Job Chapter 5 Commentary: Eliphaz’s Appeal to Divine Discipline and Restoration

Job chapter 5 continues Eliphaz’s first speech with his counsel to Job regarding divine discipline, restoration, and the ultimate benefits of accepting correction from God. This chapter reveals Eliphaz’s confidence in traditional wisdom about suffering as divine education and his belief that repentance leads to restoration. The chapter presents both profound truths about God’s character and flawed applications of those truths to Job’s specific situation.

The Futility of Anger and Resentment

Verses 1-2: “Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.”

Eliphaz challenges Job to seek help from any spiritual mediator or saint who might intervene on his behalf. The rhetorical nature of this challenge implies that no such mediator exists or would be willing to help someone suffering under divine judgment. The Hebrew word for “saints” refers to holy ones or angels, suggesting that even heavenly beings would not contradict God’s justice.

The warning about wrath and envy addresses Job’s emotional response to his suffering. Eliphaz observes that anger destroys foolish people while envy kills those lacking wisdom. These emotions, rather than providing solutions, actually compound the sufferer’s problems by clouding judgment and preventing proper responses to divine correction.

The Hebrew words for “foolish” and “silly” indicate different types of mental and moral deficiency. The foolish person lacks practical wisdom, while the silly one demonstrates simple-minded behavior. Eliphaz suggests that emotional responses like wrath and envy characterize these personality types rather than the mature acceptance he advocates.

Observation of the Wicked’s Temporary Prosperity

Verses 3-5: “I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them. Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.”

Eliphaz shares a personal observation about the temporary nature of wicked prosperity. The metaphor of taking root suggests initial establishment and apparent security, but the sudden reversal demonstrates the instability of gains achieved through unrighteous means. The cursing of the habitation indicates divine judgment upon the entire household.

The reference to children being crushed in the gate points to legal proceedings where justice was administered in ancient cities. The gate served as the location for legal trials, business transactions, and public decisions. When children face crushing defeat in these venues without anyone to deliver them, it indicates complete social abandonment and divine judgment.

The imagery of harvest being consumed by hungry strangers and robbers illustrates the futility of wicked accumulation. Even crops growing among thorns, representing difficult cultivation, provide no lasting benefit to those who planted them. The progression from personal loss to family destruction to economic devastation demonstrates comprehensive divine judgment.

The Source of Human Trouble

Verses 6-7: “Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.”

Eliphaz presents a theological principle about the origin of human suffering. Trouble does not arise randomly from natural sources like dust or ground, implying that suffering has purposeful origins rather than accidental causes. This statement challenges purely naturalistic explanations for human difficulties and suggests divine involvement in life’s troubles.

The comparison to sparks flying upward provides a natural analogy for the inevitability of human trouble. Just as sparks naturally rise from fire due to physical laws, humans naturally encounter trouble due to the moral structure of reality. The Hebrew phrase suggests that trouble is as natural to human existence as upward movement is to sparks.

This principle establishes suffering as an inherent aspect of human existence rather than an exceptional condition requiring special explanation. Eliphaz uses this truth to suggest that Job’s suffering, while severe, represents normal human experience rather than evidence of particular divine displeasure.

Counsel to Seek God

Verses 8-9: “I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:”

Eliphaz offers practical counsel based on his theological understanding. Rather than continuing in complaint or seeking human solutions, he advises Job to appeal directly to God and entrust his situation to divine wisdom. The repetition of “God” emphasizes the exclusivity and appropriateness of this approach.

The description of God’s activities as “great,” “unsearchable,” and “marvellous” acknowledges divine transcendence and mysterious ways of working. These attributes suggest that human understanding cannot fully comprehend divine purposes, making submission and trust the appropriate response to suffering.

The phrase “without number” emphasizes the limitless nature of God’s wonderful works. This abundance of divine activity provides confidence that God has both the ability and inclination to intervene positively in human situations when approached with proper humility and trust.

Divine Intervention in Natural and Social Spheres

Verses 10-11: “Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: To set up on high those that be low; he that mourneth may be exalted.”

Eliphaz describes God’s beneficial activities in both natural and social realms. The provision of rain demonstrates divine care for agricultural needs and suggests God’s involvement in sustaining human life through natural processes. Rain represents divine blessing essential for human survival and prosperity.

The reversal of social positions shows God’s concern for justice and compassion toward the oppressed. Those currently in low positions can expect divine elevation, while those who mourn can anticipate future exaltation. This principle offers hope to sufferers like Job while implying that his current low condition might precede divine restoration.

The parallel structure between natural provision and social elevation suggests that God’s care extends to all aspects of human existence. Both physical needs and social justice receive divine attention, indicating comprehensive divine concern for human welfare.

Protection from Human Schemes

Verses 12-14: “He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.”

Eliphaz describes how God frustrates the plans of those who use cunning and craftiness to harm others. The Hebrew word for “devices” implies carefully planned schemes designed to gain advantage through deception or manipulation. Divine intervention prevents these plans from achieving their intended results.

The reference to wisdom being trapped by its own craftiness suggests that excessive human cleverness often becomes self-defeating. Those who rely on cunning rather than righteousness find their elaborate plans working against them through divine intervention. This principle appears throughout biblical wisdom literature.

The imagery of darkness in daytime and groping at noon illustrates the confusion and disorientation that afflicts those opposing divine purposes. Despite having access to clear guidance and favorable circumstances, they stumble like people walking in darkness because their moral vision has been compromised.

Divine Deliverance of the Needy

Verses 15-16: “But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.”

