A verse by verse commentary on Job 5 dealing with Eliphaz going on with his speech to Job in trying to get him to repent.

1. JOB 5 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
1 “Call if you will, but who will answer you?
To which of the holy ones will you turn?
You can try calling to some supernatural beings if you wish, but you need to face the
fact that even they cannot help you escape the law of reaping what you sow. There is
no way out Job. You need to confess your hidden sin and get right with God to have
any hope of escape. There is no spiritual being who is going to risk helping you and
going aginst God and his laws for life. What holy being in heaven or on earth is
going to come to your aid and defend you. What holy being in all of history is going
to stand by your side and thereby agree with you that what you have suffered is not
the result of sin. o righteous being in all of history has ever suffered such obvious
judgment of God, and so why would any of them respond with an offer to stand
with you.
Eliphaz is so confident in his reasoning that he does not say the majority sides with
me, but that everybody does, and none will stand with you Job. Your case is
indefensible and no holy one would risk judgment on themselves by agreeing with
you. He is saying that you stand alone and so give up on your defense and listen to
me and confess. obody is on your side, and you cannot win, so bow to my wisdom.
There is no one else to turn to, so listen to me and I will be your guide to restoration.
If you persist in your resentment of my advice and envy of my righteous life that is
judgment free, you will just make God more angry and bring further judgment on
yourself. God has given you a way out of this mess, and I am it, so pay attention to
what I say, for you have no alternative. Eliphaz is setting himself up as the answer
to Job's dilema.
The problem with Eliphaz is that he takes a good thing and spoils it. He exagerates
a truth until it is meaningless and no longer fits life. He gets so extreme in how God
protects the believer from every evil that it ends up a lie. Extremists are so
dangerous because they hurt people with the truth. They are so one sided in their
vision that they almost force you to go to the other side. They do their own cause
harm. They are like teetoalars who drive people to drink, and pacifists who make
people want to fight.
The question is, do you confront a person with doctrine and try to explain to the

2. person by doctrine, or do you deal with a person according to his real experience
and try to understand the ways of God? He was trying to impose his theology on
Job's experience without recognizing that his experience was unique.
BAR ES, "Call now - The expressions used here, as Noyes has well observed, seem
to be derived from the law, where the word “call” denotes the language of the
complainant, and answer that of the defendant. According to this, the meaning of the
words “call now” is, in jus voca: that is, call the Deity to account, or bring an action
against him: or more properly, enter into an argument or litigation, as before a tribunal;
see the notes at Isa_41:1, where similar language occurs.
If there be any that will answer thee - If there is anyone who will respond to thee
in such a trial. Noyes renders this, “See if He will answer thee;” that is, “See if the Deity
will condescend to enter into a judicial conroversy with thee, and give an account of his
dealings toward thee.” Dr. Good renders it, “Which of these can come forward to thee;
that is, “Which of these weakly, ephemeral, perishing insects - which of these nothings
can render thee any assistance?” The meaning is probably, “Go to trial, if you can find
any respondent; if there is any one willing to engage in such a debate; and let the matter
be fairly adjudicated and determined. Let an argument be entered into before a
competent tribunal, and the considerations pro and con be urged on the point now
under consideration.” The desire of Eliphaz was, that there should be a fair
investigation, where all that could be said on one side or the other of the question would
be urged, and where there would be a decision of the important point in dispute. He
evidently felt that Job would be foiled in the argument before whomsoever it should be
conducted, and whoever might take up the opposite side; and hence, he says that he
could get no one of “the saints” to assist him in the argument. In the expression, “if there
be any that will answer thee,” he may mean to intimate that he would find no one who
would be willing even to go into an investigation of the subject. The case was so plain,
the views of Job were so obviously wrong, the arguments for the opinion of Eliphaz were
so obvious, that he doubted whether anyone could be found who would be willing to
make it the occasion of a set and formal trial, as if there could be any doubt about it.
And to which of the saints wilt thou turn? - Margin, as in Hebrew “look.” That
is, to which of them wilt thou look to be an advocate for such sentiments, or which of
them would be willing to go into an argument on so plain a subject? Grotins supposes
that Eliphaz, having boasted that he had produced a divine revelation in his favor Job 4,
now calls upon Job to produce, if he can, something of the same kind in his defense, or
to see if there were any of the heavenly spirits who would give a similar revelation in his
favor. The word here rendered “saints” (‫קדשׁים‬ qôdeshıym) means properly those who are
sanctified or holy; and it may be either applied to holy men, or to angels. It is generally
supposed that it here refers to angels. So Schultens, Rosenmuller, Noyes, Good, and
others, understand it. The word is often used in this sense in the Scriptures. So the
Septuagint understands it here - ᅪ εᅺτινα ᅊγγέλων ᅋγίων ᆊψᇽ ē eitina angelōn hagiōn opsē.
Such is probably its meaning; and the sense of the passage is, “Call now upon anyone,
and you will find none willing to be the advocate of such sentiments as you have urged.
No holy beings - human beings or angels - would defend them.” By this, probably,
Eliphaz designed to show Job that he differed from all holy being, and that his views
were not those of a truly pious man. If he could find no one, either among holy angels or

3. pious men, to be the advocate of his opinions, it followed that he must be in error.
CLARKE, "Call now, if there be any - This appears to be a strong irony. From
whom among those whose foundations are in the dust, and who are crushed before the
moth, canst thou expect succor?
To which of the saints wilt thou turn? - To whom among the holy ones, (‫קדשים‬
kedoshim), or among those who are equally dependent on Divine support with thyself,
and can do no good but as influenced and directed by God, canst thou turn for help?
Neither angel nor saint can help any man unless sent especially from God; and all
prayers to them must be foolish and absurd, not to say impious. Can the channel afford
me water, if the fountain cease to emit it?
GILL, "Call now, if there be any that will answer thee,.... That is, call upon God,
which, if seriously, and not ironically spoken, was good advice; God is to be called upon,
and especially in times of trouble; and invocation is to be made in faith, in sincerity, and
with fervency, and to be accompanied with confession of sin, and repentance for it; and
sooner or later God hears and answers those that call upon him; but Eliphaz suggests,
that if Job did call upon him, it would be in vain, he would not hear him, he going upon
the same maxim that the Jews did in Christ's time, "God heareth not sinners": Joh_9:31;
or call upon him to give him an oracle from heaven, to favour him with a vision and
revelation, and see if he could get anything that would confront and confute what he had
delivered as coming that way; which, if it could be done by him, would appear to be a
falsehood and an imposture, since one revelation from God is not contradicted by
another: or else the sense is, "call" over the catalogue and list of good men that have
been from the beginning of the world, and see if there be any that "answers to thee" (n),
whose case, character, and behaviour, correspond with thee; if ever any of them was
afflicted as thou art, or ever behaved with so much indecency, impatience, murmuring,
and blasphemy against God, as thou hast done; that ever opened his mouth, and cursed
the day of his birth, and reflected upon the providence and justice of God as thou hast, as
if thou wert unrighteously dealt with: or rather, "call now", and summon all creatures
together, angels and men, and get anyone of them to be thy patron, to defend thy cause,
and plead for thee, to give a reply to what has been said, from reason, experience, and
revelation: and shouldest thou obtain this, which is not likely, "lo, there is one that can
answer thee" (o), as some render the words, meaning either God or himself; thus Eliphaz
insults Job, and triumphs over him, as being entirely baffled and conquered by him, by
what he had related as an oracle and revelation from heaven:
and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? or "look", or "have respect" (p), that will
be of any service to thee? meaning either the Divine Persons in the Godhead, sometimes
called Holy Ones, as in Jos_24:19; Pro_9:10; the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the
Holy Spirit, who may and should be turned and looked unto; God the Father, as the God
of providence and grace for all good things; Jesus Christ his Son, as the Redeemer and
Saviour for righteousness and eternal life; the blessed Spirit, as a sanctifier to carry on
and finish the work of grace; but it is suggested, it would be in vain for Job to turn and
look to any of these, since he would be rejected by them as a wicked man, nor would any
of them plead his cause: or else the holy angels, as the Septuagint express it, and who are

4. called saints and Holy Ones, Deu_33:2; and it is asked, which of those he could turn or
look to, and could expect relief and protection from? signifying, that none of these would
vouchsafe to converse with him, nor take him under their care, nor undertake to plead
his cause: or rather holy men, such as are sanctified or set apart by God the Father, to
whom Christ is made sanctification, and in whose hearts the Holy Spirit has wrought
principles of grace and holiness, and who live holy lives and conversations; and it is
insinuated, that should he turn and took to these, he would find none of them like him,
nor in the same circumstances, nor of the same sentiments, or that would take his part
and plead for him; but that all to a man would appear of the same mind with Eliphaz,
that none but wicked men were afflicted by God as he was, and that he was such an one,
and that for the reason following: the Papists very absurdly produce this passage in
favour of praying to departed saints, when not dead but living ones are meant, and even
turning to them is discouraged; and besides, this would contradict another tenet of the
Papists, that the Old Testament saints, until the coming of Christ, were in a sort of
purgatory, called Limbus Patrum, and therefore incapable of helping saints on earth that
should apply unto them.
HE RY, "A very warm dispute being begun between Job and his friends, Eliphaz
here makes a fair motion to put the matter to a reference. In all debates perhaps the
sooner this is done the better if the contenders cannot end it between themselves. So
well assured is Eliphaz of the goodness of his own cause that he moves Job himself to
choose the arbitrators (Job_5:1): Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; that is,
1. “If there be any that suffer as thou sufferest. Canst thou produce an instance of any
one that was really a saint that was reduced to such an extremity as thou art now
reduced to? God never dealt with any that love his name as he deals with thee, and
therefore surely thou art none of them.” 2. “If there be any that say as thou sayest. Did
ever any good man curse his day as thou dost? Or will any of the saints justify thee in
these heats or passions, or say that these are the spots of God's children? Thou wilt find
none of the saints that will be either thy advocates or my antagonists. To which of the
saints wilt thou turn? Turn to which thou wilt, and thou wilt find they are all of my
mind. I have the communis sensus fidelium - the unanimous vote of the faithful on my
side; they will all subscribe to what I am going to say.” Observe, (1.) Good people are
called saints even in the Old Testament; and therefore I know not why we should, in
common speaking (unless because we must loqui cum vulgo - speak as our neighbours),
appropriate the title to those of the New Testament, and not say St. Abraham, St. Moses,
and St. Isaiah, as well as St. Matthew and St. Mark; and St. David the psalmist, as well as
St. David the British bishop. Aaron is expressly called the saint of the Lord. (2.) All that
are themselves saints will turn to those that are so, will choose them for their friends and
converse with them, will choose them for their judges and consult them. See Psa_119:79.
The saints shall judge the world, 1Co_6:1, 1Co_6:2. Walk in the way of good men (Pro_
2:20), the old way, the footsteps of the flock. Every one chooses some sort of people or
other to whom he studies to recommend himself, and whose sentiments are to him the
test of honour and dishonour. Now all true saints endeavour to recommend themselves
to those that are such, and to stand right in their opinion. (3.) There are some truths so
plain, and so universally known and believed, that one may venture to appeal to any of
the saints concerning them. However there are some things about which they unhappily
differ, there are many more, and more considerable, in which they are agreed; as the evil
of sin, the vanity of the world, the worth of the soul, the necessity of a holy life, and the
like. Though they do not all live up, as they should, to their belief of these truths, yet they
are all ready to bear their testimony to them.

