Teks -- Job 15:1-22 (NET)

Eliphaz’s Second Speech

15:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered: 15:2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, or fill his belly with the east wind? 15:3 Does he argue with useless talk, with words that have no value in them? 15:4 But you even break off piety, and hinder meditation before God. 15:5 Your sin inspires your mouth; you choose the language of the crafty. 15:6 Your own mouth condemns you, not I; your own lips testify against you. 15:7 “Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? 15:8 Do you listen in on God’s secret council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? 15:9 What do you know that we don’t know? What do you understand that we don’t understand? 15:10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men far older than your father. 15:11 Are God’s consolations too trivial for you; or a word spoken in gentleness to you? 15:12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, 15:13 when you turn your rage against God and allow such words to escape from your mouth? 15:14 What is man that he should be pure, or one born of woman, that he should be righteous? 15:15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, 15:16 how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, who drinks in evil like water! 15:17 “I will explain to you; listen to me, and what I have seen, I will declare, 15:18 what wise men declare, hiding nothing, from the tradition of their ancestors, 15:19 to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them. 15:20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, throughout the number of the years that are stored up for the tyrant. 15:21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; in a time of peace marauders attack him. 15:22 He does not expect to escape from darkness; he is marked for the sword;

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per frasa)

Wesley: Job 15:2 - Fill

Satisfy his mind and conscience.

Wesley: Job 15:2 - East wind

With discourses not only unprofitable, but also pernicious both to himself and others; as the east - wind was in those parts.

Wesley: Job 15:4 - Castest off

Heb. thou makes void fear; the fear of God, piety and religion, by thy unworthy speeches of God, and by those false and pernicious principles, that God makes no difference between good and bad in the course of his providence, but equally prospers or afflicts both: thou dost that which tends to the subversion of the fear and worship of God.

Wesley: Job 15:4 - Restrainest prayer

Thou dost by thy words and principles, as far as in thee lies, banish prayer out of the world, by making it useless and unprofitable to men.

Wesley: Job 15:5 - Uttereth

Thy words discover the naughtiness of thy heart.

Wesley: Job 15:5 - Crafty

Thou speakest wickedly, and craftily: thou coverest thy impious principles with fair pretences of piety.

Wesley: Job 15:11 - Are

Are those comforts, which we have propounded to thee on condition of thy repentance, small and contemptible in thine eyes? Secret - Hast thou any secret and peculiar way of comfort which is unknown to us, and to all other men?

Wesley: Job 15:12 - Why

Why dost thou suffer thyself to be transported by the pride of thine heart, to use such unworthy expressions? Wink - Why dost thou look with such an angry, supercilious, and disdainful look?

Wesley: Job 15:13 - Against God

Eliphaz here does in effect give the cause on Satan's side, and affirms that Job had done as he said he would, Curse God to his face.

Wesley: Job 15:15 - Saints

In his angels, Job 4:18, who are called his saints or holy ones, Deu 33:2; Psa 103:20. Who though they were created holy, yet many of them fell.

Wesley: Job 15:15 - Heavens

The angels that dwell in heaven; heaven being put for its inhabitants. None of these are pure, simply and perfectly, and comparatively to God. The angels are pure from corruption, but not from imperfection.

Wesley: Job 15:16 - Who

Who besides his natural proneness to sin, has contracted habits of sinning; and sins as freely, as greedily and delightfully, as men, especially in those hot countries, drink up water.

Wesley: Job 15:17 - I

I will prove what I have affirmed, that such strokes as thine are peculiar to hypocrites.

Wesley: Job 15:17 - Seen

I speak not by hear - say, but from my own experience.

Wesley: Job 15:18 - Hid

They judged it to be so certain and important a truth, that they would not conceal it in their own breasts.

Wesley: Job 15:19 - To whom

By the gracious gift of God: this he alleges to make their testimony more considerable, because these were no obscure men, but the most worthy and famous men in their ages; and to confute what Job had said, Job 9:24, that the earth was given into the hand of the wicked. By the earth he means the dominion and possession of it.

Wesley: Job 15:19 - Stranger

No person of a strange nation and disposition, or religion.

Wesley: Job 15:19 - Passed

Through their land, so as to disturb, or spoil them, as the Sabeans and Chaldeans did thee. God watched over those holy men so, that no enemy could invade them; and so he would have done over thee, if thou hadst been such an one.

Wesley: Job 15:20 - Pain

Lives a life of care, and fear, and grief, by reason of God's wrath, the torments of his own mind, and his outward calamities.

Wesley: Job 15:20 - Hidden

He knows not how short the time of his life is, and therefore lives in continual fear of losing it.

Wesley: Job 15:20 - Oppressor

To the wicked man: he names this one sort of them, because he supposed Job to be guilty of this sin, in opposition of what Job had affirmed of the safety of such persons, Job 12:6, and because such are apt to promise themselves a longer and happier life than other men.

Wesley: Job 15:21 - A sound

Even when he feels no evil, he is tormented with perpetual fears.

Wesley: Job 15:21 - Come upon him

Suddenly and unexpectedly.

Wesley: Job 15:22 - Believeth not

When he falls into trouble, he despairs of deliverance, by reason of his guilty conscience.

Wesley: Job 15:22 - Waited for

Besides the calamity which is upon him, he is in constant expectation of greater; the sword is used for any grievous affliction.

JFB: Job 15:2 - a wise man

Which Job claims to be.

JFB: Job 15:2 - vain knowledge

Hebrew, "windy knowledge"; literally, "of wind" (Job 8:2). In Ecc 1:14, Hebrew, "to catch wind," expresses to strive for what is vain.

JFB: Job 15:2 - east wind

Stronger than the previous "wind," for in that region the east wind is the most destructive of winds (Isa 27:8). Thus here,--empty violence.

JFB: Job 15:2 - belly

The inward parts, the breast (Pro 18:8).

JFB: Job 15:4 - fear

Reverence for God (Job 4:6; Psa 2:11).

JFB: Job 15:4 - prayer

Meditation, in Psa 104:34; so devotion. If thy views were right, reasons Eliphaz, that God disregards the afflictions of the righteous and makes the wicked to prosper, all devotion would be at an end.

JFB: Job 15:5

The sophistry of thine own speeches proves thy guilt.

JFB: Job 15:6

No pious man would utter such sentiments.

JFB: Job 15:7

That is, Art thou wisdom personified? Wisdom existed before the hills; that is, the eternal Son of God (Pro 8:25; Psa 90:2). Wast thou in existence before Adam? The farther back one existed, the nearer he was to the Eternal Wisdom.

JFB: Job 15:8 - secret

Rather, "Wast thou a listener in the secret council of God?" The Hebrew means properly the cushions of a divan on which counsellors in the East usually sit. God's servants are admitted to God's secrets (Psa 25:14; Gen 18:17; Joh 15:15).

JFB: Job 15:8 - restrain

Rather, didst thou take away, or borrow, thence (namely, from the divine secret council) thy wisdom? Eliphaz in this (Job 15:8-9) retorts Job's words upon himself (Job 12:2-3; Job 13:2).

JFB: Job 15:9 - in us

Or, "with us," Hebraism for "we are aware of."

JFB: Job 15:10

On our side, thinking with us are the aged. Job had admitted that wisdom is with them (Job 12:12). Eliphaz seems to have been himself older than Job; perhaps the other two were also (Job 32:6). Job, in Job 30:1, does not refer to his three friends; it therefore forms no objection. The Arabs are proud of fulness of years.

JFB: Job 15:11 - consolations

Namely, the revelation which Eliphaz had stated as a consolatory reproof to Job, and which he repeats in Job 15:14.

JFB: Job 15:11 - secret

Hast thou some secret wisdom and source of consolation, which makes thee disregard those suggested by me? (Job 15:8). Rather, from a different Hebrew root, Is the word of kindness or gentleness addressed by me treated by thee as valueless? [UMBREIT].

JFB: Job 15:12 - wink

That is, why do thy eyes evince pride? (Pro 6:13; Psa 35:19).

JFB: Job 15:13

That is, frettest against God and lettest fall rash words.

JFB: Job 15:14

Eliphaz repeats the revelation (Job 4:17) in substance, but using Job's own words (see on Job 14:1, on "born of a woman") to strike him with his own weapons.

JFB: Job 15:15

Repeated from Job 4:18; "servants" there are "saints" here; namely, holy angels.

JFB: Job 15:15 - heavens

Literally, or else answering to "angels" (see on Job 4:18, and Job 25:5).

JFB: Job 15:16 - filthy

In Arabic "sour" (Psa 14:3; Psa 53:3), corrupted from his original purity.

JFB: Job 15:16 - drinketh

(Pro 19:28).

JFB: Job 15:17

In direct contradiction of Job's position (Job 12:6, &c.), that the lot of the wicked was the most prosperous here, Eliphaz appeals (1) to his own experience, (2) to the wisdom of the ancients.

JFB: Job 15:18

Rather, "and which as handed down from their fathers, they have not concealed."

JFB: Job 15:19

Eliphaz speaks like a genuine Arab when he boasts that his ancestors had ever possessed the land unmixed with foreigners [UMBREIT]. His words are intended to oppose Job's (Job 9:24); "the earth" in their case was not "given into the hand of the wicked." He refers to the division of the earth by divine appointment (Gen 10:5; Gen 25:32). Also he may insinuate that Job's sentiments had been corrupted from original purity by his vicinity to the Sabeans and Chaldeans [ROSENMULLER].

JFB: Job 15:20 - travaileth

Rather, "trembleth of himself," though there is no real danger [UMBREIT].

