomplete understanding of suffering and divine justice, they inadvertently set the stage for a profound Christ-centered fulfillment. The "foolish" who "take root" in this world, seeking security, prosperity, and a lasting legacy apart from God, are indeed destined to face a "sudden" curse and ultimate judgment. This foreshadows the inevitable and just judgment against sin and all those who persistently reject God's ultimate wisdom. However, the true "foolishness" in the biblical sense is to reject the wisdom of God incarnate, Jesus Christ, who is paradoxically described by the Apostle Paul as both the "power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). While the world considered the crucifixion of Christ to be utter "foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:18), it was precisely through this ultimate act of innocent suffering that the curse upon humanity's "habitation"—our very existence marred and condemned by sin—was decisively broken. Jesus, the perfectly righteous one, willingly took upon Himself the full weight of the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13), enduring the ultimate "curse on his habitation" (the agonizing separation from God on the cross) so that all who believe in Him might be eternally blessed and find their true, secure, and everlasting "habitation" and rest in Him (John 14:2-3). Thus, the transient and ultimately doomed prosperity of the wicked gives way to the eternal security and abundant life found only in Christ, who, though innocent, suffered the ultimate curse to bring about ultimate salvation and a permanent dwelling place with God.