5. JAMISO , "Job_5:1-27. Eliphaz’ conclusion from the vision.
if there be any, etc. — Rather, “will He (God) reply to thee?” Job, after the
revelation just given, cannot be so presumptuous as to think God or any of the holy ones
(Dan_4:17, “angels”) round His throne, will vouchsafe a reply (a judicial expression) to
his rebellious complaint.
K&D 1-5, "The chief thought of the oracle was that God is the absolutely just One,
and infinitely exalted above men and angels. Resuming his speech from this point,
Eliphaz tells Job that no cry for help can avail him unless he submits to the all-just One
as being himself unrighteous; nor can any cry addressed to the angels avail. This
thought, although it is rejected, certainly shows that the writer of the book, as of the
prologue, is impressed with the fundamental intuition, that good, like evil, spirits are
implicated in the affairs of men; for the “holy ones,” as in Ps 89, are the angels. ‫י‬ ִⅴ
supports the negation implied in Job_5:1 : If God does not help thee, no creature can
help thee; for he who complains and chafes at his lot brings down upon himself the
extremest destruction, since he excites the anger of God still more. Such a surly
murmurer against God is here called ‫יל‬ִ‫ו‬ ֱ‫.א‬ ְ‫ל‬ is the Aramaic sign of the object, having the
force of quod attinet ad, quoad (Ew. §310, a).
Eliphaz justifies what he has said (Job_5:2) by an example. He had seen such a
complainer in increasing prosperity; then he cursed his habitation suddenly, i.e., not: he
uttered forthwith a prophetic curse over it, which, though ‫ּם‬‫א‬ ְ‫ת‬ ִ might have this meaning
(not subito, but illico; cf. Num_12:4), the following futt., equivalent to imperff., do not
allow, but: I had then, since his discontent had brought on his destruction, suddenly to
mark and abhor his habitation as one overtaken by a curse: the cursing is a recognition
of the divine curse, as the echo of which it is intended. This curse of God manifests itself
also on his children and his property (Job_5:4.). ‫ר‬ ַ‫ע‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ is the gate of the city as a court of
justice: the phrase, to oppress in the gate, is like Pro_22:22; and the form Hithpa. is
according to the rule given in Ges. §54, 2, b. The relative ‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫,א‬ Job_5:5, is here conj.
relativa, according to Ges. §155, 1, c. In the connection ‫ים‬ִ ִ ִ‫ל־מ‬ ֶ‫,א‬ ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ is equivalent to ‫ד‬ ַ‫,ע‬
adeo e spinis, the hungry fall so eagerly upon what the father of those now orphans has
reaped, that even the thorny fence does not hold them back. ‫ים‬ִ ִ‫,צ‬ as Pro_22:5 : the
double praepos. ‫ן‬ ִ‫ל־מ‬ ֶ‫א‬ is also found elsewhere, but with another meaning. ‫ים‬ ֶ ַ‫ע‬ has only
the appearance of being plur.: it is sing. after the form ‫יק‬ ִ ַ‫,צ‬ from the verb ‫ם‬ ַ‫מ‬ ָ‫,צ‬ nectere,
and signifies, Job_18:9, a snare; here, however, not judicii laqueus (Böttch.), but what,
besides the form, comes still nearer - the snaremaker, intriguer. The Targ. translates
‫ין‬ ִ‫יס‬ ֵ‫ט‬ ְ‫ס‬ ִ‫,ל‬ i.e., λησταί. Most modern critics (Rosenm. to Ebr.) translate: the thirsty (needy),
as do all the old translations, except the Targ.; this, however, is not possible without
changing the form. The meaning is, that intriguing persons catch up (‫ף‬ፍ ָ‫,שׁ‬ as Amo_2:7)
their wealth.
Eliphaz now tells why it thus befell this fool in his own person and his children.

6. BE SO , "Job 5:1. Call now, &c. — Wouldst thou know the reason why I relate to
thee this night vision? I do it with an intent that thou mayest apply it to thyself, and
thy present circumstances. Thou hast heard how weak and imperfect the best of
men must be in comparison with God, but if this does not satisfy thee, if thou dost
not believe what has been advanced, thou mayest inquire of others. Try, therefore, if
there be any one that will defend thee in these thy bold expostulations with God.
Thou mayest find fools or wicked men that will do it, but not one of the children of
God. There is no good man but is of my opinion; and if an angel should appear to
thee as one did to me, thou wouldst receive no other information but this.
COFFMA , "THE CO CLUSIO OF ELPIHAZ' FIRST SPEECH
Eliphaz' speech revealed some good qualities in him. He no doubt believed that Job
had been a righteous man; and in spite of the fact that he even suggested that the
terrible misfortunes that came upon Job might have been in the category of
`chastening' rather than as punishment, his smug and erroneous belief that such
calamities were usually if not always the proof and punishment of wickedness must
have been quite painful to Job.
Job 5:1-7
ELIPHAZ' WORD THAT JOB'S CASE WAS HOPELESS
"Call now; is there any that will answer thee?
And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
For vexation killeth the foolish man,
And jealousy slayeth the silly one.
I have seen the foolish taking root:
But suddenly I cursed his habitation..
His children are far from safety,
And they are crushed in the gate,
either is there any to deliver them:
Whose harvest the hungry eateth up,
And taketh it even out of the thorns;

7. And the snare gapeth for their substance.
For affliction cometh not forth from the dust,
either doth trouble spring out of the ground:
But man is born unto trouble,
As the sparks fly upward."
"Is there any that will answer thee" (Job 5:1)? Such a question in Hebrew was an
emphatic negative, with the meaning that, " ot even any of the angels would hear
Job's prayer." "What he says is that, `it is futile to call out in prayer,' for no one
will answer."[1] Eliphaz himself had just claimed that God heard him in prayer; so,
"It is Job himself who is disqualified to pray."[2]
"Vexation killeth the foolish man" (Job 5:2). Eliphaz has concluded that Job's
vexation and jealousy show that Job has become a fool. In his description of what
happens to the fool, "Eliphaz deliberately goes through a whole roll of disasters
corresponding so exactly to what had happened to Job, that each word is a poisoned
arrow."[3]
"His children are far from safety" (Job 5:4). The implication of this is that Job's
sins have also brought sorrow to his children. Of course, it is true that sin injures
others besides the sinner. It is against God, against the sinner's family, against
society, and against the sinner himself; "It is inevitable that when a man disgraces
himself that his family share in it."[4] However. the tragedy of Eliphaz' observation
here is that it had no application whatever to Job.
"Eliphaz and the other friends of Job were like men who close their eyes to the real
facts, rock back on their heels, and speak of general principles, every one of which is
contradicted by the indisputable facts before them."[5]
"And taketh it even out of the thorns" (Job 5:5). The imagery here is that of ancient
harvests which were protected from raiders and vandals, "by thorn hedges."[6]
"Affliction cometh not forth from the dust ... Man is born unto trouble, as sparks fly
upward" (Job 5:6-7). "Here Eliphaz says that trouble comes naturally to man; but
he had just said the opposite,"[7] that trouble did not just rise up out of the dust,
but it came as a consequence of wickedness.
Eliphaz' idea that disasters and calamities were invariably due to the sin of those
who suffered such things was generally received throughout the ancient world. Even
the Twelve asked Jesus, concerning the man born blind, "Who sinned? This man or
his parents that he should have been born blind"? (John 9:2). Jesus put that old lie
to rest with the declaration that neither the blind man nor his parents had sinned,
but, "That the glory of God should be manifested in him."

8. It is true, of course that sin is the root and cause of all the sorrow and suffering of
mankind; but that cannot mean that an individual sufferer of this or that
misfortune is suffering because of his personal sin. David, Jeremiah, Jacob, Tamar,
Uriah, - call the roll of Old Testament heroes; they all suffered from the sins of
others, not from their own wickedness. "And what about Our Saviour himself?. He
did no wrong, in fact, committed no sin whatever, yet he suffered the agony of the
Cross. The argument of Eliphaz does not hold water."[8]
"As the sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7). In the Hebrew, this reads, "As the sons of
Reseph, an old Canaanite god. Here Eliphaz has given up his attempt at a moral
explanation of Job's disasters, offering dismal comfort."[9]
COKE, "Eliphaz sheweth that the wicked are always punished by an avenging God;
on which account he highly extols the providence of God: he exhorts Job not to
despise the chastening of the Almighty, and to attend diligently to what he says.
Before Christ 1645.
Job 5:1. Call now, &c.— Eliphaz here urges further, that, supposing Job had been
guilty of no very atrocious crime, yet the common frailties of human nature were
abundantly sufficient to account for any afflictions which it should please God to lay
upon man; but he takes care to let Job know, that they had a far worse opinion of
him, whom he treats as profligate and abandoned, and consequently a proper object
of divine vengeance: Job 5:1-5. Such, he tells him, is the course of things, as was
plain from revelation; and if he was not content with this, he was at liberty, if he
pleased, to apply to any of the other deities, and see if he could find better
treatment. But were it his case, he would endeavour to reconcile himself in a more
especial manner to the true God, who was infinitely more powerful than any or all
the gods of the nations, and was not only able to deliver him, but would deliver him
out of all his troubles: but then it must be attended with an entire submission to
him, which could never be effectual without an ample confession and restitution;
thereby acknowledging the justice of God's dealing with him: Job 5:17; Job 5:27. It
was foolish, therefore, to fret and vex himself in vain, since death was all that he
could expect as the issue in that way; whereas, if he submitted himself to God, he
might expect not only a perfect restoration, but a long continuance in the
enjoyments of a flourishing fortune. All this is delivered by Eliphaz in an
authoritative way, as the result of an inquiry which he and his friends had made of
God in Job's behalf: he had therefore nothing to do, but diligently to attend and
apply himself to it, Job 5:27. Heath. Schultens renders the first words of the present
verse, make appeal now, &c.; observing, that call and answer here have a judicial
sense, and imply, that if the patriarch should be inclined to plead not guilty, he
would meet with no one, either among men or angels, who would undertake the
defence of his cause: for, says he, the word ‫קדשׁים‬ kedoshim, rendered saints,
signifies the angels, superintendants (under the Almighty) over this visible world.
This opinion was probably of great antiquity, especially if the Septuagint version of