JFB: Job 15:20 - and the number of his years, &c.

This gives the reason why the wicked man trembles continually; namely, because he knows not the moment when his life must end.

JFB: Job 15:21

An evil conscience conceives alarm at every sudden sound, though it be in a time of peace ("prosperity"), when there is no real danger (Lev 26:36; Pro 28:1; 2Ki 7:6).

JFB: Job 15:22 - darkness

Namely, danger or calamity. Glancing at Job, who despaired of restoration: in contrast to good men when in darkness (Mic 7:8-9).

JFB: Job 15:22 - waited for of

That is, He is destined for the sword [GESENIUS]. Rather (in the night of danger), "he looks anxiously towards the sword," as if every sword was drawn against him [UMBREIT].

Clarke: Job 15:2 - Should a wise man utter vain knowledge

Should a wise man utter vain knowledge - Or rather, Should a wise man utter the science of wind? A science without solidity or certainty

Clarke: Job 15:2 - And fill his belly with the east wind?

And fill his belly with the east wind? - בטן beten , which we translate belly, is used to signify any part of the cavity of the body, whether the region of the thorax or abdomen; here it evidently refers to the lungs, and may include the cheeks and fauces. The east wind, קדים kadim , is a very stormy wind in the Levant, or the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, supposed to be the same with that called by the Greeks ευροκλυδων, euroclydon , the east storm, mentioned Act 27:14. Eliphaz, by these words, seems to intimate that Job’ s speech was a perfect storm or tempest of words.

Clarke: Job 15:3 - Should he reason with unprofitable talk?

Should he reason with unprofitable talk? - Should a man talk disrespectfully of his Maker, or speak to him without reverence? and should he suppose that he has proved any thing, when he has uttered words of little meaning, and used sound instead of sense?

Clarke: Job 15:4 - Thou castest off fear

Thou castest off fear - Thou hast no reverence for God

Clarke: Job 15:4 - And restrainest prayer

And restrainest prayer - Instead of humbling thyself, and making supplication to thy Judge, thou spendest thy time in arraigning his providence and justifying thyself. When a man has any doubts whether he has grieved God’ s Spirit, and his mind feels troubled, it is much better for him to go immediately to God, and ask forgiveness, than spend any time in finding excuses for his conduct, or laboring to divest it of its seeming obliquity. Restraining or suppressing prayer, in order to find excuses or palliations for infirmities, indiscretions, or improprieties of any kind, which appear to trench on the sacred limits of morality and godliness, may be to a man the worst of evils: humiliation and prayer for mercy and pardon can never be out of their place to any soul of man who, surrounded with evils, is ever liable to offend.

Clarke: Job 15:5 - For thy mouth uttereth

For thy mouth uttereth - In attempting to justify thyself, thou hast added iniquity to sin, and hast endeavored to impute blame to thy Maker

Clarke: Job 15:5 - The tongue of the crafty

The tongue of the crafty - Thou hast varnished thy own conduct, and used sophistical arguments to defend thyself. Thou resemblest those cunning persons, ערומים arumim , who derive their skill and dexterity from the old serpent, "the nachash, who was ערום arum , subtle, or crafty, beyond all the beasts of the field;"Gen 3:1. Thy wisdom is not from above, but from beneath.

Clarke: Job 15:7 - Art thou the first man that was born?

Art thou the first man that was born? - Literally, "Wert thou born before Adam?"Art thou in the pristine state of purity and innocence? Or art thou like Adam in his first state? It does not become the fallen descendant of a fallen parent to talk as thou dost

Clarke: Job 15:7 - Made before the hills?

Made before the hills? - Did God create thee the beginning of his ways? or wert thou the first intelligent creature which his hands have formed?

Clarke: Job 15:8 - Hast thou heard the secret of God?

Hast thou heard the secret of God? - " Hast thou hearkened in God’ s council?"Wert thou one of the celestial cabinet, when God said, Let Us make man in Our image, and in Our likeness

Clarke: Job 15:8 - Dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

Dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? - Dost thou wish us to understand that God’ s counsels were revealed to none but thyself? And dost thou desire that we should give implicit credence to whatsoever thou art pleased to speak? These are all strong sarcastic questions, and apparently uttered with great contempt.

Clarke: Job 15:9 - What knowest thou

What knowest thou - Is it likely that thy intellect is greater than ours; and that thou hast cultivated it better than we have done ours

Clarke: Job 15:9 - What understandest thou

What understandest thou - Or, Dost thou understand any thing, and it is not with us? Show us any point of knowledge possessed by thyself, of which we are ignorant.

Clarke: Job 15:10 - With us are both the gray-headed

With us are both the gray-headed - One copy of the Chaldee Targum paraphrases the verse thus: "Truly Eliphaz the hoary-headed, and Bildad the long-lived, are among us; and Zophar, who in age surpasseth thy father."It is very likely that Eliphaz refers to himself and his friends in this verse, and not either to the old men of their tribes, or to the masters by whom they themselves were instructed. Eliphaz seems to have been the eldest of these sages; and, therefore, he takes the lead in each part of this dramatic poem.

Clarke: Job 15:11 - Are the consolations of God small with thee?

Are the consolations of God small with thee? - Various are the renderings of this verse. Mr. Good translates the verse thus: "Are then the mercies of God of no account with thee?"or, "the addresses of kindness before thee?

The Vulgate thus: - "Can it be a difficult thing for God to comfort thee? But thou hinderest this by thy intemperate speeches.

The Syriac and Arabic thus: - "Remove from thee the threatenings (Arabic, reproaches) of God, and speak tranquilly with thy own spirit.

The Septuagint thus: - "Thou hast been scourged lightly for the sins which thou hast committed; and thou hast spoken greatly beyond measure; or, with excessive insolence.

Houbigant thus: - "Dost thou not regard the threatenings of God; or, has there been any thing darkly revealed to thee.

Coverdale: - Dost thou no more regarde the comforte of God? But thy wicked wordes wil not suffre the.

Scarcely any two translators or interpreters agree in the translation, or even meaning of this verse. The sense, as expressed in the Vulgate, or in our own version, or that of Coverdale, is plain enough: - "Hast thou been so unfaithful to God, that he has withdrawn his consolations from thy heart? And is there any secret thing, any bosom sin, which thou wilt not give up, that has thus provoked thy Maker?"This is the sense of our version: and I believe it to be as near the original as any yet offered. I may just add the Chaldee - "Are the consolations of God few to thee? And has a word in secret been spoken unto thee?"And I shall close all these with the Hebrew text, and the literal version of Arius Montanus: -

המעט ממך ינחומות אל

hameat mimmecha tanchumoth el

ודבר לאט עמך

vedabar laat immak

Nonne parum a te consolationes Dei? Et verbum latet tecum

"Are not the consolations of God small to thee? And does a word (or thing) lie hidden with thee?

Now, let the reader choose for himself.

Clarke: Job 15:12 - Why doth thine heart carry thee away?

Why doth thine heart carry thee away? - Why is it that thou dost conceive and entertain such high sentiments of thyself

Clarke: Job 15:12 - And what do thy eyes wink at

And what do thy eyes wink at - With what splendid opinion of thyself is thine eye dazzled? Perhaps there is an allusion here to that sparkling in the eye which is excited by sensations of joy and pleasing objects of sight, or to that furious rolling of the eyes observed in deranged persons. Rosenmuller translates thus: -

Quo te tuus animus rapit

Quid occuli tui vibrantes?

"Whither does thy soul hurry thee

What mean thy rolling eyes?

Thou seemest transported beyond thyself; thou art actuated by a furious spirit. Thou art beside thyself; thy words and thy eyes show it. None but a madman could speak and act as thou dost; for thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth, Job 15:13. This latter sense seems to agree best with the words of the text, and with the context.

Clarke: Job 15:13 - That thou turnest thy spirit against God

That thou turnest thy spirit against God - The ideas here seem to be taken from an archer, who turns his eye and his spirit - his desire - against the object which he wishes to hit; and then lets loose his arrow that it may attain the mark.

Clarke: Job 15:14 - What is man, that he should be clean?

What is man, that he should be clean? - מה אנוש mah enosh ; what is weak, sickly, dying, miserable man, that he should be clean? This is the import of the original word enosh

Clarke: Job 15:14 - And - born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

And - born of a woman, that he should be righteous? - It appears, from many passages in the sacred writings, that natural birth was supposed to be a defilement; and that every man born into the world was in a state of moral pollution. Perhaps the word יצדק yitsdak should be translated, that he should justify himself, and not that he should be righteous.

Clarke: Job 15:15 - Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight

Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight - The Vulgate has, "Behold, among his saints, none is immutable; and the heavens are not clean in his sight.

Coverdale - Beholde, he hath found unfaithfulnesse amonge his owne sanctes, yea the very heavens are unclene in his sight

Eliphaz uses the same mode of speech, Job 4:17-18 (note); where see the notes. Nothing is immutable but God: saints may fall; angels may fall; all their goodness is derived and dependent. The heavens themselves have no purity compared with his.

Clarke: Job 15:16 - How much more abominable and filthy is man

How much more abominable and filthy is man - As in the preceding verse it is said, he putteth no trust in his saints, it has appeared both to translators and commentators that the original words, אף כי aph ki , should be rendered how much Less, not how much More: How much less would he put confidence in man, who is filthy and abominable in his natures and profligate in his practice, as he drinks down iniquity like water? A man who is under the power of sinful propensities commits sin as greedily as the thirsty man or camel drinks down water. He thinks he can never have enough. This is a finished character of a Bad man; he hungers and thirsts after Sin: on the contrary, the Good man hungers and thirsts after Righteousness.

