Job — Chapter 5
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1Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
2For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
3I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
5Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.
6Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
9Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
10Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
11To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
15But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
16So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.
21Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
25Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.
27Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
1Call now; is there any that will answer thee? And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
2For vexation killeth the foolish man, And jealousy slayeth the silly one.
3I have seen the foolish taking root: But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them:
5Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, And taketh it even out of the thorns; And the snare gapeth for their substance.
6For affliction cometh not forth from the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
8But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause;
9Who doeth great things and unsearchable, Marvellous things without number:
10Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth waters upon the fields;
11So that he setteth up on high those that are low, And those that mourn are exalted to safety.
12He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
14They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night.
15But he saveth from the sword of their mouth, Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
16So the poor hath hope, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19He will deliver thee in six troubles; Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20In famine he will redeem thee from death; And in war from the power of the sword.
21Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.
25Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, Like as a shock of grain cometh in in its season.
27Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
1“Call now! Is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2For wrath kills the foolish person, and anger slays the silly one.
3I myself have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his place of residence.
4His children are far from safety, and they are crushed at the place where judgment is rendered, nor is there anyone to deliver them.
5The hungry eat up his harvest, and take it even from behind the thorns, and the thirsty pant for their wealth.
6For evil does not come up from the dust, nor does trouble spring up from the ground,
7but people are born to trouble, as surely as the sparks fly upward.
8“But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would set forth my case.
9He does great and unsearchable things, marvelous things without number;
10he gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields;
11he sets the lowly on high, that those who mourn are raised to safety.
12He frustrates the plans of the crafty so that their hands cannot accomplish what they had planned.
13He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning is brought to a quick end.
14They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope about in the noontime as if it were night.
15So he saves from the sword that comes from their mouth, even the poor from the hand of the powerful.
16Thus the poor have hope, and iniquity shuts its mouth.
17“Therefore, blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
18For he wounds, but he also bandages; he strikes, but his hands also heal.
19He will deliver you from six calamities; yes, in seven no evil will touch you.
20In time of famine he will redeem you from death, and in time of war from the power of the sword.
21You will be protected from malicious gossip and will not be afraid of the destruction when it comes.
22You will laugh at destruction and famine and need not be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23For you will have a pact with the stones of the field, and the wild animals will be at peace with you.
24And you will know that your home will be secure, and when you inspect your domains, you will not be missing anything.
25You will also know that your children will be numerous and your descendants like the grass of the earth.
26You will come to your grave in a full age, As stacks of grain are harvested in their season.
27Look, we have investigated this, so it is true. Hear it, and apply it for your own good.”
1“Call now; is there any who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple.
3I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,
5whose harvest the hungry eats up, and take it even out of the thorns. The snare gapes for their substance.
6For affliction doesn’t come out of the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground;
7but man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8“But as for me, I would seek God. I would commit my cause to God,
9who does great things that can’t be fathomed, marvelous things without number;
10who gives rain on the earth, and sends waters on the fields;
11so that he sets up on high those who are low, those who mourn are exalted to safety.
12He frustrates the plans of the crafty, So that their hands can’t perform their enterprise.
13He takes the wise in their own craftiness; the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
14They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope at noonday as in the night.
15But he saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
16So the poor has hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.
17“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
18For he wounds, and binds up. He injures, and his hands make whole.
19He will deliver you in six troubles; yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.
20In famine he will redeem you from death; in war, from the power of the sword.
21You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.
22At destruction and famine you shall laugh, neither shall you be afraid of the animals of the earth.
23For you shall be allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field shall be at peace with you.
24You shall know that your tent is in peace. You shall visit your fold, and shall miss nothing.
25You shall know also that your offspring shall be great, Your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26You shall come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season.
27Look this, we have searched it, so it is. Hear it, and know it for your good.”
Summary
Eliphaz's first speech continued — counsels Job to seek God and accept His discipline, promising restoration if Job will repent of whatever sin caused his suffering.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik notes the tragic irony: Eliphaz's speech contains much that is true about God — His power, His justice, His care for the lowly, His discipline of those He loves. But truth wrongly applied becomes cruelty. Eliphaz's error is not theological ignorance but pastoral insensitivity. He applies general truths to a specific situation without knowing the facts. God will later condemn not what Eliphaz said about God's attributes, but how he used those truths against a suffering man.
- Charles Spurgeon: "'Man is born unto trouble' — this is true enough, and poor comfort it is for a man who is in the fire. To tell a drowning man that water is wet gives him no help. Eliphaz speaks truth, but truth without love is a weapon, not a balm. Even the statement about divine discipline, beautiful as it is, becomes an accusation when spoken to a man whose suffering has no corrective purpose. Learn this: theology without compassion is brutality with a Bible in its hand."
Reflection
- 1. True statements can be falsely applied (v.17). Eliphaz's theology of divine discipline is biblical — but not every suffering person is being disciplined for sin. Before you explain someone's pain as "God teaching them a lesson," make sure you actually know that's what's happening. The damage done by misapplied truth is immense.
- 2. "Man is born unto trouble" is not the whole story (v.7). Yes, suffering is universal. But that does not mean it is meaningless or that we should accept it passively. Job's refusal to accept Eliphaz's neat explanation is ultimately vindicated by God. You have permission to push back against simplistic answers.
- 3. The limits of researched certainty (v.27). "We have searched it, so it is." Some things cannot be resolved by research, tradition, or human wisdom. God's ways are higher than our ways. Hold your theological systems loosely enough to make room for mystery.
- 4. Good counsel requires good timing (vv.17-18). "God wounds and binds up" is beautiful theology — in the right moment. But to a man covered in boils who has just lost everything, it can sound like mockery. Wisdom means knowing not just what to say, but when to say it — and when silence is better.
- 5. Restoration promises are real but not formulaic (vv.19-26). God does deliver, restore, and bless. But He does it on His timeline and in His way — not according to our formulas. Job will eventually be restored (ch. 42), but not because he followed Eliphaz's recipe. He is restored because God is gracious, not because Job earned it.