9. Deuteronomy 32:8 be right: he set the bounds of the people according to the number
of the angels of God. This and the following verse, says Heath, are a strong irony.
GUZIK 1-7, "a. Wrath kills a foolish man . . . His sons are far from safety: These
were backhanded references to Job and his own sons. Eliphaz argued that the fact
that such great disaster fell upon them proves that they were foolish and in sin.
i. Again, we notice Eliphaz’s frame of reference: I have seen. He speaks from his
own experience and observation on life.
ii. His sons are far from safety, they are crushed in the gate, and there is not
deliverer: “There is reference here to a custom which I have often had occasion to
notice, that in the Eastern countries the court-house, or tribunal of justice, was at
the GATE of the city; here the magistrates attended, and hither the plaintiff and
defendant came for justice.” (Clarke)
b. Affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground:
Eliphaz believed that this trouble did not come to Job from nowhere; it didn’t just
spring from the ground. The implication is clear: this affliction came upon Job from
God.
i. “Trouble does not sprout up like weeks in the field. He was implying that one
must sow and cultivate trouble.” (Smick)
c. Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward: This point connects with the
one Eliphaz just made. Trouble doesn’t come to man from nowhere; it comes as a
judgment from God, or at least because man has sown trouble so now he reaps it.
Since just as it is true that as the sparks fly upward, it is also true that man is born
to trouble, then it can also be said that all men sin and deserve the affliction and
trouble that comes to them.
i. As the sparks fly upward: Literally, the Hebrew can be translated, as the sons of
Resheph fly upward. “We cannot hope for further progress until we can find out
who ‘the sons of Resheph’ are. Since Resheph is a Canaanite god about whom we
now know a great deal, the possibility must now be faced that we have here another
scrap of imagery from old myths.” (Anderson)
PULPIT, "Job 5:1-27
Eliphaz, having narrated his vision, and rehearsed the words which the spirit spoke
in his ear, continues in his own person, first (Job 5:1-7) covertly reproaching Job,
and then (verses 8-27) seeking to comfort him by the suggestion that, if he will place
himself unreservedly in the hands of God, it is still possible that God may relent,
remove his chastening hand, deliver him from his troubles, and even give him back
all his former prosperity. The anticipation is in remarkable accordance with the

10. ultimate event (Job 42:10-17), and shows that Eliphaz, if not a prophet in the higher
sense, is at least a sagacious interpreter of God's ways with men, and can very
happily forecast the future.
Job 5:1
Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; rather, call now; is there any that
will answer thee? What aid, that is, wilt thou invoke, if thou turnest away from God,
and reproachest him? Thinkest thou to find any one in heaven or earth to answer to
the call and come to thy assistance? Utterly vain is any such hope. And to which of
the saints wilt thou turn? By "the saints" are meant in this place "the holy angels"
(comp. Job 15:15; Psalms 89:7; Zechariah 14:5). The question, "To which wilt thou
turn?" seems to imply that there was already in Job's time some knowledge of
individual members of the angelic host, such as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, etc;
though we have no mention of any names of angels in Scripture until the time of
Daniel (Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21). That invocation of angels was an actual practice
in Job's age is, however, scarcely proved by this passage.
U K OW AUTHOR, "Who is going to help you if you reproach God? Do you
think anyone in the universe will assist you if you do so? atually, all the angels will
take God's side against a complaining sinner, and so don't expect any support from
heaven, or from any earthly saints.
Eliphaz thinks Job may call to some of the angels for help. This was done in 33:28
and in Zech. 1:12. He feels Job is so down on God that he will try to get help from
other supernatural powers and bypass God. He said in 5:8 he would go directly to
God and not any subordinates. Go right to the top. The point seems to be, Job do
you think you can get any support from the angels? Do you think they will listen to
your complaint? Your position is not defendable and if you keep it up you will die
the death of a fool.
BI, "Call now, if there be any that will answer thee.
Moral evil as viewed by an enlightened natural religionist
How does Eliphaz appear to view sin?
I. As excluding the sinner from the sympathy of the good. He may mean here, either,
Who will sympathise with thy opinions as a sinner? or, Who will sympathise with thy
conduct as a sinner? “Call now, if there be any that will answer thee.” Thy conduct is
such that none of the holy will notice thee. This was all untrue as applied to Job, yet it is
perfectly true in relation to sin generally. Sin always excludes from the sympathy of the
good.
II. As by its own passions working out the destruction of the sinner. “Wrath killeth the
foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.” His own wrath and his own envy. The
malefic passions, in all their forms, are destructive.
III. As enjoying prosperity only to terminate in ruin.

11. 1. Sinners often prosper in the world. They “take root.”
2. The prosperity must come to a termination. It is only temporary. It often vanishes
during life.
3. At the termination the ruin is complete.
IV. As fated to produce misery wherever it exists.
1. Misery follows sin by Divine ordination.
2. A sinful man, so sure as he is born, must endure trouble. Such was this old
Temanite’s view of moral evil, and, in the main, his view is true. (Homilist.)
2 Resentment kills a fool,
and envy slays the simple.
He assumes that resentment and envy are two of the sins that have brought all this
calamity upon Job. Humans bring suffering on themselves is the point, and so why
bother to call on the holy ones to save you, for they do not interfere with your
choices. In other words, you made your bed, now lie in it and suffer the
consequences. Job cannot help but resent some of the things these friends are saying
to him, and he cannot help but envy them for having lives of health and wealth and
happy living families, like he once had. Eliphaz is being mean here to throw this in
Job's face, for it would be a normal human response in his situation, and it was not
the cause of any of his suffering. He is manipulating Job's emotions to support his
argument that Job is a sinner deserving of judgment.
Eliphaz refers to a fool he knows who seemed to be doing alright in his folly, but
suddenly the house fell in on him. You can only prosper temporarily in being a fool,
and this he is saying to Job to make him stop his foolishness.
BAR ES, "For wrath killeth the foolish man - That is, the wrath of God. The
word foolish here is used as synonymous with wicked, because wickedness is supreme
folly. The general proposition here is, that the wicked are cut off, and that they are
overtaken with heavy calamities in this life. In proof of this, Eliphaz appeals in the
following verses to his own observation: The implied inference is, that Job, having had
all his possessions taken away, and having been overwhelmed with unspeakably great

12. personal calamities, was to be regarded as having been a great sinner. Some suppose,
however, that the word “wrath” here relates to the indignation or the repining of the
individual himself, and that the reference is to the fact that such wrath or repining preys
upon the spirit, and draws down the divine vengeance. This is the view of Schultens, and
of Noyes. But it seems more probable that Eliphaz means to state the proposition, that
the wrath of God burns against the wicked, and that the following verses are an
illustration of this sentiment, derived from his own observation.
And envy - Margin, “indignation.” Jerome, invidia, envy. Septuagint ζᇿλος zēlos.
Castellio, severitas ac vehementia. The Hebrew word ‫קנאה‬ qın'âh means jealousy, envy,
ardor, zeal. It may be applied to any strong affection of the mind; any fervent, glowing,
and burning emotion. Gesenius supposes it means here envy, as excited by the
prosperity of others. To me it seems that the connection requires us to understand it of
wrath, or indignation, as in Deu_29:20; Psa_79:5. As applied to God, it often means his
jealousy, or his anger, when the affections of people are placed on other objects than
himself; Num_25:11; Zep_1:18, et al.
Slayeth the silly one - Good and Noyes render this, “the weak man.” Jerome,
parvulum, the little one. The Septuagint, πεπλανηµένον peplanēmenon, the erring.
Walton, ardelionem, the busy-body. The Hebrew word ‫פתה‬ poteh is from ‫פתה‬ pâthâh, to
open, go expand; and hence, the participleis applied to one who opens his lips, or whose
mouth is open; that is, a garrulous person, Pro_20:19; and also to one who is open-
hearted, frank, ingenuous, unsuspicious; and hence, one who is easily influenced by
others, or whose heart may be easily enticed. Thus, it comes to mean one who is simple
and foolish. In this sense it is used here, to denote one who is so simple and foolish as to
be drawn aside by weak arguments and unfounded opinions. I have no doubt that
Eliphaz meant, by insinuation, to apply this to Job, as being a weak-minded man, for
having allowed the views which he entertained to make such an impression on his mind,
and for having expressed himself as he had done. The proposition is general; but it
would be easy to undertand how he intended it to be applied.
CLARKE, "For wrath killeth the foolish man - Foolish, silly, and simple, are
epithets given by Solomon to sinners and transgressors of all kinds. Such parallelisms
have afforded a presumptive argument that Solomon was the author of this book. See
the preface. The words of Eliphaz may be considered as a sort of maxim, which the
wisdom and experience of ages had served to establish; viz., The wrath of God is
manifested only against the wicked and impious; and if thou wert not such, God would
not thus contend with thee.
GILL, "For wrath killeth the foolish man,.... Not one that is an idiot, and destitute
of common sense, and has no understanding in things natural and civil; but a wicked
man, who has no knowledge of things divine and spiritual, and so foolish; which is the
character of every natural man, and of God's people before conversion; and even of some
professors, who are foolish virgins, and carry the lamp of a religious profession without
the oil of grace; and such an one Eliphaz took Job to be, whom sooner or later the wrath
of the Lord, as the Targum interprets it, which is revealed from heaven, and comes down
upon the children of disobedience, would consume like devouring fire: or this may be