Clarke: Job 15:17 - I will show thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare

I will show thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare - Eliphaz is now about to quote a whole collection of wise sayings from the ancients; all good enough in themselves, but sinfully misapplied to the case of Job.

Clarke: Job 15:19 - Unto whom alone the earth was given

Unto whom alone the earth was given - He very likely refers to the Israelites, who got possession of the promised land from God himself; no stranger being permitted to dwell in it, as the old inhabitants were to be exterminated. Some think that Noah and his sons may be intended; as it is certain that the whole earth was given to them, when there were no strangers - no other family of mankind - in being. But, system apart, the words seem to apply more clearly to the Israelites.

Clarke: Job 15:20 - The wicked man travaileth with pain

The wicked man travaileth with pain - This is a most forcible truth: a life of sin is a life of misery; and he that Will sin Must suffer. One of the Targums gives it a strange turn: - "All the days of the ungodly Esau, he was expected to repent, but he did not repent; and the number of years was hidden from the sturdy Ishmael."The sense of the original, מתחולל mithcholel , is he torments himself: he is a true heautontimoreumenos , or self-tormentor; and he alone is author of his own sufferings, and of his own ruin.

Clarke: Job 15:21 - A dreadful sound is in his ears

A dreadful sound is in his ears - If he be an oppressor or tyrant, he can have no rest: he is full of suspicions that the cruelties he has exercised on others shall be one day exercised on himself; for even in his prosperity he may expect the destroyer to rush upon him.

Clarke: Job 15:22 - That he shall return out of darkness

That he shall return out of darkness - If he take but a few steps in the dark, he expects the dagger of the assassin. This appears to be the only meaning of the place. Some think the passage should be understood to signify that he has no hope of a resurrection; he can never escape from the tomb. This I doubt: in the days of the writer of this book, the doctrine of a future judgment was understood in every part of the East where the knowledge of the true God was diffused.

Defender: Job 15:15 - no trust in his saints

Eliphaz now echoes the complaint of the evil spirit, who had communicated with him before he came to "comfort" Job (Job 4:15-19). Satan, through Eliphaz, is seeking to frighten and dishearten Job so much that his faith will finally fail."

TSK: Job 15:1 - Eliphaz

Eliphaz : Job 2:11, Job 4:1, Job 22:1, Job 42:7, Job 42:9

TSK: Job 15:2 - a wise man // vain knowledge // fill

a wise man : Job 11:2, Job 11:3, Job 13:2; Jam 3:13

vain knowledge : Heb. knowledge of wind, Job 6:26, Job 8:2

fill : Hos 12:1

TSK: Job 15:3 - he reason

he reason : Job 13:4, Job 13:5, Job 16:2, Job 16:3, Job 26:1-3; Mal 3:13-15; Mat 12:36, Mat 12:37; Col 4:6; 1Ti 6:4, 1Ti 6:5

TSK: Job 15:4 - castest off // restrainest // prayer

castest off : Heb. makest void, Job 4:5, Job 4:6, Job 6:14; Psa 36:1-3, Psa 119:126; Zep 1:6; Rom 3:31; Gal 2:21

restrainest : Job 5:8, Job 27:10; 1Ch 10:13, 1Ch 10:14; Hos 7:14; Amo 6:10; Luk 18:1

prayer : or, speech.

TSK: Job 15:5 - uttereth // thou choosest

uttereth : Heb. teacheth, Job 9:22-24, Job 12:6; Mar 7:21, Mar 7:22; Luk 6:45; Jam 1:26

thou choosest : Psa 50:19, Psa 50:20, Psa 52:2-4, Psa 64:3, Psa 120:2, Psa 120:3; Jer 9:3-5, Jer 9:8; Jam 3:5-8

TSK: Job 15:6 - own mouth // thine own

own mouth : Job 9:20; Psa 64:8; Mat 12:37, Mat 26:65; Luk 19:22

thine own : Job 33:8-12, Job 34:5-9, Job 35:2, Job 35:3, Job 40:8, Job 42:3

TSK: Job 15:7 - the first // or wast thou

the first : Job 15:10, Job 12:12; Gen 4:1

or wast thou : Job 38:4-41; Psa 90:2; Pro 8:22-25

TSK: Job 15:8 - the secret // thou restrain

the secret : Job 11:6; Deu 29:29; Psa 25:14; Pro 3:32; Jer 23:18; Amo 3:7; Mat 11:25; Mat 13:11, Mat 13:35; Joh 15:15; Rom 11:34, Rom 16:25, Rom 16:26; 1Co 2:9-11, 1Co 2:16

thou restrain : Job 12:2, Job 13:5, Job 13:6

TSK: Job 15:9 - knowest

knowest : Job 13:2, Job 26:3, Job 26:4; 2Co 10:7, 2Co 11:5, 2Co 11:21-30

TSK: Job 15:10 - the grayheaded

the grayheaded : Job 8:8-10, Job 12:20, Job 32:6, Job 32:7; Deu 32:7; Pro 16:31

TSK: Job 15:11 - the consolations // is there

the consolations : Job 5:8-26, Job 11:13-19; 2Co 1:3-5, 2Co 7:6

is there : Job 15:8, Job 13:2; 1Ki 22:24

TSK: Job 15:12 - thine heart // thy eyes

thine heart : Ecc 11:9; Mar 7:21, Mar 7:22; Act 5:3, Act 5:4, Act 8:22; Jam 1:14, Jam 1:15

thy eyes : Job 17:2; Psa 35:19; Pro 6:13

TSK: Job 15:13 - turnest // and lettest

turnest : Job 15:25-27, Job 9:4; Rom 8:7, Rom 8:8

and lettest : Job 10:3, Job 12:6; Psa 34:13; Mal 3:13; Jam 1:26, Jam 3:2-6

TSK: Job 15:14 - is man

is man : Job 9:2, Job 14:4, Job 25:4-6; 1Ki 8:46; 2Ch 6:36; Psa 14:3, Psa 51:5; Pro 20:9; Ecc 7:20, Ecc 7:29; Joh 3:6; Rom 7:18; Gal 3:22; Eph 2:2, Eph 2:3; 1Jo 1:8-10

TSK: Job 15:15 - he putteth

he putteth : Job 4:18, Job 25:5; Isa 6:2-5

TSK: Job 15:16 - How much // abominable // drinketh

How much : Rather, ""How much less aph kee , abominable and filthy man,""who, under the influence of sinful propensities, commits sin as greedily as a thirsty man or camel drinks down water.

abominable : Job 4:19, Job 42:6; Psa 14:1-3, Psa 53:3; Rom 1:28-30, Rom 3:9-19; Tit 3:3

drinketh : Job 20:12, Job 34:7; Pro 19:28

TSK: Job 15:17 - hear me

hear me : Job 5:27, Job 13:5, Job 13:6, Job 33:1, Job 34:2, Job 36:2

TSK: Job 15:18 - from their

from their : Job 15:10, Job 8:8; Psa 71:18, Psa 78:3-6; Isa 38:19

TSK: Job 15:19 - Unto whom

Unto whom : Gen 10:25, Gen 10:32; Deu 32:8; Joe 3:17

TSK: Job 15:20 - travaileth // the number

travaileth : Rom 8:22; Ecc 9:3

the number : Psa 90:3, Psa 90:4, Psa 90:12; Luk 12:19-21; Jam 5:1-6

TSK: Job 15:21 - dreadful sound // in prosperity // the destroyer

dreadful sound : Heb. sound of fears, Job 18:11; Gen 3:9, Gen 3:10; Lev 26:36; 2Ki 7:6; Pro 1:26, Pro 1:27

in prosperity : Job 1:13-19, Job 20:5-7, Job 20:22-24; Lev 26:36; 1Sa 25:36-38; Psa 73:18-20, Psa 92:7; Act 12:21-23; 1Th 5:3

the destroyer : 1Co 10:10; Rev 9:11

TSK: Job 15:22 - He believeth not // and he is

He believeth not : Job 6:11, Job 9:16; 2Ki 6:33; Isa 8:21, Isa 8:22; Mat 27:5

and he is : Job 20:24, Job 20:25

Tafsiran/Catatan -- Catatan Kata/Frasa (per Ayat)

Poole: Job 15:2 - A wise man // Vain knowledge // Fill his belly // With the east wind

A wise man such as thou seemest and pretendest to be.

Vain knowledge i.e. empty words, without any sense or solidity in them.

Fill his belly i.e. satisfy his own mind and conscience, which being secret is compared to the inwards of the belly; as Job 32:19 Pro 20:27 22:18 .

With the east wind i.e. with discourses which are not only flashy and unprofitable, and without any weight, but also boisterous and pernicious, both to himself and others; as the east wind was in those parts, Gen 41:6 Exo 10:13 Hos 12:1 .

Poole: Job 15:3

Either to himself or others, but much hurt; which is implied by the contrary, as is usual.

Poole: Job 15:4 - Restrainest prayer

Heb. Thou makest void fear , i.e. the fear of God, as the word is oft used

for the word of God or piety and religion, which oft cometh under the name of fear. This may be understood either,

1. Of Job himself; that he cast off all reverence to God, by uttering such bold and reproachful expressions concerning God and his providence. Or,

2. With respect to others; that by his insolent and unworthy speeches of and carriage towards God, and by those false and pernicious principles which he had laid down; as that God dealt with men in way of absolute sovereignty, not of justice; and that he made no difference between good and bad in the course of his providence, but did equally prosper or afflict both of them; he did that which tended to the subversion of the fear and worship of God.

