Job
Chapter 4
FIRST SPEECH SESSION
Eliphaz’s First Speech
Eliphaz the Temanite spoke next:
Shall we speak? Do you mind? For who could remain silent?
Remember how you have taught many others, how you have strengthened their feeble hands.
Your words have supported those who wavered, have steadied the knees that faltered.
But when your turn comes, you feel discouraged; as soon as you are struck, you become dismayed.
Should you not rely on your piety, and find assurance in your integrity?
Have you ever seen a guiltless man perish, or an upright person removed?
In my view, those who cultivate evil or those who spread trouble face the same consequences.
By the breath of God they are swept away; by the blast of his wrath, they are destroyed.
The lion may roar and growl; it will fall, the teeth of its cubs will be broken.
The lion will perish without prey, and its offspring will go astray.
I had a secret revelation; a whisper of it reached my ear.
Amid thoughts from night visions, when people are heavily wrapped in slumber,
I was overwhelmed with fear and trembling that shook me to my core.
A spirit brushed across my face, and the hair on my body stood on end.
It stopped and stood before my eyes, but I could not tell what it was. Silence… and then—a voice was heard:
“Can a mortal be just in the eyes of God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?
If God can place no trust in his servants, if he can charge his angels with error,
how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed as easily as moths!
Between dawn and dusk, they perish, and unheeded, vanish forever.
Their tent has been unpegged and they died without knowing why.
Commentaries
First Speech Session.
Appalled by Job’s laments and his repeated “whys,” the three friends break their wise silence and feel urged to reply. The speeches are divided into three sessions: 4:1-14:22, 15:1-21:34, and 22:1-27:23. In the first two, each friend speaks, and Job responds extensively. The third session seems somewhat disorganized, likely due to confusion in the text.
Eliphaz’s First Speech.
Eliphaz starts in a polite tone. In typical wise style, he appeals to his experience and reflects on it (4:7-8; 5:27), but, oddly, he also references a special revelation he received at night (4:13-21). Throughout his speech, he emphasizes four main points: 1. Who is the innocent one that dies? It is the wicked who suffer (4:7). 2. What human can stand before the Creator without fault? (4:17-21; cf. 11:11; 15:14-16; 25:4). 3. Human beings cause their own misfortune (5:7). 4. Suffering can be a correction from God, like a good father’s discipline (5:17); faithfulness to God leads to an abundant life (5:23-26). Eliphaz concludes his speech with a strong call to experience (5:27). Sadly, Job does not heed this call.