13. understood of the wrath and passion of such men themselves, which sometimes rises in
them to such an height, as that they die in a fit of it; or do those things which bring them
to death, either by the hand of God, or by the civil magistrate:
and envy slayeth the silly one; one that is simple and void of understanding, and is
easily persuaded and drawn into sin, either by his own heart, or by evil men, or by the
temptations of Satan; and in whose heart envy at the prosperity of others dwells, and
which insensibly preys upon him, eats up his own spirits, and is rottenness to his bones,
and crumbles them into dust, Pro_14:30; or the word may be rendered "jealousy", or
"zeal" (q), as it sometimes is, and may signify the jealousy of the Lord, zeal for his own
glory, which he sometimes stirs up as a man of war, and which smokes against wicked
men, and consumes them as fire, see Isa_42:13; Eliphaz by all this would represent and
insinuate that Job was such a man, hot, passionate, and angry with God and his
providence, and envious at the prosperity of others, particularly his friends; and so was a
foolish and silly man, in whose breast wrath and envy rested, and would be his ruin and
destruction, as he was already under slaying and killing providences.
HE RY, "Now there are two things which Eliphaz here maintains, and in which he
doubts not but all the saints concur with him: -
I. That the sin of sinners directly tends to their own ruin (Job_5:2): Wrath kills the
foolish man, his own wrath, and therefore he is foolish for indulging it; it is a fire in his
bones, in his blood, enough to put him into a fever. Envy is the rottenness of the bones,
and so slays the silly one that frets himself with it. “So it is with thee,” says Eliphaz,
“while thou quarrellest with God thou doest thyself the greatest mischief; thy anger at
thy own troubles, and thy envy at our prosperity, do but add to thy pain and misery: turn
to the saints, and thou wilt find they understand their interest better.” Job had told his
wife she spoke as the foolish women; now Eliphaz tells him he acted as the foolish men,
the silly ones. Or it may be meant thus: “If men are ruined and undone, it is always their
own folly that ruins and undoes them. They kill themselves by some lust or other;
therefore, no doubt, Job, thou hast done some foolish thing, by which thou hast brought
thyself into this calamitous condition.” Many understand it of God's wrath and jealousy.
Job needed not be uneasy at the prosperity of the wicked, for the world's smiles can
never shelter them from God's frowns; they are foolish and silly if they think they will.
God's anger will be the death, the eternal death, of those on whom it fastens. What is hell
but God's anger without mixture or period?
JAMISO , "wrath ... envy — fretful and passionate complaints, such as Eliphaz
charged Job with (Job_4:5; so Pro_14:30). Not, the wrath of God killeth the foolish, and
His envy, etc.
K&D, "
BE SO , "Job 5:2. For wrath killeth the foolish man, &c. — That is, say some, a
man’s wrath and impatience prey upon his spirit, and so hasten his death. But the
meaning seems rather to be, as Bishop Patrick observes, that “God in his anger and
indignation destroys the wicked, and such as err from his precepts.” It is probable
that Eliphaz intended to distinguish Job by the characters of foolish and silly one, to
insinuate that all his misfortunes were owing to his folly and weakness, or to his sins
and vices. By the foolish is meant the rash and inconsiderate man, who does not

14. weigh things impartially; and by the silly one, the man who, for want of true
wisdom, is soon deceived with false opinions, and with appearances of present
things.
PULPIT, "For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. For
"wrath" and "envy "others suggest "vexaation" and "impatience" (Lee), or
"vexation'' and "jealousy" (Revised Version). The connection of thought seems to
be, "For thou art quite foolish enough to let thy vexation and impatience prompt
thee to such a course, which could only lead to thy destruction." Eliphaz is quite
sure that trust in any other beside God, and appeal to any other against God, is
utter folly, sinful infatuation, and must lead to the ruin of whoever indulges in it.
Thus the invocation of angels receives no countenance from him, but the contrary.
BI, "And envy slayeth the silly one.
Plutarch says of human passions that they are not evil in themselves, but good
affections, which nature has furnished us withal, for great and noble uses. Right, reason,
wisdom, and discretion ought to rule; but all our powers and passions have their proper
place, and they follow the resolution of our judgment, and exert themselves so far as
reason shall direct. Were this order well observed, how blest, how happy, should we be!
But how shamefully do we invert the order of our nature! If brutes could understand,
they would rejoice in their condition of necessity, and despise our estate of liberty and
reason, when they observe how fatally we abuse them. By indulging our passions we
destroy our happiness. Eliphaz insults this holy sufferer Job, and would have him
believe that he was this malicious man whose vice had killed him, and this envious man
whose spite had slain him. Still, apart from Job, the maxim of the text remains a truth,—
“Envy slayeth the silly one.”
I. Explain the vice of envy. When may a man be said to be of an envious mind? Envy is a
regret of mind, or an inward trouble at the prosperity of another. There are other vices,
as ambition, malice, pride, that carry a resemblance of envy, and are related to it; but
they either proceed from a different principle, or terminate in some particular object.
They are confined and limited, but envy is indefinite. The principle, the formal reason of
this singular vice of envy is, a repining, a gnawing, a trouble in the mind, that any man
should prosper. It is more or less predominant and rancorous according to the tempers
of men and the indulgence that it finds. Sometimes it appears without disguise; the
passion of the envious overcomes him. Sometimes you may see it in a man’s very
gratulations; you may discern his envy in his most kind expressions. Sometimes he vents
his angry tumour in a pleasing narration of all the evil, or the darker part, of your
condition. Sometimes his envy bubbles out in vain insinuations of his own deserts.
Sometimes it lurks in a vain pretence of self-denial, of a mortified temper, and of a
contempt of the world. Sometimes they throw their envy upon their spleen, and then
they think they may vent it freely, and without reflection upon themselves. Sometimes it
appears under a cloak of piety and religion. And envy will express itself, as occasion
offers, in rapine, violence, and murder.
II. The truth of his character. Or how justly it is said of an envious man, that he is a silly
one. His folly is extreme, apparent, and indisputable. Wisdom consists in three
particulars. In a perfect knowledge of our happiness, or what is proper for us to pursue,

15. and what to shun. In a right understanding of the fittest means, whereby we may attain
the good and avoid the evil. In a skilful application of those means to their ends, that
they may operate the most effectually towards the bringing our designs to pass. How
folly is directly opposite to wisdom. A fool is one whose understanding is prejudiced,
whose judgment is not free; who is governed by his passions, drawn into false opinions,
wild, unreasonable ends, and destructive measures. But such a silly one as this is, is that
of the text; he endures and cherishes a vice that blinds his reason, and puts him out of all
possibility of being happy. An envious man is a common nuisance, that everyone is
offended with, and no man can endure. Silly man; while he designs to hurt his
neighbour, he destroys himself. His spite and indignation make him overshoot all
modest bounds. There is such a complication of evil qualities in envy and detraction; of
curiosity, conceit, and pride; of meddling, judging, and malicious censure, as makes the
guilty nauseous to all. No man can be happy but in the way of his nature. And therefore
he that will grasp at that which is out of his line, he that must have what he lists, and will
have all things go according to his mind, or will be angry, is sure to be always miserable.
He that does not consider his condition simply, as it is in itself, but with relation and
respect to other persons, shall never be easy while he lives.
III. The fatal effects of this foolish vice. It destroys him.
1. It affects his body. Envy, peevishness, and discontent, ferment and sour the blood,
precipitate the motion of the spirits, urge outrageous passions, fill the mind with
angry thoughts, hinder rest, destroy appetite, take away all enjoyment, breed grief
and melancholy, and end in a sickly, livid look, in lassitude, consumption, and
despair.
2. It vitiates his mind, and destroys the moral life. If envy divests a man of his virtue
and his reason, it must of necessity destroy his soul too.
IV. The methods of recovery.
1. He that would be free from envy must endeavour to deserve, as well as may be,
both of God and man. True virtue gives a man an humble opinion of himself;
acquaints him with his own defects, or what he is not, as well as what he is.
2. You must bring your mind to a good opinion of your own condition. He that
would be easy in his mind must govern his desires, and make the best of what he has.
3. You must wean your affections from the world, and learn to value it at no higher a
rate than it deserves. What then remains but that we endeavour to subdue our
passions, to master our spirits, and to live according to reason in the world. (J.
Lambe, D. D.)
Wrath and envy
I. We have wrath. Notice—
1. Its nature. Wrath is not comely, but it is sometimes useful. A man who never
knows anger is in nine case out of ten a colourless being who has neither energy nor
brilliance nor power. God is angry. The apostle implies that it may be indulged in
without sin. But there are extremes. It may betoken an ungoverned disposition; it
may indicate a cruel, passionate, vindictive spirit. It may show a hasty, thoughtless,
impetuous, unbalanced character. Apart from this, unnecessary wrath is
disagreeable and unpleasant to all. Its habitual indulgence alienates all good. This

16. brings us to note—
2. Its consequence—“Wrath killeth the foolish man.” How does it kill? It killeth the
best feelings. It stifles all sense of justice, right, caution, honour. It checks the best
impulses and engenders cruelty. It killeth peace and happiness. How many an after-
pang it produces, how bitter the divisions, the heart-burnings, the evil it causes! It
filleth the body itself. Instances are not uncommon of life being forfeited in a fit of
anger. It undermines the health and, even if it has no more effect, creates a morose,
peevish, miserable disposition.
II. Envy. The word translated “envy” may mean “indignation.” The two are only divided
one from another by a very narrow line. Envy is an evil indignation with another because
he happens to be better off than ourselves. We are told that “envy slayeth the silly man.”
Notice how this is the case—
(1) It weareth away his peace. Look at Ahab envying the vineyard of Naboth. For
desire the covetous man fretteth away his life.
(2) It recoils with fatal consequences. It causes deadly results. It leads to the
commission of crimes, which bring deadly punishments. Envy is the father of
murder. It urged on Cain to put his brother to death. Hence it causeth the slaying
of those who give way to it. One word on the description of the characters here
spoken of. They are called “foolish” and “silly.” What apt and suggestive names
for those who give way to the influence of such injurious and pernicious passions,
as they afterwards find to their own injury and loss! The name applied to those
who refuse to obey the dictates of Divine wisdom is “fools.” (Homilist.)
3 I myself have seen a fool taking root,
but suddenly his house was cursed.
BAR ES, "I have seen the foolish - The wicked. To confirm the sentiment which
he had just advanced, Eliphaz appeals to his own observation, and says that though the
wicked for a time seem to be prosperous, yet he had observed that they were soon
overtaken with calamity and cut down. He evidently means that prosperity was no
evidence of the divine favor; but that when it had continued for a little time, and was
then withdrawn, it was proof that the man who had been prospered was at heart a
wicked man. It was easy to understated that he meant that this should be applied to Job,
who, though he had been favored with temporary prosperity, was now revealed to be at
heart a wicked man. The sentiment here advanced by Eliphaz, as the result of his
observation, strikingly accords with the observation of David, as expressed in Psa_23:1-
6 :