Restrainest prayer as this Hebrew word signifies also, Psa 102:1 . Or, meditation or speech ; which well agrees to prayer, which is accompanied with serious thoughts and expressions. The sense is, either,

1. Instead of humble and fervent prayer to God, which thy condition calleth for, thou breathest forth false and blasphemous speeches against him. Or,

2. Thou dost by thy words, and examples, and principles, as far as in thee lies, banish prayer out of the world, by making it useless and unprofitable to men.

Poole: Job 15:5

i.e. Thy words discover the naughtiness of thy heart, and justify my charge against time, that thou castest off fear , &c. Thou speakest wickedly, but craftily; thou coverest thy impious principles and passions with fair pretences of piety and respect to God, wherewith thou endeavourest to mock God, and deceive men.

Poole: Job 15:6

My condemnation of thee is grounded upon thine own words.

Poole: Job 15:7

Hast thou lived ever since the creation of the world, and treasured up the experiences of all ages in thy own breast, that thou speakest so arrogantly and magisterially, and with such contempt of other men? Art thou the most ancient and the wisest of all mortal men? Whom dost thou make thyself? Before the hills ; before the earth was made and distinguished into mountains and valleys.

Poole: Job 15:8

Hath God acquainted thee with all his secret counsels, whereby he governs the world, that thou dost pass so bold a censure upon all his designs and actions? Art thou the only wise man in the world, and we and all others but fools?

Poole: Job 15:9

He retorts upon Job his own expressions, Job 12:3 13:2 .

Poole: Job 15:10 - With us

With us i.e. among us; either,

1. Some of us, who seem to have been very ancient from Job 32:7 . Or,

2. Some others with whom we have conversed, and who are of our opinion in this matter. And this they oppose to that passage of Job’ s, Job 12:12 .

Poole: Job 15:11

Are those comforts, which we in the name, and according to the mind, and by the direction, of God have propounded to thee, upon condition of thy true repentance, Job 11:13,14 , &c., small and contemptible in thine eyes? Hast thou any secret and peculiar ground or way of comfort which is unknown to us, and to all other men, except thyself; for which, or in comparison of which, thou despisest our consolations as mean and trivial? To pretend to this is vanity and impudence; and if thou hast not this, to despise and reject our comforts is horrible pride and stubbornness.

Poole: Job 15:12 - What do thine eyes wink at

Why dost thou suffer thyself to be transported by the pride and lusts of thy heart to use such unworthy and unbecoming expressions, both concerning us, and concerning God and his providence.

What do thine eyes wink at i.e. what dost thou aim at? What benefit dost thou expect from such words and carriages? So it is a metaphor from archers, who wink when they take their aim at a mark. Or, why do thine eyes wink , i.e. why dost thou look with such an angry, supercilious, and disdainful look, expressing both thy contempt of us, and thy rage against God? The eye is observed both by God and men, as the great discoverer of the heart; and winking with the eye is a note of a malicious mind, Psa 35:9 Pro 6:13 10:10 .

Poole: Job 15:13 - That, or for, or surely. Thy spirit

That, or for, or surely. Thy spirit i.e. either thy breath, or thy rage, or thy soul; for all these the spirit signifies. Heb. Thou makest thy spirit to return to , or to return again against , that God from whom thou didst receive it.

Poole: Job 15:14 - What is man // Which is born of a woman // Righteous

What is man Heb. frail , or sick , or wretched man ? his mean original and corrupt nature showeth him to be unclean.

Which is born of a woman from whom he derives infirmity, and corruption, and guilt, and the curse consequent upon it.

Righteous to wit, in his own eyes, as thou, O Job, art.

Poole: Job 15:15 - The heavens

In his saints , i.e. in his angels, as appears by comparing Job 4:18 , who are called his saints or holy ones , Deu 33:2 Psa 103:20 Dan 4:13,23 Mt 18:10 24:36 ; who though they were created holy, yet he could not be confident in them, nor they be confident in themselves that they would continue in their integrity if they were left to themselves, and not upheld by God’ s special grace and assistance. See Poole "Job 4:18" .

The heavens Heb. and the heavens , i.e. either,

1. The heavens properly so called; which though they be free from those drossy mixtures which are and appear in heavenly bodies, yet are not absolutely pure, but have some spots and blemishes in them; as philosophers have discovered, and the all-seeing God knoweth. Compare Job 25:5 , where the stars are said not to be pure ; unless the stars also there be metaphorically put for the angels, as they are Job 38:7 , and for other holy ministers of God, as Dan 8:10 Rev 1:16,20 12:1,4 .

2. The angels that dwell in heaven; heaven being oft put for its inhabitants; either for God, as Psa 73:9 Dan 4:26 Luk 15:18,21 ; or for the angels that dwell in heaven, as Psa 89:5 148:1,2 . So this is a repetition of the same thing in other words. And these are not pure , to wit, simply and perfectly, and comparatively to God; in which and such like respects God only is said to be good , and wise , and immortal . The angels are pure from corruption, but not from imperfection, nor from a possibility of sinning, if God should withdraw his help from them.

Poole: Job 15:16

Who, besides his natural proneness to sin, hath contracted habits and customs of sinning, and sinneth as freely and easily, as greedily and delightfully, as frequently and abundantly, as men, especially in those hot countries, used to drink up water. But this did not Job; and therefore though the things delivered by him and the rest be true in the general, yet they commit a great error in misapplying them to Job, for which therefore they are afterwards reproved.

Poole: Job 15:17

I will prove what I have affirmed, that such strokes as thine are peculiar to hypocrites and wicked men. I speak not by hearsay only, but from my own experience.

Poole: Job 15:18 - Wise men // From their fathers // Have not hid it

Wise men who are most able to be witnesses and judges in these matters.

From their fathers or ancestors ; who diligently observed this, and carefully transmitted their own judgment and experience successively to their posterity.

Have not hid it they judged it to be so certain and important a truth, that they would not conceal it in their own breasts, but made conscience of publishing it for the instruction and comfort of succeeding ages.

Poole: Job 15:19 - Unto whom alone the earth was given // No stranger // Among them

Unto whom alone the earth was given either,

1. By the special and gracious gift of God; whereas wicked men invaded their parts of the earth, and took them away by force. Or,

2. By the choice and consent of the people, who for their great and known wisdom and virtue conferred this power and trust upon them. This he allegeth, partly to make their testimony more considerable, because these were not obscure, and mean, and foolish men, whose words are commonly despised, but the most worthy and famous men in their places and ages; and partly to contradict and confute what Job had said, Job 9:24 , that the earth was given into the hand of the wicked . By the earth he means either the dominion of the earth, to wit, of that part of the earth in or nigh which Job and his friends lived; or rather, the possession of the earth, i.e. of a great portion of worldly goods; or particularly, the land , or that land , (as the word properly signifies,) to wit, the land of Canaan, which was given by special gift unto Abraham, (from whom it seems most probable that both Job and his friends were descended,) and to Isaac, and to Jacob; who, though they met with some common and ordinary afflictions, yet enjoyed a great measure of comfort, and wealth, and honour, and power in the world, as the fruits of God’ s blessing, and of his covenant made with good men, whilst wicked men were exposed to manifold distresses and grievous calamities; all which those holy patriarchs diligently observed, and industriously imparted to their children, to encourage them to continue and proceed in the ways of true piety. But how was the earth or land given to them alone , as is here said?

Answ . Either,

1. Because Noah and his sons (of whom some understand these words) had the sole possession and dominion of the earth. Or,

2. Because Canaan was given to Abraham and to his seed alone; and some of Abraham’ s children had the dominion of, or an ample possession in, those parts where Job and his friends lived, who also seem to be in the number of them. Or,

3. Because they only had it either by God’ s special and gracious providence, or by the choice and approbation of the people; whereas wicked men took it by rapine and violence, without asking leave either from God or men.

No stranger i.e. the enemy; for such are called strangers, both in Scripture, as Pro 5:10 Isa 1:7 Eze 11:9 28:10 , and in other authors. No person of a strange nation and disposition or religion.

Among them i.e. through their land, as this phrase is used, Num 20:18 , to wit, so as to molest, or disturb, or spoil them, as the Sabeans and Chaldeans did thee. God watched over those wise and holy men so carefully, that no enemy should invade them; and so he would have done over thee, if thou hadst been such a one.

Poole: Job 15:20 - Travaileth with pain // The number of his years is hidden // To the oppressor

Travaileth with pain i.e. lives a life of care, and fear, and grief, by reason of God’ s wrath, and the torments of his own mind, and his manifold and dreadful outward calamities.

The number of his years is hidden i.e. he knows not how short the time of his tyranny and life is, and therefore lives in continual fear of losing them. The number of a good man’ s years are also hid from him as well as they are from the wicked men; but to those this is a great torment and mischief; whereas it is not so to him. Or, and a few years (Heb. a number of years , put by a common hypallage for years of number ; as few years are called, Job 16:22 , because they are soon numbered; as men of number , is put for a few men, Gen 34:30 Deu 4:27 33:6 ) are laid or treasured up , i.e. are allotted to him by God’ s secret counsel; for God cuts off such men in the midst of their days. Psa 55:23 ; whereas long life is promised, and commonly given, to righteous men.

To the oppressor i.e. to the wicked man; but he names this one sort of them, the oppressors, partly, because he supposed Job to be guilty of this sin, Job 22:6 ; partly, in opposition to what Job had affirmed of the safety and happiness of such persons, Job 12:6 ; and partly, because such are most apt to expect and promise to themselves a longer and happier life than other men, because of their singular preservatives and advantages of life above other men.

