Job — Chapter 4
Loading ESV text...
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
2“If one ventures a word with you, will you be wearied? Yet who can keep from speaking?
3Surely you have instructed many, and have strengthened their feeble hands.
4Your words have steadied those who stumbled; you have braced the knees that were buckling.
5But now trouble has come upon you, and you are weary. It strikes you, and you are dismayed.
6Is your reverence not your confidence, and the uprightness of your ways your hope?
7Consider now, I plead: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Or where have the upright been destroyed?
8As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.
9By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of His anger they are consumed.
10The lion may roar, and the fierce lion may growl, yet the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12Now a word came to me secretly; my ears caught a whisper of it.
13In disquieting visions in the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
14fear and trembling came over me and made all my bones shudder.
15Then a spirit glided past my face, and the hair on my body bristled.
16It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance; a form loomed before my eyes, and I heard a whispering voice:
17‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God, or a man more pure than his Maker?
18If God puts no trust in His servants, and He charges His angels with error,
19how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed like a moth!
20They are smashed to pieces from dawn to dusk; unnoticed, they perish forever.
21Are not their tent cords pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?
3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
5But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
7Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?
8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
9By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.
12Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
13In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,
14Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
15Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
16It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
17Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
18Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
19How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
20They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
21Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.
1Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?
3Behold, thou hast instructed many, And thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, And thou hast made firm the feeble knees.
5But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest; It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6Is not thy fear [of God] thy confidence, [And] the integrity of thy ways thy hope?
7Remember, I pray thee, who [ever] perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?
8According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, And sow trouble, reap the same.
9By the breath of God they perish, And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.
10The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad.
12Now a thing was secretly brought to me, And mine ear received a whisper thereof.
13In thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falleth on men,
14Fear came upon me, and trembling, Which made all my bones to shake.
15Then a spirit passed before my face; The hair of my flesh stood up.
16It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; A form was before mine eyes: [There was] silence, and I heard a voice, [saying],
17Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?
18Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants; And his angels he chargeth with folly:
19How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!
20Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed: They perish for ever without any regarding it.
21Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom.
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2“If someone should attempt a word with you, will you be impatient? But who can refrain from speaking?
3Look, you have instructed many; you have strengthened feeble hands.
4Your words have supported those who stumbled, and you have strengthened the knees that gave way.
5But now the same thing comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are terrified.
6Is not your piety your confidence, and your blameless ways your hope?
7Call to mind now: Who, being innocent, ever perished? And where were upright people ever destroyed?
8Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.
9By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger they are consumed.
10There is the roaring of the lion and the growling of the young lion, but the teeth of the young lions are broken.
11The mighty lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
12“Now a word was stealthily brought to me, and my ear caught a whisper of it.
13In the troubling thoughts of the dreams in the night when a deep sleep falls on men,
14dread gripped me and trembling, which made all my bones shake.
15Then a breath of air passes by my face; it makes the hair of my flesh stand up.
16It stands still, but I cannot recognize its appearance; an image is before my eyes, and I hear a murmuring voice:
17‘Is a mortal man righteous before God? Or a man pure before his Creator?
18If God puts no trust in his servants and attributes folly to his angels,
19how much more to those who live in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like a moth?
20They are destroyed between morning and evening; they perish forever without anyone regarding it.
21Is not their excess wealth taken away from them? They die, yet without attaining wisdom.’
1Then 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 firm the feeble knees.
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, whoever 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.’
Summary
Eliphaz the Temanite offers the first response to Job's outburst, gently noting that Job has strengthened many others in their troubles but now grows impatient and terrified when trouble touches him personally (vv. 1-5). He appeals to Job's own reputation for godliness as reason for confidence, insisting from experience that the innocent are never truly destroyed and that those who sow trouble reap what they plant (vv. 6-11). Eliphaz then recounts a terrifying night vision in which a spirit passed before him and a voice asked whether any mortal can be righteous before God, since even his angels are charged with error (vv. 12-18). He concludes that human beings, who live in fragile houses of clay, are crushed like moths and perish without gaining wisdom, implying Job's suffering points to hidden sin (vv. 19-21).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes that Eliphaz begins well — acknowledging Job's past faithfulness — but quickly moves to the wrong conclusion. His question "who ever perished, being innocent?" (v.7) sounds compassionate but is actually an accusation disguised as a question. Guzik observes that the night vision (vv.12-16) is genuinely eerie and may not be from God at all — its theology, while partially true, leads to a condemning conclusion rather than a merciful one. True revelation from God leads to hope; this vision leads only to despair about human unworthiness.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the speech from the whirlwind, and why it answers Job the way it does.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Job -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- A "Comforter" Who Blames Isn't Comforting (vv.5-7) — Eliphaz reminds Job of the encouragement he once gave others, then uses it to imply Job should simply take his own advice. When you're with someone in pain, are you offering comfort or quietly scoring a point?
- Personal Experience Isn't the Final Word (v.8) — Eliphaz builds his whole argument on what he has personally "seen," as though his observation covers every case. Where might you be treating your own limited experience as though it explains everything?
- Not Every Spiritual Experience Deserves Trust (vv.12-16) — Eliphaz's terrifying night vision leads him toward condemnation rather than hope. When you sense something spiritual is happening, do you test it against what you know of God's character, or accept it uncritically?
- Human Frailty Should Lead to Humility, Not Despair (v.19) — The vision's claim that we are fragile "houses of clay" is true, yet Eliphaz turns it into an accusation instead of an invitation to grace. Does recognizing your own weakness draw you toward dependence on God, or toward shame?