17. “I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a green bay-tree;
Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not:
Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.”
Psa_23:1-6 :35-36.
Taking root - This figure, to denote prosperous and rapid growth, is often used in
the Scriptures. Thus, in Psa_1:3 :
“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That bringeth forth his fruit in his season.”
So Isa_27:6 :
“Those that come out of Jacob shall he cause to take root;
Israel shall blossom and bud,
And shall fill the face of the world with fruit.”
So Psa_80:9-10 :
“Thou preparedst room before it,
And didst cause it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
The hills were covered with the shadow of it,
And the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.”
But suddenly - Meaning either that calamity came upon him suddenly - as it had
upon Job, that is, without any apparent preparation, or that; calamity came before a
great while, that is, that this prosperity did not continue. Probably there is an implied
reference hereto the case of Job, meaning that he had known just such instances before;
and as the case of Job accorded with what he had before seen, he hastened to the
conclusion that Job must have been a wicked man.
I cursed his habitation - I had occasion to regard it as accursed; that is, I witnessed
the downfall of his fortunes, and pronounced his habitation accursed. I saw that God
regarded it as such, and that he had suddenly punished him. This accords with the
observation of David, referred to above.
CLARKE, "I have seen the foolish taking root - I have seen wicked men for a
time in prosperity, and becoming established in the earth; but I well knew, from God’s
manner of dealing with men, that they must soon be blasted. I even ventured to
pronounce their doom; for I knew that, in the order of God’s providence, that was
inevitable. I cursed his habitation.
GILL, "I have seen the foolish taking root,.... Such foolish wicked men as before
described; those Eliphaz had observed to prosper in the world, and increase in riches,
and even to have attained to a seeming stability and firmness, as if they would ever
continue in such happy circumstances, see Jer_12:2; by this he would obviate an

18. objection that here might be raised and made against the assertion he was proving, that
wicked men are afflicted and punished of God for their sins; whereas it is notorious that
they are not in trouble as other men, but in very prosperous and flourishing
circumstances; this he grants is their case for a while, as he had observed, but in a short
time they pass away, they and their substance disappear, and are no more seen, as
follows:
but suddenly I cursed his habitation; not that he wished ill to him, or imprecated
evils upon him; for cursing and bitterness only fit the mouths of wicked men, and not
good men, among whom Eliphaz must be allowed to be; but he immediately thought
within himself, as soon as he saw the flourishing state of the wicked, that the curse of the
Lord was in their houses, as in Pro_3:33; that they and all they had were under a curse,
and that God find given them what they had with a curse, and had cursed all their
blessings; which makes the difference between a good man and a wicked man; the one
has what he has, his cottage and his small substance, with a blessing; the other his
pleasant habitation, as the word (r) here used signifies, his stately palace, rich furniture,
and large estates, with a curse; or he prognosticated, he foresaw, and could foretell, and
that without pretending to an extraordinary spirit of prophecy, that in a short time the
curse of God would light upon him, and upon his house, see Zec_5:3.
HE RY, "II. That their prosperity is short and their destruction certain, Job_5:3-5.
He seems here to parallel Job's case with that which is commonly the case of wicked
people. 1. Job had prospered for a time, seemed confirmed, and was secure in his
prosperity; and it is common for foolish wicked men to do so: I have seen them taking
root - planted, and, in their own and others' apprehension, fixed, and likely to continue.
See Jer_12:2; Psa_37:35, Psa_37:36. We see worldly men taking root in the earth; on
earthly things they fix the standing of their hopes, and from them they draw the sap of
their comforts. The outward estate may be flourishing, but the soul cannot prosper that
takes root in the earth. 2. Job's prosperity was now at an end, and so has the prosperity
of other wicked people quickly been. (1.) Eliphaz foresaw their ruin with an eye of faith.
Those who looked only at present things blessed their habitation, and thought them
happy, blessed it long, and wished themselves in their condition. But Eliphaz cursed it,
suddenly cursed it, as soon as he saw them begin to take root, that is, he plainly foresaw
and foretold their ruin; not that he prayed for it (I have not desired the woeful day), but
he prognosticated it. He went into the sanctuary, and there understood their end and
heard their doom read (Psa_73:17, Psa_73:18), that the prosperity of fools will destroy
them, Pro_1:32. Those who believe the word of God can see a curse in the house of the
wicked (Pro_3:33), though it be ever so finely and firmly built, and ever so full of all
good things; and they can foresee that the curse will, in time, infallibly consume it with
the timber thereof, and the stones thereof, Zec_5:4. (2.) He saw, at length, what he had
foreseen. He was not disappointed in his expectation concerning him; the event
answered it; his family was undone, and his estate ruined. In these particulars he plainly
and very invidiously reflects on Job's calamities. [1.] His children were crushed, Job_
5:4. They thought themselves safe in their eldest brother's house, but were far from
safety, for they were crushed in the gate. Perhaps the door or gate of the house was
highest built, and fell heaviest upon them, and there was none to deliver them from
perishing in the ruins. This is commonly understood of the destruction of the families of
wicked men, by the execution of justice upon them, to oblige them to restore what they
have ill-gotten. They leave it to their children; but the descent shall not bar the entry of
the rightful owners, who will crush their children, and cast them by due course of law
(and there shall be none to help them), or perhaps by oppression, Psa_109:9, etc. [2.]

19. His estate was plundered, Job_5:5. Job's was so. The hungry robbers, the Sabeans and
Chaldeans, ran away with it, and swallowed it; and this, says he, I have often observed in
others. What has been got by spoil and rapine has been lost in the same way. The careful
owner hedged it about with thorns, and then thought it safe; but the fence proved
insignificant against the greediness of the spoilers (if hunger will break through the
stone walls, much more through thorn hedges), and against the divine curse, which will
go through the thorns and briers, and burn them together, Isa_27:4.
JAMISO , "the foolish — the wicked. I have seen the sinner spread his “root” wide
in prosperity, yet circumstances “suddenly” occurred which gave occasion for his once
prosperous dwelling being “cursed” as desolate (Psa_37:35, Psa_37:36; Jer_17:8).
BE SO , "Job 5:3. I have seen the foolish taking root — I have observed the
wicked man, whom I term foolish, as being destitute of true, that is, of heavenly,
wisdom, not only prosperous for the present, but, as it seemed, firm and secure for
the future, being strongly fortified with power and riches, and children too, so that
there was no likelihood or apparent danger of a change; but suddenly — In a
moment, before any one’s expectation; I cursed his habitation — I saw, by the event
which followed his prosperity, that he was a man under a divine curse, and that,
notwithstanding the seeming depth and strength in which he vainly promised
himself a permanent, unshaken situation for many years, all his hopes were built on
a weak and false foundation. Thus Eliphaz answers an objection concerning the
present seeming prosperity of the wicked, which he confesses that he himself had
sometimes observed, but which, he insists, was of short duration, destructive
judgments from God unexpectedly overwhelming them.
ELLICOTT, "(3) I cursed.—The word means, “I was able to declare distinctly, and
I did declare without hesitation, that his lot would be as follows.” All these general
results of experience have the sting of insinuation in them that they contain the key
to Job’s unfortunate condition. There is secret unsoundness there which is the cause
of the manifest and open misery. It is impossible that a man so stricken should be
otherwise than, for some unknown reason, the guilty victim of the righteous wrath
of a just judge.
PULPIT, "I have seen the foolish taking root. The "I" is emphatic. "I myself have
seen," etc. What Eliphaz had seen was that folly, i.e. sinful infatuation, was always
punished. It might seem to prosper: the foolish man might seem to be taking root;
but Eliphaz was not deceived by appearances—he saw through them, he knew that
there was a curse upon the man's house, and so pronounced it accursed. And the
ruin which he had foreseen, it is implied, followed. But suddenly; rather,
immediately, without hesitation. I cursed his habitation; i.e. "pronounced it
accursed, declared that the curse of God rested upon it?"

20. BI, "I have seen the foolish taking root.
1. Wicked men may flourish in great outward prosperity.
2. Wicked men may not only flourish and grow, but they may flourish and grow a
great while. I ground it upon this; the text saith that they take root: I have seen the
foolish take root; and the word notes a deep rooting. Some wicked men stand out
many storms, like old oaks; like trees deeply rooted, they stand many a blast, yea,
many a blow. Spectators are ready to say, such and such storms will certainly
overthrow them, and yet still they stand; but though they stand so long that all
wonder, yet they shall fall.
3. Outward good things are not good in themselves. The foolish take root. The worst
of men may enjoy the best of outward comforts. Outward things are unto us as we
are. If the man be good, then they are good. There is a great difference between the
flourishing of a wise man and the flourishing of a fool; all his flourishing in the earth
is no good to him, because himself is not good. Spiritual good things are so good
that, though they find us not good, yet they will make us good; we cannot have them
indeed, and be unlike them.
4. The enjoyment of outward good things is no evidence, can be made no argument,
that a man is good. And yet how many stick upon this evidence, blessing themselves
because they are outwardly blessed! (J. Caryl.)
4 His children are far from safety,
crushed in court without a defender.
BAR ES, "His children are far from safety - That is, this is soon manifest by
their being cut off or subjected to calamity. The object of Eliphaz is, to state the result of
his own observation, and to show how calamity overtook the wicked though they even
prospered for a time. He begins with that which a man would feel most - the calamity
which comes upon his children, and says that God would punish him in them. Every
word of this would go to the heart of Job; for he could not but feel that it was aimed at
him, and that the design was to prove that the calamities that had come upon his
children were a proof of his own wickedness and of the divine displeasure. It is
remarkable that Job listens to this with the utmost patience. There is no interruption of
the speaker; no breaking in upon the argument of his friend; no mark of uneasiness.
Oriental politeness required that a speaker should be heard attentively through whatever
he might say. See the Introduction, Section 7. Cutting and severe, therefore, as this
strain of remark must have been, the sufferer sat meekly and heard it all, and waited for
the appropriate time when an answer might be returned.