Poole: Job 15:21 - Shall come upon him

Even when he feels no evil, he is tormented with perpetual fears and expectations of it from the sense of his own guilt, and of God’ s all-seeing eye and righteous judgment. See Lev 26:36 Deu 28:65 .

Shall come upon him or, shall invade and destroy him suddenly and unexpectedly; which is a great aggravation of it.

Poole: Job 15:22 - He is waited for of the sword

i.e. When he falls into trouble, he despairs of God’ s mercy, and of deliverance, by reason of his guilty conscience; which he speaks with particular reflection upon Job, who would receive no comfort nor matter of hope.

He is waited for of the sword i.e. besides the calamity which is upon him, he is in constant expectation of further and greater miseries; for the sword is oft used for any grievous affliction, as Luk 2:35 .

Haydock: Job 15:2 - Heat

Heat. Hebrew, "east wind," (Haydock) or give vent to passion. (Haydock) ---

Eliphaz now rebukes Job without any reserve. (Calmet) ---

He was perhaps displeased at the comparison used by the latter, chap. xiii. 4. Baldad had also hinted that Job's discourse was nothing but wind, chap. viii. 2. (Haydock) ---

Being unable to answer his arguments, he reviles him as an enemy of God. (Worthington)

Haydock: Job 15:3 - Equal

Equal. God, who is far above thee. Hebrew, "Will he (the wise) argue with less words, or with speeches which are nothing to the purpose?" (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:4 - God

God. Another, after thy example, will assert his own innocence under affliction, and will not fear, nor have recourse to God by humble prayer. Behold the dangerous consequences of thy principle. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:5 - Blasphemers

Blasphemers. Hebrew, "of the crafty," which is sometimes taken in a good sense. Septuagint, "thou hast not distinguished the speeches of the princes." Thou hast not shewn respect to our admonitions, (Calmet) or understood our meaning. (Haydock) ---

Thou rather choosest to imitate those false sages, who strive to deceive the world. Abuse could hardly be carried to greater lengths than it is by this man; who before spoke with some moderation, chap. iv. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:7 - First

First. Is thy experience so great, (Menochius) or art thou the most excellent of men? To hear thee we are but novices, chap. xiii. 5. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:8 - His

His. Hebrew, "dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? Septuagint, "or has wisdom come to thee?" (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 15:10 - Fathers

Fathers. Hebrew and Septuagint, "father." (Haydock) ---

Eliphaz always speaks first, and hints that he was as old, perhaps older, than Job; who had rather found fault with the youth of Sophar, chap. xii. 12. He also boasts that they, or their country, furnished master of great wisdom and experience than even Job's father. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:11 - Thee

Thee. This would not be difficult, (Tirinus) if thy presumption did not prove an obstacle. Thou makest small account of those comforts or of our advice, trusting in thy own justice. (Calmet) ---

Septuagint, "Thou hast been chastised little, considering thy sins. Thou hast spoken with excessive insolence."

Haydock: Job 15:12 - Why

Why. Septuagint, "What has thy heart dared, or what have thine eyes brought thee?" Hebrew, "what do thy eyes wink at?" (Haydock) through pride and disdain, Psalm xxxiv. 19., and Proverbs vi. 13. (Calmet) ---

We need not wonder that Eliphaz should misunderstand the looks of Job, (Haydock) since he gives such a false notion of his speeches. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:14 - Just

Just. Few are free from all spot; but venial sins do not hinder a man from being styled truly virtuous. (Worthington)

Haydock: Job 15:15 - Unchangeable

Unchangeable, of his own nature, and during this life. (Calmet) ---

Hebrew and Septuagint, "is not trusted by him," till they have been tried, (Haydock; chap. iv. 17.; None is good but God alone, Mark x. 18.) in comparison. (Tirinus)

Haydock: Job 15:16 - Water

Water, with the utmost avidity and unconcern, Proverbs x. 23., and xxvi. 6.

Haydock: Job 15:17 - Seen

Seen. He had before given himself out for a prophet. Perhaps he may only mean to deliver what he had been taught, or had learned by experience, ver. 18. His observations are in themselves just; but the application to Job is no less insulting. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:18 - Wise

Wise. Protestants, "which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it, " chap. viii. 8. The authority of tradition was then very great; and why should it now be despised? (Haydock)

Haydock: Job 15:19 - Them

Them. Their antiquity, courage, and purity of morals must consequently be greater, as they have preserved themselves from the inroads of strangers. (Calmet)

Haydock: Job 15:20 - Proud // Ad generum Cereris sine cæde et vulnere pauci // Descendunt reges et sicca morte Tyranni // Nocte dieque suum gestare in pectore testem // Districtus ensis cui super impia // Cervice pendet

Proud; uncertain. Hebrew, "in pain." (Haydock) ---

Septuagint, "numbered," or few, Genesis xxxiv. 30. These are the maxims which Eliphaz had received in a vision, or from the ancients, ver. 17. The description of a tyrant's life was admirably verified in Dionysius, of Syracuse, (Calmet) and in our Cromwell, (Haydock)--- "-----pale and trembling in the dead of night." (Pope)

---who rarely lodged two night in one chamber. (Clarendon.) ---

Such live in dread, (Haydock) and seldom die a natural death.

Ad generum Cereris sine cæde et vulnere pauci

Descendunt reges et sicca morte Tyranni. (Juvenal x. 113.)

Nocte dieque suum gestare in pectore testem. (Juvenal xiii.)

They bear always about the witness, "conscience." (Haydock) ---

They distrust every one, and are hated by all.

Districtus ensis cui super impia

Cervice pendet, &c. (Horace iii. Ode 1.)

--- These miseries are incident to the wicked, but are improperly addressed to Job. (Worthington)

Gill: Job 15:1 - Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite // and said

Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite,.... Or, who was of Teman, as the Targum, the first of Job's friends and comforters, the oldest of them, who first began the dispute with him; which was carried on by his two other companions, who had spoken in their turns; and now in course it fell to him to answer a second time, as he here does,

and said,

as follows.

Gill: Job 15:2 - Should a wise man utter vain knowledge // and fill his belly with the east wind

Should a wise man utter vain knowledge,.... As Job had been thought to be, or as he himself thought he was, which he might say sarcastically; or as he really was, not worldly wise, nor merely wise in things natural, but in things divine; being one that had the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom itself; believed in Christ, and walked wisely and circumspectly before men; now it is not becoming such a man to utter vain knowledge, or such knowledge as is like the wind, or, as the Targum, windy knowledge; empty, not solid, nor satisfying, but swells and puffs up, and is knowledge falsely so called; but it does not appear that Job did utter such vain and fruitless things as deserved to be compared to the wind:

and fill his belly with the east wind; which is noisy and blusterous, rapid and forcible, bearing all before it, and very infectious in hot countries; and such notions Job, according to Eliphaz, satisfied himself with, and endeavoured to insinuate them into others; which were nothing but great swelling words of vanity, and tended to subvert the faith of men, and overthrow all religion, and were very unwholesome, infectious, and ruinous to the minds of men, as suggested.

Gill: Job 15:3 - Should he reason with unprofitable talk // or with speeches wherewith he can do no good

Should he reason with unprofitable talk?.... That is, the wise man, such a man as Job; does it become him to talk such idle stuff? that which is false, and foolish, and frothy, that does not minister grace to the hearer, and is not for the use of edifying; as whatever is untrue, unwise, vain, and empty, must be useless and answer no good end; nothing is profitable but what tends to increase solid wisdom and spiritual knowledge, and to exercise grace, and influence an holy life; wherefore what are profitable to the souls of men are the doctrines of the word of God, and the experiences of the grace of God, communicated by his people one to another; and nothing but these, or what agrees with them, should come out of the mouth of a wise and good man; nor can such an one expect to convince men of their errors, or reprove them for their sins with success, who deals in words of no profit:

or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? but may do a great deal of hurt both to himself and others; but the same thing is here signified in different words,

Gill: Job 15:4 - Yea, thou castest off fear // and restrainest prayer before God

Yea, thou castest off fear,.... Not of man; a slavish fear of man is to be cast off, because that brings a snare, deters men from their duty, and leads into sin; though there is a fear and reverence of men which ought to be given to them, "fear to whom fear", Rom 13:7; but here the fear of God is meant, which is to be understood of the grace of fear, of which Job was possessed; that could not be cast off, for this is not what is in a man naturally, or is by the light of nature, and arises from natural conviction, which may be cast off, as was by Pharaoh; but this is a blessing of the covenant of grace, sure and firm, and is one of the gifts of grace that are without repentance; it is a part of internal grace, which can never be lost; it is improved and increased by fresh discoveries of the grace and goodness of God, and is an antidote and preservative against apostasy: perhaps the whole worship of God may be meant, external worship, or outward religion in the form of it, which is sometimes signified by the fear of God: Ecc 12:14; and it is cast off when it is neglected and not attended to, or when men become profane, after they have made a profession of religion; but as neither of these can be thought to be the case of Job, rather the meaning of Eliphaz may be, that Job did not show that reverence to God he should, as his words may seem, in Job 13:20; or that by his way of talk and reasoning, and by the notions he had imbibed and gave out, and the assertions he laid down, all religion would be made void among men; for if, as he had said, God "destroys the perfect and the wicked, and the tabernacles of robbers prosper, and the just men are laughed to scorn", Job 9:22; who would fear God? it might be inferred from hence, that it is a vain thing to serve him, and there can be no profit got by keeping his ordinances, and walking before him; this is the way to put an end to all religion, as if Eliphaz should say, and discourage all regard unto it:

and restrainest prayer before God; prayer is to be made to God and to him only, it is a part of religious worship, directed to by the light of nature, and ought to be performed by every man; it is a special privilege of the saints, who have a covenant God on a throne of grace to go to, and can pray in a spiritual manner for spiritual things; and especially is to be observed in times of trouble, in which Job now was, and never to be disused; now this charge either respects Job himself, that he left off praying, which can hardly be supposed; or that he drew out prayer to a great length, as some understand the words ^w, like the tautologies of the Heathen; or he diminished prayer, as others ^x, lessened the times of prayer, and the petitions in it: or rather it may respect others; not that it can be thought he should lay his injunctions on those over whom he had any authority, forbidding his servants, or those about him, to pray; but that by his manner of reasoning he discouraged prayer, as Eliphaz thought, as an useless thing; for if God laughs at the trials and afflictions of the innocent, and suffers wicked men to prosper, who would pray to him, or serve him? see Job 9:23.

