Job 15
Job 15 is the section where Eliphaz speaks to Job for a second time. He still suspects that Job’s suffering is connected to Job’s own sin, and he criticizes Job’s words. This chapter can be divided broadly into Eliphaz’s warning (verses 1–6), the portion that emphasizes humanity’s sinfulness while condemning Job’s words (verses 7–16), and the warning about the fate of the wicked (verses 17–35).
1verseThen Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2verse“Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
3verseShould he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
4verseYes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
5verseFor your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the language of the crafty.
6verseYour own mouth condemns you, and not I. Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7verse“Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought out before the hills?
8verseHave you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9verseWhat do you know that we don’t know? What do you understand which is not in us?
10verseWith us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much older than your father.
11verseAre the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
12verseWhy does your heart carry you away? Why do your eyes flash,
13versethat you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
14verseWhat is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
15verseBehold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight;
16versehow much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
17verse“I will show you, listen to me; that which I have seen I will declare
18verse(which wise men have told by their fathers, and have not hidden it;
19verseto whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them):
20versethe wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
21verseA sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer will come on him.
22verseHe doesn’t believe that he will return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword.
23verseHe wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24verseDistress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25verseBecause he has stretched out his hand against God, and behaves himself proudly against the Almighty,
26versehe runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers,
27versebecause he has covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat on his thighs.
28verseHe has lived in desolate cities, in houses which no one inhabited, which were ready to become heaps.
29verseHe will not be rich, neither will his substance continue, neither will their possessions be extended on the earth.
30verseHe will not depart out of darkness. The flame will dry up his branches. He will go away by the breath of God’s mouth.
31verseLet him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his reward.
32verseIt will be accomplished before his time. His branch will not be green.
33verseHe will shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and will cast off his flower as the olive tree.
34verseFor the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of bribery.
35verseThey conceive mischief and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
Summary of the Main Points
- Eliphaz’s rebuke (verses 1–6): Eliphaz criticizes Job for making excuses without wisdom. He says Job’s words lack discernment and that Job has moved away from fearing God.
- Human limitations and sinfulness (verses 7–16): Eliphaz rebukes Job as if he were speaking as though he were the wisest in the world. He emphasizes that no human is clean before God, and that every person has limitations and sin.
- The destruction of the wicked (verses 17–35): Based on traditional wisdom, Eliphaz warns that the wicked will ultimately live in pain and fear, and that their wealth and descendants will not be preserved.
The Meaning of the Whole Chapter and Reflection
Job 15 shows a traditional view of human suffering and sin. Even though suffering is not necessarily the result of sin, Eliphaz interprets Job’s anguish as the outcome of a moral failure. In this process, the limits of Eliphaz are revealed—that a person’s suffering cannot be understood only according to the simple principle of cause and effect. We can also learn not to judge too easily in the face of others’ pain, but to recognize the need for understanding and empathy.
Points for Reflection
- When we look at people who are suffering, we reflect on whether an attitude is needed that does not easily condemn or judge them, but instead considers what is in their hearts.
- We can also think about whether we ourselves are interpreting the causes of suffering in a simple way and making ourselves—or others—more difficult.
Try Applying It to Yourself
When I see the hardships of people around me, I reflect on what attitude I have been taking toward them. In the face of suffering, instead of applying only my own standards of right and wrong, I decide to practice living in humility before God—reflecting on these things—and approaching others with comfort and understanding.