21. And they are crushed in the gate - The gate of a city in ancient times was the chief
place of concourse, and was the place where public business was usually transacted, and
where courts of justice were held; see Gen_23:10; Deu_21:19; Deu_25:6-7; Rth_4:1 ff:
Psa_127:5; Pro_22:22. The Greeks also held their courts in some public place of
business. Hence, the forum, ᅊγορά agora, was also a place for fairs. See Jahn’s
Archaeology, section 247. Some suppose that the meaning here is, that they were
oppressed and trodden down by the concourse in the gate. But the more probable
meaning is, that they found no one to advocate their cause; that they were subject to
oppression and injustice in judicial decisions, and then when their parent was dead, no
one would stand up to vindicate them from respect to his memory. The idea is, that
though there might be temporary prosperity, yet that it would not be long before heavy
calamities would come upon the children of the wicked.
CLARKE, "His children are far from safety - His posterity shall not continue in
prosperity. Ill gotten, ill spent; whatever is got by wrong must have God’s curse on it.
They are crushed in the gate - The Targum says, They shall be bruised in the gate
of hell, in the day of the great judgment. There is reference here to a custom which I have
often had occasion to notice: viz., that in the Eastern countries the court-house, or
tribunal of justice, was at the Gate of the city; here the magistrates attended, and hither
the plaintiff and defendant came for justice.
GILL, "His children are far from safety,.... From outward safety, from evils and
dangers, to which they are liable and exposed, not only from men, who hate them for
their father's sake, who have been oppressors of them, or from God, who visits the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children; and from spiritual and eternal safety or
"salvation", or from salvation in the world to come, as the Targum, they treading in their
fathers steps, and imitating their actions:
and they are crushed in the gate; or openly, publicly, as Aben Ezra and others; or in
the courts of judicature whither they are brought by those their parents had oppressed,
and where they are cast, and have no favour shown them; or literally by the falling of the
gate upon them; and perhaps some reference is had to Job's children being crushed in
the gate or door of the house, through which they endeavoured to get when it fell upon
them and destroyed them; the Targum is,"and are crushed in the gates of hell, in the day
of the great judgment:"
neither is there any to deliver them; neither God nor man, they having no interest
in either, or favour with, partly on account of their father's ill behaviour, and partly on
account of their own; and sad is the case of men when it is such, see Psa_50:21.
JAMISO , "His children ... crushed in the gate — A judicial formula. The gate
was the place of judgment and of other public proceedings (Psa_127:5; Pro_22:22; Gen_
23:10; Deu_21:19). Such propylaea have been found in the Assyrian remains. Eliphaz
obliquely alludes to the calamity which cut off Job’s children.

22. BE SO , "Job 5:4. His children — Whose greatness he designed in all his
enterprises, supposing his family would be established for ever; are far from safety
— Are exposed to dangers and calamities, and can neither preserve themselves, nor
the inheritance which their fathers left them. There is no question but he glances
here at the death of Job’s children; and they are crushed in the gate — That is, in
the place of judicature, to which they are brought for their offences, and where they
find severe judges, and few or no friends; because, being wickedly educated, and
trusting to their own greatness, they had been insolent and injurious to all their
neighbours; as also because those many persons, whom their powerful fathers had
defrauded or oppressed, seek for justice and the recovery of their rights, which they
easily obtain, against persons who plainly declared, by their actions, that they
neither feared God nor regarded man, and therefore were hated by all sorts of
people. either is there any to deliver them — They can find no advocates or
assistants who are either able or willing to help them: for, as their hand was
formerly against every man, so now every man’s hand is against them. Justice,
therefore, takes hold on them, and will not let them escape.
PULPIT, "His children are far from safety. The sins of the fathers arc visited upon
the children. Eliphaz makes covert allusion to the death of Job's children (Job 1:19).
Feeling, however, that he is on delicate ground, he goes on into details which in no
way fit their case. And (he says) they are crushed in the gate; i.e. they are oppressed,
crushed, by litigations. The house once smitten of God, human beasts of prey enter
in; claims are made against the children; lawsuits commenced; all the arts of
chicanery set in motion; every effort made to strip them of their last penny. (For the
sense here assigned to "the gate," see Job 29:7 and Job 31:21.) either is there any
to deliver them. o one intercedes on their behalf, undertakes their detente in the
courts, or makes any effort to avert their ruin. This picture of legal oppression
accords very closely with what we know of the East in all ages (comp. Isaiah 1:17,
Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 3:14, Isaiah 3:15; Isaiah 5:23; Isaiah 10:2, etc.). Oriental
cowardice causes men to shrink from casting in their lot with those whom
Misfortune has marked as her own.
5 The hungry consume his harvest,
taking it even from among thorns,
and the thirsty pant after his wealth.

23. BAR ES, "Whose harvest the hungry eateth up - That is, they are not
permitted to enjoy the avails of their own labor. The harvest field is subject to the
depredations of others, who contrive to possess themselves of it, and to consume it.
And taketh it even out of the thorns - Or, he seizes it to the very thorns. That is,
the famished robber seizes the whole of the harvest. He takes it all away, even to the
thistles, and chaff, and cockle, and whatever impure substances there may be growing
with the grain. He does not wait to separate the grain from the other substances, but
consumes it all. He spares nothing.
And the robber swalloweth up their substance - Noyes renders this, as
Gesenius proposes to do, “and a snare gapeth after his substance;” Dr. Good, “and
rigidly swoopeth up their substance.” Rosenmuller much better:
Cujusquo facultates oxhauriebant sitibundi, copying exactly the version of Castellio.
The Vulgate in a similar manner, Et bibent sitientes divitias ejus - And the thirsty drink
up his wealth. The Septuagint, ᅚκσιφωνισθείη αᆒτራν ᅧ ᅶσχύς eksifōnisthein autōn hē ischus -
“should their power be absorbed.” The true sense, as I conceive, is, “the thirsty gasp, or
pant, after their wealth;” that is, they consume it. The word rendered in our common
version “the robber ‫צמים‬ tsammıym is, according to the ancient versions, the same as
‫צמאים‬ tsâmê'ıym, the thirsty, and this sense the parallelism certainly requires. So obvious
is this, that it is better to suppose a slight error in the Hebrew text, than to give it the
signification of a snare,” as Noyes does, and as Gesenius (Lexicon) proposes. The word
rendered “swalloweth up” (‫שׁאף‬ shâ'aph) means, properly, to breathe hard, to pant, to
blow; and then to yawn after, to desire, to absorb; and the sense here is, that the thirsty
consume their property. The whole figure is taken from robbers and freebooters; and I
have no doubt that Eliphaz meant impliedly to allude to the ease of Job, and to say that
he had known just such cases, where, though there was great temporary prosperity, yet
before long the children of the man who was prospered, and who professed to be pious,
but was not, were crushed, and his property taken away by robbers. It was this similarity
of the case of Job to the facts which he had observed, that staggered him so much in
regard to his cbaracter.
CLARKE, "Whose harvest - Their possessions, because acquired by unjust means,
shall not be under the protection of God’s providence; he shall abandon them to be
pillaged and destroyed by the wandering half-starved hordes of the desert banditti. They
shall carry it suddenly off; even the thorns - grain, weeds, thistles, and all, shall they
carry off in their rapacious hurry.
The robber swalloweth us - Or, more properly, the thirsty, ‫צמים‬ tsammim, as is
plain from their swallowing up or gulping down; opposed to the hungry or half-starved,
mentioned in the preceding clause. The hungry shall eat up their grain, and the thirsty
shall drink down their wine and oil, here termed ‫חילם‬ cheylam, their strength or power,
for the most obvious reasons.
There seem to be two allusions in this verse: 1. To the hordes of wandering predatory
banditti, or half-starved Arabs of the desert, who have their scanty maintenance by the
plunder of others. These descendants of Ishmael have ever had their hands against all

24. men, and live to this day in the same predatory manner in which they have lived for
several thousands of years. M. Volney’s account of them is striking: “These men are
smaller, leaner, and blacker, than any of the Bedouins yet discovered. Their wasted legs
had only tendons without calves. Their belly was shrunk to their back. They are in
general small, lean, and swarthy, and more so in the bosom of the desert than on the
borders of the more cultivated country. They are ordinarily about five feet or five feet
two inches high; they seldom have more than about six ounces of food for the whole day.
Six or seven dates, soaked in melted butter, a little milk, or curd, serve a man for twenty-
four hours; and he seems happy when he can add a small portion of coarse flour, or a
little ball of rice. Their camels also, which are their only support, are remarkably meagre,
living on the meanest and most scanty provision. Nature has given it a small head
without ears, at the end of a long neck without flesh. She has taken from its legs and
thighs every muscle not immediately requisite for motion; and in short has bestowed on
its withered body only the vessels and tendons necessary to connect its frame together.
She has furnished it with a strong jaw, that it may grind the hardest aliments; and, lest it
should consume too much, she has straitened its stomach, and obliged it to chew the
cud.” Such is the description given of the Bedouin and his camel, by M. Volney, who,
while he denies the true God, finds out a deity which he calls Nature, whose works evince
the highest providence, wisdom, and design! And where does this most wonderful and
intelligent goddess dwell? Nowhere but in the creed of the infidel; while the genuine
believer knows that nature is only the agent created and employed by the great and wise
God to accomplish, under his direction, the greatest and most stupendous beneficial
effects. The second allusion in the verse I suppose to be to the loss Job had sustained of
his cattle by the predatory Sabeans; and all this Eliphaz introduces for the support of his
grand argument, to convict Job of hidden crimes, on which account his enemies were
permitted to destroy his property; that property, because of this wickedness, being
placed out of the protection of God’s providence.
GILL, "Whose harvest the hungry eateth up,.... This is to be understood of the
foolish rich man before described, as taking root and flourishing; though he sows, and
reaps and gathers in his harvest, and fancies he has goods laid up for many years, to be
enjoyed by him, yet he is taken away by death, and another eats what he has gathered;
either his hungry heirs, that he has kept bare, and without the proper necessaries of life;
or the poor whom he has oppressed, who, driven by hunger, seize upon his harvest, and
eat it up, whether he be alive or dead: Sephorno interprets this of the wicked man
himself, who should eat up his own harvest, and not have enough to satisfy him, the
curse of God being upon his land; and another learned interpreter (s) thinks the sense is,
that such should be the curse of God on the fields of wicked men, that they should
produce no more than what was usually left to the poor, and therefore should have no
need to gather it:
and taketh it even out of the thorns; that is, either the hungry man takes the
harvest out of the thorns, among which it grows, see Mat_13:7; or which he had gotten
"through the thorns", as Mr. Broughton renders it; that is, the owner, through many
difficulties; and hunger will break through many to get at it; or though his harvest being
got in, is enclosed with a thorn hedge, the hungry man gets through it, and takes it out
from it, surrounded by it; the above mentioned Jewish writer understands this also of
the wicked man, who takes his own harvest out from among the thorns, so that there is
nothing left for the poor and his friends, as it is meet there should: the word (t) for