Gill: Job 15:5 - For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity // and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty

For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity,.... Which was in his heart, and so was an evidence against him, and proved him perverse, and made good the above charges exhibited against him: or "thine iniquity teaches thy mouth" ^y; the wickedness that was in his heart prompted his mouth to speak the things he did, see Mat 12:34; and this, as it was an instance of his folly, Pro 15:2; so a proof of his casting off the fear of the Lord; for if that had been before his eyes, he would have bridled his lips, and not uttered all the wickedness of his heart: for he that "bridleth not his tongue, this man's religion is vain", Jam 1:26;

and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty; coloured over things under specious pretences of religion and godliness, so that the simple and ignorant took him for a holy good man, when he was at heart an hypocrite; in this light Eliphaz puts Job, as one that walked and talked in craftiness, and was a deceitful worker, and imposed upon men with false glosses and plausible pretences.

Gill: Job 15:6 - Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I // yea, thine own lips testify against thee

Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I,.... Or shows thee to be a wicked person, guilty of things charged upon thee; out of thine own mouth thou art convicted, there needs no other evidence to be brought against thee, that is sufficient: and thou savest me, and any other, the trouble of passing the sentence of condemnation upon thee; thou hast done it thyself, thine own mouth is judge and jury, and brings in the verdict, and pronounces it, as well as is the witness, as follows, and is instead of a thousand witnesses, Job 9:20;

yea, thine own lips testify against thee; and therefore there were no need of producing any other testimony; what he had said showed that his talk was vain and unprofitable, unbecoming a wise man, and tending to make null and void the fear of God among men, to discourage all religious exercises, and particularly prayer before God.

Gill: Job 15:7 - Art thou the first man that was born // or wast thou made before the hills

Art thou the first man that was born?.... The first Adam, who was created in wisdom and knowledge, and had a large share of understanding in things natural, civil, and moral; knew much of God and his perfections, of the works of nature, and of the wisdom and power of God displayed in them; one instance of which is his giving names to the creatures; dost thou think thou art that selfsame individual person, the father of all mankind, who had such a stock and fund of knowledge, until, by seeking after more, and that unlawful, he lost much of what he had? dost thou imagine that thou hast lived ever since, and seen or known everything that was done in all ages from the beginning, and hast gathered a large share of knowledge from long experience, and by making strict observations on men and things in such a length of time? or, as the Targum,

"wast thou born with the first man, without father and mother?''

and hast thou existed ever since? or, "wast thou born before Adam?" before the first man ^z? Art thou the wisdom and son of God, who was before Abraham, before Adam, before any creature whatever, was in the beginning with God, and was God? What dost thou make thyself to be, Job? thou, a mere man, dost thou make thyself to be the eternal God? for to be before the first man, or to be the firstborn of every creature, or to be born before every creature, is expressive of eternity, as is the following phrase:

or wast thou made before the hills? or existed before they did? as is said of the son of God, Pro 8:25; what is before the hills and mountains is eternal; the eternal God and his eternity are thus described, Psa 90:2.

Gill: Job 15:8 - Hast thou heard the secret of God // and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself

Hast thou heard the secret of God?.... Or, "in the secret of God" ^a, in his cabinet council, what was said and done there? hast thou stood in the council of God? hast thou been one of his privy council, or counsellors, and been let into all the secrets of God, of his purposes and providence, and into the reasons of all his administrations, that thou talkest so freely, and boldly, and confidently as thou dost? Indeed Christ, the son of God, was the Angel of the great council; the counsel of peace was between him and his Father; yea, he was in his bosom, and privy to all his thoughts, designs, and decrees, and knew everything, what would be, and the reasons thereof; as well as the nature of his Father, his perfections, mind, and will, which he has declared: but could Job pretend to this, or anything like it? no, surely. Indeed there are some secrets of God which he makes known to his people, and no doubt, in some measure, Job was acquainted with them; such as the secrets of God's love, and of the covenant of his grace, which are with them that fear him; and such an one Job was, and with whom, in times past at least, the secret of God was, even his everlasting love in the open manifestation of it to him; which is a secret in the heart of God, till revealed and shed abroad in the hearts of his people; and so the "mysteries" of God, as some render the word, the doctrines of the Gospel, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the knowledge of them, is given to the sons of men; Job was acquainted with them, with the incarnation of Christ, redemption by him, and the resurrection of the dead; the secrets of Providence, though they may not always be known now, they will be hereafter; yea, God does nothing but he reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets Amo 3:7, as he did to Abraham his friend; and as for the purposes of God, which are the secret things that belong to him, and can never be known unless revealed, and when fulfilled, even those, such as relate to the election of men, their redemption by Christ, and the effectual calling, are made known by God's saving and calling them according to them:

and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? not keep it to himself without communicating it to others, which to do is to imprison the truth, and detain it in unrighteousness; as men have freely received, they should freely give; but he arrogated and ascribed wisdom to himself, monopolized it, and would allow no man to have any share of it but himself; he reckoned so highly of himself, as if he was the only wise man in the world; thus what he charged his friends with Eliphaz retorts upon himself, Job 12:2; as he does his own words in Job 15:9.

Gill: Job 15:9 - What knowest thou that we know not // what understandest thou which is not in us

What knowest thou that we know not?.... Which are pretty near the words of Job to his friends, Job 12:3; and to the same sense is what follows:

what understandest thou which is not in us? in our hearts, minds, and understanding; or among us, which one or other, or all of us, have not: yet all men have not knowledge alike; some that profess themselves to be wise, and to have a large share of knowledge, are fools; and such who think they know something extraordinary, and more than others, know nothing as they ought to know; and such who have gifts of real knowledge have them different one from another; even of the things known there is not a like degree of knowledge, and particularly in spiritual things; some are little children in understanding, some are young men and know more, and some are fathers, and know most of all; an equality in knowledge belongs to another state, to the latter day glory, when the watchmen shall see eye to eye, and all shall know the Lord, from the least to the greatest, and especially to the ultimate glory, when saints will know as they are known.

Gill: Job 15:10 - With us are both the grayheaded // and very aged men // much elder than thy father

With us are both the grayheaded,.... The grayheaded man, or one that is so, it is in the singular number; gray hairs are a sign of old age, and an emblem of wisdom, see Job 12:12; to which words Eliphaz may be thought to refer; Job there suggesting as if wisdom was with him, being an ancient man:

and very aged men; or "man" rather; Mr. Broughton renders it, and "all gray", as if the other word only signifies one that has a mixture of gray hairs on him, but this one all whose hairs are turned gray:

much elder than thy father; or "greater", as the same learned man renders it; and so Aben Ezra and Bar Tzemach say in the Arabic language the word signifies, and may design a third person. Ben Gersom thinks that Eliphaz was older than Job, and that his other two friends were younger than he, or Zophar only was younger than he; one of the Targums paraphrases the words thus,

"but Eliphaz who is gray, and Bildad who is aged, are with us, and Zophar who is greater in days than thy father;''

it appears that they were very old men by what Elihu says, Job 32:6; though it may be Eliphaz may not barely have respect to themselves and their age, but to their ancestors, their fathers, from whom they had their knowledge, when they were but of yesterday, and knew little, and so pleads antiquity on their side; and it has been observed that Teman, from whence Eliphaz was, was famous for wisdom, and wise men in it, at least it was so in later times; and if so early, the observation would be more pertinent, and the sense might be thought to be, that we have at Teman men as ancient and as wise as at Uz, in the schools of the one as in the schools of the other, and so have the opportunity of gaining as much wisdom and knowledge as Job: or it may be the meaning only is this, that we have on our side the question as many ancient and learned men, or more, than Job can pretend to; and thus, as before, antiquity is pleaded; but is not a sure rule to go by, at least by trusting to it men may be led aside; for though truth is the good old way, and is the oldest way, yet error is almost as old as truth; it follows so close upon the heels of it, that it is difficult, in some cases, to discern which is first, though truth always is: there is the old way which wicked men have trodden; and a pretence to antiquity, if not carefully observed, may lead into it, see Jer 6:16, Job 22:15.

