Chapter Summary
Core Passages from Job 15
Job 15:5-6For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips testify against you.
Eliphaz directly accuses Job, stating that his own words, born from sin, are what condemn him. This marks a shift from concerned friend to harsh prosecutor.Job 15:14-16What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!
Here, Eliphaz uses a correct theological point - that all humanity is flawed - to dismiss Job's personal suffering and claims of integrity. He argues that if even the heavens aren't pure, a man like Job is surely corrupt.Job 15:20-21The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
This is the beginning of Eliphaz's detailed portrait of the wicked man's tormented life. He describes a person who writhes in pain and lives in constant fear, a description he clearly believes fits Job's situation.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Second Round: Counsel Turns to Condemnation
The conversation between Job and his friends enters its second cycle, and the gloves come off. Job finished a powerful speech in chapter 14, lamenting his condition and questioning God's justice. In response, Eliphaz, who had initially offered a somewhat measured, philosophical argument in chapter 4, now returns with a sharp and personal attack. He feels his wisdom has been rejected and now aims to dismantle Job's arguments by attacking his character.
An Appeal to Tradition and a Portrait of the Wicked
Eliphaz's strategy is to appeal to ancient, established wisdom - the truths passed down by the ancestors. He presents a rigid, black-and-white view of the world: the righteous prosper, and the wicked suffer. By painting a long, graphic picture of the wicked man's miserable existence, he is not speaking in hypotheticals. He is holding up a mirror to Job, insisting that his suffering is undeniable proof of his guilt.
Eliphaz's Rebuke and the Fate of the Wicked
After listening to Job's desperate plea, Eliphaz the Temanite responds with a speech that is both a theological lecture and a personal indictment. He begins by dismissing Job's words as worthless and arrogant before launching into a detailed description of the fate that awaits the wicked. Throughout this chapter, Eliphaz uses traditional wisdom as a hammer to condemn his suffering friend, convinced that Job's pain must be the result of some great sin.
An Accusation of Empty Words (Job 15:1-6)
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
2 “Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
3 Should he argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which he can do no good?
4 But you are doing away with the fear of God and hindering meditation before God.
5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.
6 Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; your own lips testify against you.
Commentary:
Eliphaz dismisses Job's defense as meaningless and accuses his words of revealing his hidden sin.
A Challenge to Job's Wisdom (Job 15:7-13)
7 "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills?"
8 Have you listened in the council of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
9 What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us?
10 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.
11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, or the word that deals gently with you?
12 Why does your heart carry you away, and why do your eyes flash,
13 That you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth?
Commentary:
Eliphaz sarcastically questions Job's wisdom, accusing him of arrogance for thinking he knows more than his friends.
The Universal Flaw of Humanity (Job 15:14-16)
14 What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?
15 Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight;
16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!
Commentary:
Eliphaz argues that since no one is perfect before God, Job's claims of personal righteousness are pointless.
The Terrifying Fate of the Wicked (Job 15:17-35)
17 "I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare"
18 what the wise have told, not hiding what they have received from their ancestors,
19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them.
20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless.
21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him.
22 He does not believe that he will return out of darkness, and he is marked for the sword.
23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand;
24 Distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him, like a king ready for battle.
25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God and defies the Almighty,
26 he runs at him with a stubborn neck, with the thick bosses of his shields;
27 Because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his waist
28 And he lived in desolate cities, in houses that no one should inhabit, houses destined to become heaps of ruins;
29 He will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth.
30 He will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry up his shoots, and by the breath of his mouth he will depart.
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment.
32 It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not be green.
33 He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his blossom like the olive tree.
34 For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of bribery.
35 They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity, and their womb prepares deceit.”
Commentary:
Eliphaz paints a grim, detailed picture of the wicked man's life of constant fear and ultimate ruin, implying this is Job's story.
Core Truths in Eliphaz's Harsh Counsel
The Danger of Rigid Theology
Eliphaz represents a theology that has all the answers neatly packaged. He believes suffering is always a direct punishment for sin. This chapter reveals the complete failure of such a system when it confronts the messy reality of human pain, turning a potential comforter into an accuser.
Misguided Defense of God
In his attempt to defend God's justice and honor, Eliphaz ends up misrepresenting Him. He speaks with great confidence about the fate of the wicked, but his words lack the compassion and mercy that are also central to God's character. It's a powerful reminder that defending God doesn't require us to condemn the suffering.
The Power of Words to Wound
Eliphaz calls Job's words 'windy knowledge,' yet his own speech is what causes deep wounds. This chapter is a stark illustration of how words, even when spoken with religious conviction, can be used to crush a person who is already down. It highlights the immense responsibility that comes with offering spiritual counsel.
Applying Wisdom in a Hurting World
Eliphaz's certainty that suffering equals sin (Job 15:20) blinded him to Job's reality. This chapter warns you that when your understanding of God is too simple, it can lead to judgment instead of compassion. It challenges you to hold your beliefs with humility, especially when faced with someone else's pain.
Like Job, you may have felt dismissed by someone who thought they had all the answers. Eliphaz's failure teaches you that true comfort often begins with listening, not lecturing. Before offering your perspective, remember to first validate the other person's pain and resist the urge to provide easy explanations for complex suffering.
Eliphaz saw Job's honest questions as rebellion. This chapter shows that there is a difference between questioning God from a place of pain and defying Him from a place of pride. You can bring your anger, confusion, and grief to God honestly, as the psalmists did, trusting that He is big enough to handle your struggle.
When Good Theology Goes Wrong
Job 15 serves as a powerful warning against using truth as a weapon. Eliphaz, in his zeal to defend a rigid view of God's justice, becomes deaf to his friend's anguish. The message is that theological correctness without compassion is cruelty. God is not honored by arguments that crush the brokenhearted, but by wisdom that stoops to listen and comfort.
What This Means for Us Today
This chapter is an invitation to check our hearts before we speak. It shows us the immense damage that can be done by well-intentioned people with rigid answers. We are called not to be prosecutors who diagnose the cause of suffering, but friends who are willing to sit in the ashes with those who hurt, offering presence instead of platitudes.
- Who in my life needs my presence more than my opinions right now?
- Is there a formulaic belief I hold that might be preventing me from showing true compassion?
- How can I practice listening more deeply to those who are suffering?
Further Reading
Immediate Context
Connections Across Scripture
Jesus directly refutes the idea that suffering is always a direct result of sin, a core belief of Eliphaz.
The psalmist wrestles with the prosperity of the wicked, a reality that directly challenges Eliphaz's neat and tidy theology.
This chapter describes the benefits of righteousness, reflecting the traditional wisdom that Eliphaz draws from but applies incorrectly.
Discussion Questions
- Eliphaz accuses Job of speaking 'windy knowledge' (Job 15:2). In what ways can our attempts to explain suffering become empty words that cause more harm than good?
- Eliphaz relies heavily on tradition and 'what the wise have told' (Job 15:18). When is it good to lean on tradition, and when can it become a barrier to understanding what God is doing in a person's life?
- If you were in Job's position, how would you have felt after hearing this speech from a friend? What does this chapter teach us about the ministry of presence - being with someone in their pain - versus the ministry of explanation?