25. "thorns" has also the signification of armour, particularly of shields; hence the Targum
is,"and armed men with warlike arms shall take it away;''to which agrees the Vulgate
Latin version,"and the armed men shall take it away;''that is, soldiers should forage,
spoil, and destroy it:
and the robber swalloweth up their substance; the house robber, who breaks in
and devours all at once, and makes a clear riddance of it; some render it "the hairy man"
(u) either that neglects his hair, as beggars, or such that live in desert places, as robbers,
that they may appear the more terrible; or that take care of it, and nourish it, and tie it
up in locks, and behind their heads, as Bar Tzemach and Ben Melech observe they do in
Turkey; others translate it "the thirsty" (w), and so it answers to the hungry in the
preceding clause, and designs such who thirst, and gape after, and covet the substance of
others, and greedily catch at it, and swallow it up at once, at one draught, as a thirsty
man does a large quantity of liquor, see Pro_1:12; this may have some respect to the
Sabeans and Chaldeans, that swallowed up Job's substance, and took away his cattle
from him at once, and were no other than bands of robbers; and the use of the word for a
thief or a robber, as we take it, is confirmed by a learned man (x), who derives it from the
Arabic word which signifies to smite with a club or stone.
JAMISO , "even out of the thorns — Even when part of the grain remains
hanging on the thorn bushes (or, “is growing among thorns,” Mat_13:7), the hungry
gleaner does not grudge the trouble of even taking it away, so clean swept away is the
harvest of the wicked.
the robber — as the Sabeans, who robbed Job. Rather, translate “the thirsty,” as the
antithesis in the parallelism, “the hungry,” proves.
BE SO ,"Job 5:5. Whose harvest — Which they confidently expected to reap after
all their cost and labour; The hungry eateth up — The hungry Sabeans, or the poor,
whose necessities make them greedy and ravenous to eat it all up; so that he can
never recover it, or any thing in recompense of it. As if he had said, They may
cultivate their ground with the utmost care, and sow it with the choicest seed, in
expectation of reaping, at the usual time, the fruits of their labour; but when once
the sentence of the judge is declared against them, behold, instead of carrying in,
and filling their barns and store-houses with the great and plentiful increase, their
field is laid open to the hungry poor, who soon devour their whole harvest. And take
it even out of the thorns — That is, out of the fields, notwithstanding the strong
thorn-hedges wherewith it is enclosed and fortified; and in spite of all the dangers or
difficulties which may be in their way. They will take it, though they be scratched
and wounded by the thorns about it. And the robber swalloweth up their substance
— The word ‫,צמים‬ tzammim, here rendered robber, occurs but once more, namely,
Job 18:9, where Bildad, taking it for granted that Job must be a wicked man, says
the robber, tzammim, shall prevail against him. R. Levi derives it from tzammah,
hair, and says it represents a man who suffers his hair to grow long and squalid,
and appears with a terrible countenance. It may however signify thirsty, as derived
from another root. Either way it points out a set of savage and barbarous
plunderers. The word ‫שׂא‬ Šshaaph, rendered swalloweth up, literally means to draw
in the air, to pant after, to swallow greedily; and is applied to wild beasts, snuffing

26. up the wind in pursuit of their prey. The sense of the clause is, that these robbers
shall hasten with great eagerness, shall greedily pant after and swallow up their
entire substance, so as to leave them in the most deplorable condition.
COKE, "Job 5:5. Whose harvest, &c.— Heath renders this verse thus: Whose
harvest the hunger-starved shall devour, and shall take it even from among the
thorn-fences; and the thirsty shall swallow down their substance. In which last
clause, the author means to express the suddenness of their destruction; as quick as
a thirsty man swallows liquor at a gulp: and with this the Vulgate and Syriac
versions agree. Houbigant renders the verse, Moreover, the hungry hath devoured
their harvest; armed men have taken away their corn; robbers have consumed their
substance. See his note.
ELLICOTT, "(5) Whose harvest the hungry eateth up.—The meaning becomes
more pointed if we understand the wicked man himself as the subject whose harvest
he shall eat famishing and have to take from among the thorns—there shall be so
little, and that little choked with thorns. The word “robber” is perhaps a trap, or
snare. Some of the old versions use other vowels, and read, “the thirsty swallow up,”
making the parallelism complete.
PULPIT, "Whose harvest the hungry eateth up. Covetous men rush in and "eat up"
all that the family possesses, thus bringing it to the extreme of poverty and want.
And taketh it even out of the thorns. Vain is any protection that may be devised. As
hedges, even of the prickly pear, do not keep out a band of plunderers, so there is no
obstacle which those bent on robbing them will not overcome. And the robber
swalloweth up their substance; or, the thirsty; i.e. those who thirst after it.
6 For hardship does not spring from the soil,
nor does trouble sprout from the ground.
LIfe's problems are not like weeds that just spring up for no good reason. There is
purpose in all affliction and the man is a fool who does not see his troubles as a
lesson and a warning that he is on the wrong track. Don't kid yourself Job, these
problems just did not come out of nowhere. They are the consequences of your
behavior. You are reaping what you have sown. Just as you don't walk to your

27. garden and say how did this happen, so don't look at trouble and pretend you didn't
plant the seeds that produce this.
BAR ES, "Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust - Margin, “or
iniquity.” The marginal reading here has been inserted from the different meanings
attached to the Hebrew word. That word (‫און‬ 'âven) properly means nothingness, or
vanity; then nothingness as to worth, unworthiness, wickedness, iniquity; and then the
consequences of iniquity - adversity, calamity, affliction; Psa_55:4; Pro_22:8; Psa_
90:10; Job_15:35. The Septuagint renders it κόπος kopos, “labor,” or “trouble.” The
Vulgate, Nihil in terra, sine causa - “there is nothing on the earth without a cause.” The
general sense is plain. It is, that afflictions are not to be ascribed to chance, or that they
are not without intelligent design. They do not come up like thistles, brambles, and
thorns, from the unconscious earth. They have a cause. They are under the direction of
God. The object of Eliphaz in the statement is, to show to Job that it was improper to
complain, and that he should commit his cause to a God of infinite power and wisdom;
Job_5:8 ff. Afflictions, Eliphaz says, could not be avoided. Man was born unto them. He
ought to expect them, and when they come, they should be submitted to as ordered by
an intelligent, wise, and good Being. This is one true ground of consolation in afflictions.
They do not come from the unconscious earth: they do not spring up of themselves.
Though it is true that man is born to them, and must expect them, yet it is also true that
they are ordered in infinite wisdom, and that they always have a design.
Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground - The Septuagint renders this,
“Nor will affliction spring up from the mountains.”
CLARKE, "Affliction cometh not forth of the dust - If there were not an adequate
cause, thou couldst not be so grievously afflicted.
Spring out of the ground - It is not from mere natural causes that affliction and
trouble come; God’s justice inflicts them upon offending man.
GILL, "Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust,.... Or rather, "for" or
"indeed" (y), this being a reason showing that wicked men are justly afflicted and
punished; seeing their afflictions come not from the creatures, though they may be
instruments, but from God for the sins of men: the word for affliction also signifies
iniquity or sin, the cause of affliction, as well as affliction the fruit of sin; and so does the
word in the following clause; and Aben Ezra understands both, not of natural but moral
evil, and so do others (z); both senses may be taken in: sin does not come from God, the
Maker of the dust of the earth, he is not the author of sin, nor does this spring out of the
dust which he has made; good things, as Schmidt observes, come out of the earth for the
use of man as well as beasts, bread, and wine, and oil, and all the necessaries of life; the
precious things produced by the influence of the sun and moon, the precious things of
the everlasting hills, and of the earth, and the fulness of it; indeed, the earth was cursed
for the sin of men, but this is taken off; and, however, it is not owing to the soil, or to the
air and climate in which a man lives, that he is sinful; for though there may be national
vices or some sins peculiar to or more predominant in one nation than in another, yet
this is not to be attributed to such causes; for all sin is from a man's self, and proceeds

28. out of his own evil heart, which is desperately wicked and evil continually, and from
whence all the impure streams of sin flow, see Mat_15:19; and so afflictions are not to be
ascribed to second causes, such as the things before mentioned, or Job's losses by the
Sabeans and Chaldeans; nor did he place them to that account, but to the hand of God;
nor to chance and fortune, or to be reckoned fortuitous events, as if they were chance
productions, spontaneous things that spring up of themselves, and not under the
direction of an all wise Providence; but they are to be considered as of God, and as of his
appointment, and directed by his sovereign will and pleasure, and overruled for his
glory; who has fixed what they shall be, of what kind and sort, what the measure of
them, to what pitch they shall rise, and how long they shall last:
neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; the same thing as before in
different words, neither sin, the cause of trouble, the effect of sin; sin may very fitly be
expressed by a word (a) which signifies trouble, because it is both troublesome,
wearisome, and offensive to God, and brings trouble to the bodies and souls of men here
and hereafter. Here Eliphaz begins to lower the tone of his voice, and to speak to Job in a
seemingly more kind and friendly manner, observing to him the spring of afflictions, and
giving him advice how to behave under them.
HE RY, "Eliphaz, having touched Job in a very tender part, in mentioning both the
loss of his estate and the death of his children as the just punishment of his sin, that he
might not drive him to despair, here begins to encourage him, and puts him in a way to
make himself easy. Now he very much changes his voice (Gal_4:20), and speaks in the
accents of kindness, as if he would atone for the hard words he had given him.
I. He reminds him that no affliction comes by chance, nor is to be attributed to second
causes: It doth not come forth of the dust, nor spring out of the ground, as the grass
doth, Job_5:6. It doth not come of course, at certain seasons of the year, as natural
productions do, by a chain of second causes. The proportion between prosperity and
adversity is not so exactly observed by Providence as that between day and night,
summer and winter, but according to the will and counsel of God, when and as he thinks
fit. Some read it, Sin comes not forth out of the dust, nor iniquity of the ground. If men
be bad, they must not lay the blame upon the soil, the climate, or the stars, but on
themselves. If thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. We must not attribute our
afflictions to fortune, for they are from God, nor our sins to fate, for they are from
ourselves; so that, whatever trouble we are in, we must own that God sends it upon us
and we procure it to ourselves: the former is a reason why we should be very patient, the
latter why we should be very penitent, when we are afflicted.
JAMISO , "Although — rather, “for truly” [Umbreit].
affliction cometh not forth of the dust — like a weed, of its own accord. Eliphaz
hints that the cause of it lay with Job himself.
K&D 6-11, "As the oracle above, so Eliphaz says here, that a sorrowful life is allotted
to man,
(Note: Fries explains ‫ד‬ ָ ‫יוּ‬ as part., and refers to Geiger's Lehrb. zur Sprache der
Mischna, S. 41f., according to which ‫ל‬ ָ ֻ‫ק‬ ְ‫מ‬ signifies killed, and ‫ל‬ ָ ֻ‫ק‬ (= Rabb. ‫ל‬ ֵ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫ת‬ ִ‫)מ‬
being killed (which, however, rests purely on imagination): not the matter from