Gill: Job 15:11 - Are the consolations of God small with thee // is there any secret thing with thee

Are the consolations of God small with thee?.... Meaning either those which Eliphaz and his friends had administered, when, upon his repentance and reformation, they promised him great and good things that should befall him and his family, and that his latter end should be greater than his beginning; which Job slighted, took no notice of, nor entertained any hope concerning it; and these they called the consolations of God, not only because great, as things excellent have the name of God added to them, to express their excellency, but because they were administered in the name of God, and were according to the word and will of God, at least as they thought: Ben Gersom renders it, "the consolations of these"; these were Bildad and Zophar; so Bar Tzemach; or, as others, "these consolations" ^b which I and my friends have suggested; but not human, rather divine consolations are meant; and this is a fresh charge against Job, that he made light of such, even the consolations of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, who are each of them comforters; saints may and should comfort one another, and ministers of the Gospel are Barnabases, sons of consolation; but God is the great Comforter, it is he only can speak and apply comfort to purpose; and his consolations are not to be accounted "small", if it be considered from whence they come, from the great God, the Creator, to creatures, dust and ashes, sinful ones, on whom they are bestowed, such as are undeserving of them, yea, deserving of the wrath of God, and the curses of his law; and also the nature of these comforts, as that they are strong consolations, and effectual through the power and grace of God, and are everlasting, the matter and foundation of them being so; and though they may be refused through unbelief, as being too great in the view of a sinful creature for himself yet they can never be accounted small, or slighted and despised by a gracious soul; nor can it be though they were by Job, since he was so distressed with the arrows of the Almighty, a sense of divine wrath, and was so desirous of the divine Presence, and even begged he might take comfort a little:

is there any secret thing with thee? any secret wisdom and knowledge which they were strangers to; or any secret way of conveying comfort to him they knew not of; or any secret sin in him, any Achan in the camp, Jos 7:11, that hindered him from receiving comfort, or put him upon slighting what was offered to him.

Gill: Job 15:12 - Why doth thine heart carry thee away // and what do thine eyes wink at

Why doth thine heart carry thee away?.... To such conceit of thyself, and contempt of others, and even to slight the consolations of God; the heart, being deceitful and wicked, sometimes carries away good men to say and do those things which are unbecoming; and if, in any instance, this was Job's case, it was owing to his own heart, which carried him beyond due bounds; for whenever any man is "tempted" to do evil, "he is drawn away of his own lust", and enticed, Jam 1:14;

and what do thine eyes wink at; conniving at and shutting his eyes against his own sins and iniquities, unwilling to see them, and be convinced of them, and own them; or shutting them against the charges and reproofs of his friends, and all the light and evidence with which they came; or rather as carelessly attending to them, and scoffing and sneering at them: some render it, "what do thine eyes aim at" ^c? as men, when they take an aim at a mark, wink with or shut one eye; what are thy designs? what hast thou in view? what wouldest thou be at, talking and behaving in such a manner as thou dost?

Gill: Job 15:13 - That thou turnest thy spirit against God // and lettest such words go out of thy mouth

That thou turnest thy spirit against God,.... Not against men, his friends only, but against God himself, being filled with wrath and indignation at him; showing the enmity of his heart unto him, and committing hostilities upon him, stretching out his hand, and strengthening himself against him, running upon him, on the thick bosses of his buckler, as after expressed:

and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? as in Job 9:22.

Gill: Job 15:14 - What is man, that he should be clean // and he which is born of a woman // that he should be righteous

What is man, that he should be clean?.... Frail, feeble, mortal man, or woeful man, as Mr. Broughton renders it; since he is sinful, whereby he is become such a weak and dying creature: this question, as well as the following, is put by way of contempt, and as lessening man in a comparative sense, and in order to abate any high conceit of himself; who is not naturally clean, but the reverse, being conceived and born in sin; nor can he be so of himself, nor by any means he is capable of; and however clean he may be in his own eyes, or in the eyes of others, yet is not clean in the sight of God, and still less pure than him, his Maker, as in Job 4:17; and indeed cannot be clean at all, but through the grace of God, and blood of Christ, which cleanses from all sin:

and he which is born of a woman; a periphrasis of man, Job 14:1;

that he should be righteous? as no man is naturally; there is none righteous, no, not one; though man originally was made righteous, yet sinning he lost his righteousness, and all his posterity are without any; nor can they become righteous of themselves, or by any works of righteousness done by them; and though they may trust in themselves that they are righteous, and may appear outwardly so before men, yet by the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified or accounted righteous in the sight of God, and much less be more just than he, as in Job 4:17; nor can any of the sons of men be made or reckoned righteous but by the obedience of Christ, or by that justifying righteousness that is in him: what Eliphaz here says concerning the impurity, imperfection, and unrighteousness of men, are very great truths; but if he aims at Job, as he seems to do he misses his mark, and mistakes the man, and it is in vain with respect to him, or as a refutation of any notions of his; for Job asserts the corruption and depravity of human nature as strongly as it is expressed here, Job 14:4; nor does he ever claim, but disclaims, sinless perfection, Job 9:20; nor did he expect to be personally justified before God by any righteousness of his own, the imperfection of which he was sensible of, but by the righteousness of his living Redeemer, Job 9:30; but what he pleaded for was the integrity and uprightness of his heart in opposition to hypocrisy he was charged with; and the holiness and righteousness of his life and conversation, in opposition to a course of living in sin, or to his being guilty of some notorious sin or sins for which he was afflicted, as was insinuated. Eliphaz here recurs to his oracle, Job 4:17; and expresses it much to the same sense.

Gill: Job 15:15 - Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints // yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight

Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints,.... In holy men, set apart for himself by his grace, whose sins are expiated by the blood of his Son, and whose hearts are sanctified by his Spirit, and who live holy lives and conversations, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; these, though he trusts many of them with much, as the prophets of old with the messages of his grace and will, and the ministers of the word with treasure, in their earthen vessels, the sacred "depositum" of the glorious Gospel, with gifts of grace, fitting them for their work, and with the care of the souls of men; yet he trusts none of them with themselves, with the redemption and salvation of their souls, with the regeneration and sanctification of their hearts, and with their preservation to eternal glory; he has put those into the hands of his Son and Spirit, and keeps them by his power through faith unto salvation: the Targum renders it, in his saints above, in the saints in heaven, in glorified men; he is there their all in all; as their happiness, so their safety and protection; see an instance of his care and preservation of them after the resurrection, when in a perfect state, Rev 20:8; or this may be understood of the angels, who sometimes are called saints, Deu 33:2; who though they have been trusted with many things to impart to the sons of men, yet not with the salvation of men, nor even with the secret of it; they were not of God's privy council when the affair was debated and settled; nor with other secrets, as the day and hour of the last judgment, the coming of the Son of Man: or the sense may be, "he putteth no perfection or stability" ^d in them, that is, perfection in comparison of his; for if theirs were equal to his, they would be gods, which it is impossible to be, or for God to make them such; and likewise such stability as to have been able to have stood of themselves, which it appears they had not, since many of them fell, and the rest needed confirming grace, which they have by Christ, the Head of all principalities and powers:

yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight; heaven born men, partakers of the heavenly calling, whose hearts and affections are set on heavenly things, and have their conversation in heaven; yet these, in the sight of a pure and holy God, and in comparison of him, are impure and unholy; or they of heaven, as Mr. Broughton renders it, the inhabitants of heaven; the angels on high, as the Targum paraphrases it; these are charged by him with folly, and they, conscious of their imperfection with respect to him, cover their faces with their wings, while they celebrate the perfection of his holiness, who is so glorious in it; though the natural heavens may be intended, at least not excluded, and the luminous bodies in them, as Bildad seems to explain it, Job 25:5; the stars are reckoned the more dense and thick part of the heavens, the moon has its spots, and by later discoveries it seems the sun is not without them, and the heavens are often covered with clouds and darkness, and the present ones will be purified with fire at the general conflagration, which supposes them unclean, and they shall pass away, and new ones succeed, which implies imperfection in the former, or there would be no need of others; this is the proof Eliphaz gives of what he had suggested in Job 15:14.

Gill: Job 15:16 - How much more abominable and filthy is man // which drinketh iniquity like water

How much more abominable and filthy is man,.... In his natural, corrupt, and unregenerate estate; man, as a creature, was not abominable, but becoming sinful he is; he is so in himself, cast out to the loathing of his person, being full of wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores, yea, like a dead corrupted carcass, for he is dead in trespasses and sins, Eph 2:1; and he appears to be corrupt by the abominable works done by him, as all the works of the flesh are; yea, he is abominable to himself, when made sensible of his state and case; he then abhors himself, and repents of his sins, he loathes his sins, and himself for them; and must be much more so in the sight of God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, as man is nothing else than a mass of sin, and therefore must be "filthy"; for sin is of a defiling nature, it defiles the body and all its members, and the soul with all its powers and faculties: man is naturally and originally filthy, being conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity; nor can a clean thing be brought out of an unclean; he is internally and universally unclean, his heart is a sink of sin, desperately wicked, and wickedness itself; his mind and conscience are defiled, and there is no place clean; and this appears outwardly in his actions, in his life and conversation, which is filthy also: for if the ploughing of the wicked is sin, and the righteousnesses of men are filthy rags, how impure must the immoral actions of wicked men be? man is so impure, that nothing but the blood of Christ can purify his heart, and purge his conscience from dead works, and make white his outward conversation garment:

which drinketh iniquity like water; it is as natural to him to commit iniquity as it is for a man to drink water when he is thirsty, and he does it with equal gust, delight, and pleasure; as cold water is delightful to a thirsty soul, so is sin to a sinner, a sweet morsel he holds in his mouth; various lusts are various pleasures, though these pleasures are but for a season: sin, like water, is easy to be come at, it is near at hand, it easily besets men, and is all around them, and they easily give into it; everyone turns to his wicked course as readily as the horse rushes into the battle; and the phrase may be expressive of the abundance of sin committed, like large draughts of water greedily taken down by a man athirst, and repeated again and again; moreover, as water drank enters into men, and is taken down as an harmless thing, yet often proves very hurtful and pernicious to them when drank while they are hot, and occasions disorders, which issue in death; so sin, though it may seem harmless, and be pleasing and refreshing, going down like water, yet it works like poison, and is the gall of asps within a man, and ends in eternal death, if grace prevents not. This is the conclusion and application of the whole to man, arguing from the greater to the lesser, and so proving the impurity and imperfection of man, and that he cannot be clean and righteous before God of himself.

