151 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 2 Should a wise man utter vain [1] knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? 4 Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God. 5 For thy mouth uttereth [2] thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. 6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee. 7 Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? 8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? 9 What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us? 10 With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father. 11 Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee? 12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at, 13 That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? 14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. 16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17 I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare; 18 Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it: 19 Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them. 20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor. 21 A dreadful [3] sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
151 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 2 "Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind? 3 Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? 4 But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. 5 Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. 6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. 7 "Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? 8 Do you listen in on God's council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? 9 What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have? 10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father. 11 Are God's consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? 12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, 13 so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth? 14 "What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous? 15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, 16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water!
17 "Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen, 18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors 19 (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them): 20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him. 21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him.
151 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2 "Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind? 3 Should he argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which he can do no good? 4 But you are doing away with the fear of God
17 "I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare 18 (what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, 19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them). 20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. 21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
151 Eliphaz of Teman spoke a second time: 2 "If you were truly wise, would you sound so much like a windbag, belching hot air? 3 Would you talk nonsense in the middle of a serious argument, babbling baloney? 4 Look at you! You trivialize religion, turn spiritual conversation into empty gossip. 5 It's your sin that taught you to talk this way. You chose an education in fraud. 6 Your own words have exposed your guilt. It's nothing I've said - you've incriminated yourself! 7 Do you think you're the first person to have to deal with these things? Have you been around as long as the hills? 8 Were you listening in when God planned all this? Do you think you're the only one who knows anything? 9 What do you know that we don't know? What insights do you have that we've missed? 10 Gray beards and white hair back us up - old folks who've been around a lot longer than you. 11 Are God's promises not enough for you, spoken so gently and tenderly? 12 Why do you let your emotions take over, lashing out and spitting fire, 13 Pitting your whole being against God by letting words like this come out of your mouth? 14 Do you think it's possible for any mere mortal to be sinless in God's sight, for anyone born of a human mother to get it all together? 15 Why, God can't even trust his holy angels. He sees the flaws in the very heavens themselves, 16 So how much less we humans, smelly and foul, who lap up evil like water?
17 "I've a thing or two to tell you, so listen up! I'm letting you in on my views; 18 It's what wise men and women have always taught, holding nothing back from what they were taught 19 By their parents, back in the days when they had this land all to themselves: 20 Those who live by their own rules, not God's, can expect nothing but trouble, and the longer they live, the worse it gets. 21 Every little sound terrifies them. Just when they think they have it made, disaster strikes.
151 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2 "Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good? 4 Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God. 5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty. 6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you. 7 "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills? 8 Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? 9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us? 10 Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Much older than your father. 11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gently with you? 12 Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at, 13 That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth? 14 "What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? 15 If God puts no trust in His saints, And the heavens are not pure in His sight, 16 How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water!
17 "I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare, 18 What wise men have told, Not hiding anything received from their fathers, 19 To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them: 20 The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor. 21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
151 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 2 "A wise man wouldn't answer with such empty talk! You are nothing but a windbag. 3 The wise don't engage in empty chatter. What good are such words? 4 Have you no fear of God, no reverence for him? 5 Your sins are telling your mouth what to say. Your words are based on clever deception. 6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I. Your own lips testify against you. 7 "Were you the first person ever born? Were you born before the hills were made? 8 Were you listening at God's secret council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? 9 What do you know that we don't? What do you understand that we do not? 10 On our side are aged, gray-haired men much older than your father! 11 "Is God's comfort too little for you? Is his gentle word not enough? 12 What has taken away your reason? What has weakened your vision, 13 that you turn against God and say all these evil things? 14 Can any mortal be pure? Can anyone born of a woman be just? 15 Look, God does not even trust the angels. Even the heavens are not absolutely pure in his sight. 16 How much less pure is a corrupt and sinful person with a thirst for wickedness!
17 "If you will listen, I will show you. I will answer you from my own experience. 18 And it is confirmed by the reports of wise men who have heard the same thing from their fathers- 19 from those to whom the land was given long before any foreigners arrived. 20 "The wicked writhe in pain throughout their lives. Years of trouble are stored up for the ruthless. 21 The sound of terror rings in their ears, and even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 15:1-21
Commentary on Job 15:1-16
(Read Job 15:1-16)
Eliphaz begins a second attack upon Job, instead of being softened by his complaints. He unjustly charges Job with casting off the fear of God, and all regard to him, and restraining prayer. See in what religion is summed up, fearing God, and praying to him; the former the most needful principle, the latter the most needful practice. Eliphaz charges Job with self-conceit. He charges him with contempt of the counsels and comforts given him by his friends. We are apt to think that which we ourselves say is important, when others, with reason, think little of it. He charges him with opposition to God. Eliphaz ought not to have put harsh constructions upon the words of one well known for piety, and now in temptation. It is plain that these disputants were deeply convinced of the doctrine of original sin, and the total depravity of human nature. Shall we not admire the patience of God in bearing with us? and still more his love to us in the redemption of Christ Jesus his beloved Son?
Commentary on Job 15:17-35
(Read Job 15:17-35)
Eliphaz maintains that the wicked are certainly miserable: whence he would infer, that the miserable are certainly wicked, and therefore Job was so. But because many of God's people have prospered in this world, it does not therefore follow that those who are crossed and made poor, as Job, are not God's people. Eliphaz shows also that wicked people, particularly oppressors, are subject to continual terror, live very uncomfortably, and perish very miserably. Will the prosperity of presumptuous sinners end miserably as here described? Then let the mischiefs which befal others, be our warnings. Though no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous, nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. No calamity, no trouble, however heavy, however severe, can rob a follower of the Lord of his favour. What shall separate him from the love of Christ?