29. which mankind originates brings evil with it, but it is man who inclines towards the
evil. Böttch. would read ‫ד‬ ֵ‫ּול‬‫י‬: man is the parent of misery, though he may rise high in
anger.)
so that his wisdom consequently consists in accommodating himself to his lot: if he does
not do that, he is an ‫יל‬ִ‫ו‬ ֱ‫,א‬ and thereby perishes. Misfortune does not grow out of the
ground like weeds; it is rather established in the divine order of the world, as it is
established in the order of nature that sparks of fire should ascend. The old critics
understood by ‫רשׁף‬ ‫בני‬ birds of prey, as being swift as lightning (with which the
appellation of beasts of prey may be compared, Job_28:8; Job_41:26); but ‫ף‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֶ‫ר‬ signifies
also a flame or blaze (Son_8:6). Children of the flame is an appropriate name for sparks,
and flying upwards is naturally peculiar to sparks as to birds of prey; wherefore among
modern expositors, Hirz., Ew., Hahn, von Gerl., Ebr., rightly decide in favour of sparks.
Schlottmann understands “angels” by children of flame; but the wings, which are given
to angels in Scripture, are only a symbol of their freedom of motion. This remarkable
interpretation is altogether opposed to the sententious character of Job_5:7, which
symbolizes a moral truth by an ordinary thing. The waw in ‫י‬ֵ‫נ‬ ְ‫,וּב‬ which we have
translated ”as,” is the so-called waw adaequationis proper to the Proverbs, and also to
emblems, e.g., Pro_25:25.
Eliphaz now says what he would do in Job's place. Ew. and Ebr. translate incorrectly,
or at least unnecessarily: Nevertheless I will. We translate, according to Ges. §127, 5:
Nevertheless I would; and indeed with an emphatic I: Nevertheless I for my part. ‫שׁ‬ ַ‫ר‬ ָ
with ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ is constr. praegnans, like Deu_12:5, sedulo adire. ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ְ‫ב‬ ִ is not speech, like ‫ה‬ ָ‫ר‬ ְ‫מ‬ ִ‫א‬
but cause, causa, in a judicial sense. ‫ל‬ ֵ‫א‬ is God as the Mighty One; ‫ים‬ ִ‫ּה‬‫ל‬ ֱ‫א‬ is God in the
totality of His variously manifested nature. The fecundity of the earth by rain, and of the
fields (‫ּות‬‫צ‬‫חוּ‬ = rura) by water-springs (cf. Psa_104:10), as the works of God, are
intentionally made prominent. He who makes the barren places fruitful, can also change
suffering into joy. To His power in nature corresponds His power among men (Job_
5:11). ‫שׂוּם‬ ָ‫ל‬ is here only as a variation for ‫ם‬ ָ ַ‫,ה‬ as Heiligst. rightly observes: it is equivalent
to collacaturus, or qui in eo est ut collocet, according to the mode of expression
discussed in Ges. §132, rem. 1, and more fully on Hab_1:17. The construction of Hab_
1:11 is still bolder. ‫ב‬ַ‫ג‬ ָ‫שׂ‬ signifies to be high and steep, inaccessible. It is here construed
with the acc. of motion: those who go in dirty, black clothes because they mourn, shall
be high in prosperity, i.e., come to stand on an unapproachable height of prosperity.
BE SO , "Job 5:6. Although affliction cometh not forth out of the dust — The
word
‫,און‬ aven, here rendered affliction, rather signifies iniquity, and the clause is
literally, Iniquity cometh not forth out of the dust; neither doth trouble spring out of
the ground — That is, says Dr. Dodd, “As the wickedness of men does not proceed
from any natural cause, but from their own free-will; so neither are their miseries to
be considered as the effects of natural causes, but as the distributions of a free agent
likewise, namely, of a just God, who suits men’s punishments to their crimes; and

30. hence man, being prone to sin, is necessarily born to suffer,” as is signified in the
next verse.
COKE, "Verse 6-7
Job 5:6-7. Although affliction cometh not, &c.— The Hebrew is rather, For iniquity
cometh not forth out of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; i.e.
"As the wickedness of men does not proceed from any natural cause in the origin of
things, but from their own free-will, or from the abuse of divine grace; so neither
are their miseries to be considered as the effects of merely natural causes, but as the
distributions of a free agent likewise, who fits men's punishments to their crimes;
and hence man, being prone to sin, is necessarily born to suffer: yet man is born,
&c." But this verse would be better rendered, agreeable to the interpretation given
of the preceding one, for then man would be born to trouble as the sparks fly
upward; that is, it would fall upon him naturally and necessarily, without any
determination or direction of any mortal agent. He could neither prevent it by his
piety, nor hasten it by his impiety. The last clause of this verse is literally in the
Hebrew, As the sons of the burning coal lift themselves up to fly. This agrees well
with the sparks of fire, which naturally ascend. Peters. Houbigant and Heath, after
some of the ancient versions, render this clause, As the young eagles for soaring
aloft.
ELLICOTT, "(6, 7) Although affliction. . . .—These two verses are confessedly very
difficult. It is hard to see also the connection between sparks flying upwards and
man’s being born to trouble. It seems to give better sense if we understand Eliphaz
comparing man’s lot as prepared for him by God with his own pride and
presumptuous ambition. Man is born to labour, but, like sparks of fire, he makes
high his flight. Trouble and toil is no accidental growth, but a lot appointed by God,
which would be beneficial if man did not thwart it by his own pride. They lift
themselves up and soar on high like sparks of fire with daring and presumptuous
conduct, and so bring on themselves condign punishment. The same word means
trouble and toil, and it may be understood in the two consecutive verses in these
cognate, but slightly different, senses. It would be no consolation to Job to tell him
that man was born to trouble; besides, it is a sentiment more likely to proceed from
the patient himself than from the spectator.
PULPIT, "Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble
spring out of the ground. There is a tacit reference to what was said in Job 4:8.
Affliction and trouble are not chance products of spontaneous growth. They only
spring up when men have prepared the ground for them, and planted in it an evil
seed.
BI 6-11, "Affliction cometh not forth of the dust.

31. Human suffering
“Affliction comet, h not forth of the dust, nor doth trouble spring out of the ground.” The
liability of man to suffering is one of the most palpable truths addressed to our
observation or experience, and at the same time one of the most affecting that can call
forth the susceptibilities of a well-regulated mind. Innumerable and diversified are the
immediate or proximate causes from which these sorrows spring. The study of human
suffering is unquestionably a melancholy one, and to some it may appear not only
gloomy but also useless. It is therefore, above all things, expedient that we labour to
extract from suffering its due improvement, as forming one part, and an important part,
of the dealings towards us of a God of mercy—a God who has engaged to make all things
work together for the good of His people.
I. Is there anything in us of ourselves that naturally or necessarily exposes us to
suffering? The text at least insinuates that there is. It is strong even in its negative
statement, and replete with meaning, when it informs us that “affliction cometh not of
the dust.” Reason tells us that in ourselves there must be some provoking cause of the
woes we feel. We must have offended our Maker. Revelation settles this matter on a
surer basis. The great fact is, that by sin the human race have purchased sorrow, and by
their guilt they have provoked it. Never has there lived and died a man whose history has
not furnished evidences innumerable of the dependence of sorrow upon sin. In many
instances we can trace up a definite affliction to a definite sin. These instances concern
both individuals and nations.
II. Has God any benevolent end in view in infusing affliction so copiously into the cup of
our temporal lot? That suffering, while it traces itself to sin, as its provoking cause, is
measured out by the God of heaven, and is decidedly under His control, at once as to
degree and duration, is a truth which we deem it unnecessary to pause in proving. How
are we to reconcile the Divine agency in the matter with the goodness and the love
which, while they characterise, at the same time constitute, the glory and the grandeur of
His nature?
1. God often sends afflictions to His enemies for the purpose of melting their hearts
and subduing them to Himself. Even in the natural world, and in the conduct of men,
we are conversant with such a thing as the production of real good out of seeming
evil. Every day and hour God is making the dispensations of His providence, more
especially afflictive dispensations, to subserve, to pave the way for, and to promote,
the purposes of His grace. As God pulverises, purifies, and invigorates the weary soil
by the keen blasts, the nipping frosts, and the drifting snows of winter, thus
preparing it for a favourable reception of the seed by the husbandman in the spring,
so does God not unfrequently, by the rude storm of adversity or the chilling visitation
of affliction, soften, melt down, and prepare the barren hearts of the children of men
for the good seed of the Word of truth.
2. God often sends affliction to His enemies with a view to their conversion into
friends. And when He visits it upon His people, it is for the purpose of promoting
their improvement and advancement in the Divine life. Even in the case of the
wicked, God’s judgments are not necessarily of a penal character. But uniformly, and
without exception, in the case of His genuine people, affliction is sent in love. And
inconceivably various are the benevolent ends affliction is calculated to subserve and
promote. Learn that we should be humble under affliction. The simple reflection that
it springs from and is attributable to our own disobedience and guilt should be
sufficient to summon up and to keep alive this emotion. We should also learn to be
resigned when the hand of the Almighty is laid upon us. And in every case we should

32. seek to improve affliction for God’s glory and our own good. (W. Craig.)
The uses of suffering
It is a common thing for men to look upon pain as wholly evil. But deeper reflection
shows that suffering is not thus purely evil—a thing to be utterly feared and hated. It is
often an instrument employed for good.
I. Suffering cannot be wholly evil.
1. A life without trouble would be one of the worst things for man.
2. Nothing which is a necessity of our nature is utterly evil. Suffering is one of those
things which no one can avoid in this imperfect state of existence.
3. The innocent often suffer. A great deal of pain is endured which cannot be deemed
retributive, cannot be termed punishment. Look at the animal creation, and at the
sorrows which men unjustly endure—the cruel wrongs of poor slaves, innocent
prisoners, and oppressed peoples.
4. The most highly gifted natures are the most susceptible of pain.
5. Jesus Christ condescended to endure suffering.
II. Suffering answers useful purposes.
1. It is a motive power in the development of civilisation.
2. It is one of the great regenerative forces of society.
3. One of the most beneficent uses consists in its preventive power.
4. It is the necessary condition of sacrifice.
5. It affords scope for the exercise of the passive virtues,
6. It will make the joys of heaven more rich and sweet. Remember that all discipline
benefits or injures according to the spirit in which we receive it. (T. W. Maya, M. A.)
The troubles of life Divinely appointed
I. This is a troublesome world.
1. The elements of which the world is composed are not only troublesome, but often
destructive to mankind.
2. The great changes which take place in the world from year to year render it not
only troublesome, but very distressing and destructive to its inhabitants. Every one
of the four seasons of the year brings with it peculiar trials, labours, dangers, and
diseases.
3. Many parts of the world are filled with a vast variety of animals, which are
extremely hostile and troublesome to mankind.
4. This world is full of evil, on account of the moral depravity which universally
prevails among its human inhabitants. Man is the greatest enemy of man.
5. This is a troublesome world on account of the heavy and complicated calamities