Gill: Job 15:17 - I will show thee, hear me // and that which I have seen I will declare

I will show thee, hear me,.... Here Eliphaz proceeds to illustrate and make plain, to clear and defend, his former sentiment and proposition, and into which the rest of his friends came; that only wicked, and not righteous men, are afflicted of God, especially in such a manner as Job was; and he proposes to show things worthy of his regard, and not such vain and unprofitable things which Job had uttered; and, in order to stir up and engage his attention, he says what follows:

and that which I have seen I will declare; what he had been an eyewitness of himself; the same he had observed, Job 4:8; and such testimonies are most regarded, and reckoned most authentic and creditable, especially when they come from men of character; see Luk 1:1.

Gill: Job 15:18 - Which wise men have told from their fathers // and have not hid it

Which wise men have told from their fathers,.... Men wise in the best sense, not to do evil, but to do good; not worldly wise men, but such who have wisdom, sound wisdom in the inward parts; who are wise to salvation, and who are partakers of divine and spiritual wisdom; and such men, as they would never tell an untruth, so they would never report a false or a foolish thing they had heard, nor any thing but upon a good testimony, what they have received from their fathers, who were also wise and good men; and therefore such a testimony, though not ocular, but by tradition, deserves regard:

and have not hid it; their fathers did not hide it from them, and what they have received from their fathers they did not hide it from their children; and so it came to be handed down from one to another with great truth, exactness, and certainty, and to be depended upon, see Psa 44:1.

Gill: Job 15:19 - Unto whom alone the earth was given // and no stranger passed among them

Unto whom alone the earth was given,.... Who were intrusted with the government of whole kingdoms and nations; and therefore not mean men, but persons of great consequence, and to be credited; being such as were appointed by God, and by him put into such an high office, for which they were qualified by him; and being observed to be such by men, were made choice of by them to take the government of them: this is not to be restrained to the land of Canaan, and to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom it was given, and to their posterity; and who it is very probable at this time did not yet enjoy it; but it respects more and larger tracts of land, and the rulers of them, and at a greater distance of time, and very likely Noah and his sons, to whom the whole earth was given, and by whom it was replenished, and among whom it was divided; this seems opposed to what Job had said, Job 9:24;

and no stranger passed among them; either there was no wicked man among them, a stranger to God and godliness; or an enemy that invaded them, passed through them, disturbed and dispossessed them of their power and substance; which shows how wise and good men are regarded by the Lord, and not distressed and afflicted as wicked men be; as well as serves to strengthen the credit of their character, and the report received and derived from them by tradition, and tacitly glances at Job's distress and disturbance by the Chaldeans and Sabeans; next follows the account of the things either seen by Eliphaz, or handed down from such credible persons now described.

Gill: Job 15:20 - The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days

The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days,.... Either to commit iniquity, which he is at great pains to do, and even to weariness; and, agreeably to the metaphor used, he conceives it in his heart, he travails with it in his mind, and he brings forth falsehood and a lie, what disappoints him, and which issues in death, eternal death, see Psa 7:14; or to get wealth and riches, in obtaining of which he pierces himself through with many sorrows; and these being like thorns, in using them he gets many a scratch, and has a good deal of trouble, pain, and uneasiness in keeping them, insomuch that he cannot sleep comfortably through fear of losing them; wherefore he does not enjoy that peace, comfort, and happiness, it may be thought he does; and, besides all this, he has many an inward pain and gripe of conscience for his many sins and transgressions, which lie at the door of conscience, and when it is opened rush in, and make sad work, and put him to great pain and distress; for otherwise this cannot be said of every wicked man, that they are in outward pain and distress, or in uncomfortable circumstances, at least in appearance; for of some it is said, "they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men", Psa 73:5; they live wholly at ease, and are quiet, and die so, at least seemingly: some restrain this to some particular person whom Eliphaz might have in view; the Targum paraphrases it of wicked Esau, who it was expected would repent, but did not; others think that he had in his eye some notorious oppressor, that had lived formerly, or in his time, as Nimrod, the mighty hunter and tyrant, or Chedorlaomer, who held for some years several kings in subjection to him; but it is much if he does not design Job himself; however, he forms the description of the wicked man in such a manner, that it might as near as possible suit his case, and in many things he plainly refers to it: and this is a sad case indeed, for a wicked man to travail in pain all his days in this life, and in the world to come to suffer the pains of hell fire to all eternity; the pains of a woman, to which the allusion is, are but short at most, but those of the wicked man are for life, yea, for ever; and among the rest of his pains of mind, especially in this world, what follows is one, and which gives much uneasiness: and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor; Mr. Broughton renders it, soon numbered years; that is, few, as the years of man's life at most are but few, and those of the oppressor fewer still, since bloody and deceitful men do not live out half the days of the years of man's life, but are oftentimes cut off in the midst of their days; and be they more or fewer, they are all numbered and fixed, and the number of them is with God, and him only; they are fixed and settled by the decree of God, and laid up in his purposes, and reserved for the oppressor; but they are a secret to him, he does not know how long he shall live, or how soon he may die, and then there will be an end of his oppression and tyranny, and of his enjoyment of his wealth and riches unjustly got; and this frets him, and gives him pain, and makes him uneasy; whereas a good man is easy about it, he is willing to wait his appointed time, till his change comes; he is not so much concerned to know the time of his death as to be in a readiness for it. The Targum paraphrases this of Ishmael the mighty: the oppressor is the same with the wicked man in the preceding clause.

Gill: Job 15:21 - A dreadful sound is in his ears // in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him

A dreadful sound is in his ears,.... Or "a voice", or "sound of fears" ^t, of what causes fears; and which are either imaginary; sometimes wicked men, fear when there is no cause or occasion for it; they fancy an enemy at their heels, and flee, when none pursues them; they are a "Magormissabib", or "terror on every side", a fear to themselves and all about them, Jer 20:3; like Cain, who fancied and feared that every man that met him would slay him Gen 4:13; such is the effect of a guilty conscience: or real; and these either extraordinary sounds, such as were made in the ears of the Syrian host, which caused them to flee, and leave their tents, and all their substance in them, 2Ki 7:6; or ordinary, as the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war, wars and rumours which are very terrible, especially to some persons; or sounds of fears, reports of one calamity after another, which cause fears; and so may respect Job's troubles, and the dreadful sound of them in his ears, brought by one messenger of bad tidings after another: but there is a more dreadful sound than either of these, which is sometimes in the ears of wicked men; the terrors of the law of God broken by them, the menaces and curses of it, and a sound of hell and damnation, which continually rings in their ears, and fills the with horror and black despair; and so the Targum,

"the voice or sound of the fears in hell is in his ears;''

and among the rest of his fears what follows is one, and so some connect the words, that ^u.

in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him; either God the lawgiver, whose law he has transgressed, and who is able, as to save his people, so to destroy the wicked, soul and body, in hell; and destruction from the Almighty, Job himself says, was a terror to him, Job 31:23; or a destroying angel, such an one as went through the land of Egypt, and destroyed the firstborn, and into the camp of Israel, when they committed sin, and were destroyed of the destroyer; or some enemy, plunderer, and robber, such as the Sabeans and Chaldeans were, and to whom respect may be had; or even the devil himself, Apollyon, the destroyer of the souls of men, and who sometimes wicked men fear will come and carry them away, soul and body, to hell; or it may be death is meant, which kills and destroys all men; and wicked men are afraid that in the midst of all their peace and prosperity sudden destruction by death should come upon them, like a thief in the night, and remove them from all their enjoyments; and whether they are or no under any fearful apprehensions of this, it certainly will be their case.

Gill: Job 15:22 - He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness // and he is waited for of the sword

He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness,.... When he lies down at night he despairs of ever seeing the light of the morning, through fear of an enemy, a robber, a murderer, or of one disaster or another, Deu 28:66; or when he is in any affliction and calamity, which is often signified by darkness, he cannot persuade himself that he shall ever be delivered out of it, and restored to his former condition again: and here Eliphaz seems to glance at Job, who had no hope of his being brought into such a state of prosperity he had been in; whereas good men, when in darkness, believe they shall be brought again to the light, as the church in Mic 7:8; or the infidel, who knows he must be laid in the dark and silent grave; the Heathen man, such as were many of the neighbours of Eliphaz, the Idumeans, among whom he dwelt, who were without the hope of a glorious resurrection; and which is an article of pure revelation, and which the idolatrous Heathen were strangers to, and so believed it not, or any deliverance from the grave; or this may respect the blackness of darkness, the outer darkness, the darkness of hell, which when once a wicked man is cast into, and enveloped with, he despairs, as he well may, of ever being delivered out of it:

and he is waited for of the sword; or by them that kill with the sword, as the Targum, who lie in wait for him, to rob him, and kill him; or in his own apprehension he seems to have nothing but drawn swords about him, or a sword hanging over his head, or the judgments of God ready to fall upon him for his sins; for he, having killed others with the sword, must expect to be killed with it himself.