Job 4
World English Bible
WEB1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, 2“If someone ventures to talk with you, will you be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking? 3Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands. 4Your words have supported him who was falling, you have made the feeble knees firm. 5But now it has come to you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled. 6Isn’t your piety your confidence? Isn’t the integrity of your ways your hope? 7“Remember, now, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off? 8According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble, reap the same. 9By the breath of God they perish. By the blast of his anger are they consumed. 10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad. 12“Now a thing was secretly brought to me. My ear received a whisper of it. 13In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, 14fear came on me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. 15Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my flesh stood up. 16It stood still, but I couldn’t discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes. Silence, then I heard a voice, saying, 17‘Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? 18Behold, he puts no trust in his servants. He charges his angels with error. 19How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth! 20Between morning and evening they are destroyed. They perish forever without any regarding it. 21Isn’t their tent cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.’
World English Bible, 2020 stable text edition. Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org. eBible.org
Overview
Job Chapter 4 introduces us to the first of Job's friends, #Eliphaz the Temanite, who responds to Job's lamentations over his suffering. Eliphaz begins by expressing his concern for Job, suggesting that he has observed Job's past wisdom and strength in comforting others. He implies that Job, who has helped many, should not be overwhelmed by his own troubles. Eliphaz's words reflect a common belief in the principle of retribution, where suffering is seen as a direct consequence of sin. He questions Job, asking, "Who, being innocent, has ever perished?" (Job 4:7), indicating that Job's afflictions must stem from some wrongdoing on his part. This perspective sets the stage for the theological debate that unfolds throughout the book, as Job grapples with the nature of suffering and divine justice.
Eliphaz then recounts a mystical experience he had, where a spirit spoke to him in a dream, reinforcing his belief that humans are inherently flawed and cannot be justified before God. He states, "If God places no trust in his angels, if he charges his angels with error, how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust!" (Job 4:18-19). This imagery emphasizes human frailty and the need for humility before the Almighty. Eliphaz's speech, while intended to comfort, ultimately adds to Job's distress, as it fails to acknowledge the depth of Job's innocence and the complexity of his suffering. This chapter highlights the tension between human understanding of justice and the mysterious ways of God, a theme that resonates throughout the entire book of Job.
Topics in this chapter
- Suffering
- Discernment
- Divine Justice
- Eliphaz
- Justice
- Retributive Justice
- Wisdom
- Angels
- Consequences
- Counsel
- Dependence on God
- Faith
- Grace
- Human Nature
- Job
- Retribution
- Sin
- Strength
- Temanite
- Compassion
- Criticism
- Divine Communication
- Divine Grace
- Divine Insight
- Divine Judgment
- Divine Messengers
- Divine Power
- Divine Righteousness
- Divine Sovereignty
- Edom
- Empathy
- Enosh
- Fear
- Frailty
- Godly Advice
- Guidance in the Bible
- Holiness
- Human Frailty
- Human Imperfection
- Humility
- Integrity
- Job 4
- Lion
- Malachi
- Mortality
- Night Vision
- Philosophy
- Revelation
- Reverence
- Righteousness
- Ruach
- Sovereignty of God
- Sowing and Reaping
- Spirit of God
- Spiritual Warfare
- Support
- Teman
- Theodicy
- Trust
- Vigilance
- Whisper
- Wisdom Literature
Related chapters
- Job 15TemaniteTemanRetributive Justice
- Job 22TemaniteTemanRetributive Justice
- Job 2TemanEliphazEmpathy
- Job 5TemanEliphazLion
- Job 6TemanEliphazHuman Frailty
- Romans 3Human Nature
- Job 8CriticismRetributive JusticeHuman Frailty
- Job 18Retributive JusticeEmpathyMortality
- Job 21PhilosophyTheodicyEmpathy
- Job 32EliphazDivine InsightCounsel
- Job 25Human FrailtyJobDivine Power
- Job 1JobSpiritual Warfare
Your study
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