Chapter Text
Eliphaz's Second Speech
Summary
Eliphaz responds for the second time, accusing Job more harshly. He asks whether a wise man should utter vain knowledge and fill himself with east wind. He charges Job with undermining the fear of God and restraining prayer. Eliphaz insists that Job's own mouth condemns him, not Eliphaz himself. He repeats his earlier theme: what is man that he should be clean, or one born of woman that he should be righteous? Eliphaz describes the torments of the wicked in vivid detail, declaring that the godless man's prosperity is cut short and his dwelling consumed by fire.
Meaning
Eliphaz has hardened. His first speech was relatively gentle; now he directly accuses Job of undermining true religion. The escalation reveals how theological debates about suffering can deteriorate when participants care more about winning the argument than comforting the sufferer.
His vivid portrayal of the wicked man's fate is a thinly veiled portrait of Job himself. The description of one who stretches out his hand against God and runs against Him with a thick shield is Eliphaz's judgment on Job's bold complaints. Yet the reader knows what Eliphaz does not: Job's boldness is not rebellion but the fierce honesty of a man who refuses to let go of God.
Background
The east wind, referenced by Eliphaz, was the hot, dry sirocco that blew from the Arabian desert, withering vegetation and causing great discomfort. It served as a common metaphor for destructive or worthless speech.
Eliphaz's description of the wicked man's fate draws heavily on the stock imagery of wisdom literature, where the destruction of the ungodly was a standard teaching theme.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-6Eliphaz rebukes Job's words
- vv. 7-13Challenge to Job's claimed wisdom
- vv. 14-16The uncleanness of all humanity
- vv. 17-19Appeal to ancestral teaching
- vv. 20-26The torment of the wicked man
- vv. 27-35The wicked man's certain ruin
Key Verses
“What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?”— 15:14
A foundational statement on human depravity, echoing Job 14:4 and anticipating Pauline doctrine of universal sinfulness (Romans 3:10). Frequently cited in discussions of original sin and the need for divine righteousness.
“Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.”— 15:15
Eliphaz emphasizes the absolute holiness of God against which even angelic beings fall short. The verse is often quoted to underscore divine transcendence and the infinite gap between Creator and creature.
“How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”— 15:16
A vivid image of habitual sin as natural and unceasing as drinking water. The verse became a touchstone for later theological reflection on the corruption of human nature.
People & Places
People
- Eliphaz the Temanite — The eldest of Job's three friends, who opens the second cycle of speeches with sharper accusation.
- Job — The suffering patriarch addressed throughout, accused here of impiety and self-justification.
Places
- Teman — A region of Edom renowned for its wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7), implied as the homeland of Eliphaz.
Devotional
Eliphaz's words sting because they mix truth with misapplication. He rightly proclaims God's holiness and humanity's frailty, yet wrongly assumes Job's suffering must prove hidden sin. It is a sobering reminder that orthodox theology can become a weapon when wielded without compassion.
When we sit with hurting friends, the temptation is to explain their pain rather than share it. This chapter invites us to hold doctrine and mercy together — to speak truth gently, listen long, and resist the urge to assign blame where God has not spoken.
Literary Style
Hebrew wisdom poetry in dialogue form, structured by synonymous and antithetic parallelism. Eliphaz employs rhetorical questions, vivid agricultural and military imagery, and a sustained portrait of the wicked that functions as veiled accusation against Job.