The contrast between God’s treatment of the crafty and the needy demonstrates divine justice and compassion. While cunning schemes are frustrated, genuine need receives divine attention and protection. The sword represents violent oppression, while “their mouth” refers to verbal attacks and false accusations.

Protection from “the hand of the mighty” addresses systemic oppression where powerful individuals abuse their positions to harm vulnerable people. Divine intervention levels the playing field by providing supernatural protection for those lacking natural defenses against oppression.

The result of divine protection creates hope among the poor while silencing iniquity. When God consistently protects the vulnerable and frustrates oppressors, it demonstrates moral order in the universe and encourages those suffering unjust treatment to maintain faith in divine justice.

The Blessedness of Divine Correction

Verses 17-18: “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.”

Eliphaz introduces the central theme of his counsel: divine discipline as blessing rather than curse. The word “happy” translates the Hebrew “ashre,” indicating deep satisfaction and wellbeing that comes from proper relationship with God. This happiness results from accepting divine correction rather than resisting it.

The parallel between making sore and binding up, wounding and healing, illustrates the redemptive purpose of divine discipline. God’s corrections are not vindictive punishments but therapeutic treatments designed to restore spiritual health. The same hands that inflict necessary pain also provide healing and restoration.

This principle offers hope to Job by reframing his suffering as evidence of divine care rather than divine anger. If Job can accept his trials as correction from a loving God, he can expect eventual restoration and blessing as the ultimate purpose of his current pain.

Divine Protection Through Multiple Troubles

Verses 19-22: “He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.”

Eliphaz promises comprehensive divine protection using numerical symbolism. Six and seven represent completeness, suggesting that divine protection covers all possible categories of trouble without exception. This promise appears unconditional and absolute in its scope and certainty.

The specific examples of famine, war, verbal attacks, destruction, and wild beasts cover major categories of ancient threats. These dangers represent both natural disasters and human conflicts that could destroy individuals or communities. Divine protection extends to all these areas when someone maintains proper relationship with God.

The progression from protection to laughter at destruction indicates not just survival but triumph over circumstances that normally create fear. This confidence comes from trusting in divine care rather than natural defenses, allowing believers to maintain peace even during threatening circumstances.

Covenant Peace with Creation

Verses 23-24: “For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.”

The covenant relationship extends beyond divine protection to include harmony with the natural world. Stones of the field represent agricultural challenges like rocky soil, while beasts represent wild animals that threaten livestock and crops. Divine blessing creates harmony between humans and their natural environment.

The promise of tabernacle peace suggests domestic tranquility and security. The Hebrew word for “know” implies confident certainty rather than mere hope or expectation. This knowledge comes from experiencing divine faithfulness in practical daily situations.

The phrase “shalt not sin” in this context likely refers to missing or lacking something rather than moral failure. Visiting one’s habitation without finding anything missing indicates complete security and prosperity under divine protection and blessing.

Abundant Posterity and Longevity

Verses 25-26: “Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.”

The promise of numerous descendants addresses one of the primary concerns in ancient societies where family continuity represented both security and honor. The comparison to grass emphasizes abundance rather than fragility, suggesting healthy and numerous posterity rather than brief existence.

The assurance of full age and natural death contrasts with premature death through violence, disease, or accident. The agricultural metaphor of grain harvested in proper season suggests a life that reaches its intended completion rather than being cut short by external forces.

These promises directly address Job’s current losses of children and health, offering hope that divine restoration will exceed his original condition. The imagery suggests not just recovery but enhancement beyond previous levels of blessing and prosperity.

Certainty of the Counsel

Verse 27: “Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know it for thy good.”

Eliphaz concludes his speech with a strong assertion of certainty about his counsel. The claim to have “searched it” suggests thorough investigation and testing of these principles through experience and observation. The plural “we” may refer to his fellow counselors or the broader wisdom tradition he represents.

The command to “hear it, and know it for thy good” places responsibility on Job to accept and apply this wisdom for his own benefit. Eliphaz presents his counsel as established truth that will certainly benefit Job if properly received and implemented.

This conclusion reveals both Eliphaz’s confidence in traditional wisdom and his expectation that Job should submit to established teachings rather than maintaining his protests of innocence. The certainty expressed here will prove problematic as the dialogue continues.

Verse by Verse Analysis

Verse 1: The challenge to call upon saints reflects Eliphaz’s belief that no heavenly mediator would contradict divine justice by helping someone suffering under legitimate divine correction.

Verse 2: The warning about destructive emotions addresses Job’s angry response to his suffering, suggesting that wrath and envy compound rather than solve problems.

Verse 3: Personal observation of temporary wicked prosperity followed by sudden reversal supports Eliphaz’s theology of inevitable divine retribution against unrighteousness.

Verse 4: The crushing of children in legal proceedings indicates comprehensive family judgment and social abandonment as consequences of parental wickedness.

Verse 5: Economic devastation through loss of harvest to strangers and robbers completes the pattern of divine judgment against established wickedness.

Verse 6: The principle that affliction has purposeful rather than random origins establishes divine involvement in human suffering as normal rather than exceptional.

Verse 7: The comparison to sparks flying upward presents trouble as naturally inherent in human existence due to moral realities rather than accidental circumstances.

Verse 8: Practical counsel to seek God exclusively demonstrates Eliphaz’s conviction that divine appeal provides the only appropriate response to suffering.

Verse 9: Description of divine activities as great, unsearchable, and marvelous acknowledges God’s transcendence while encouraging trust in divine wisdom beyond human understanding.

Verse 10: Natural provision through rain demonstrates divine care for human physical needs and suggests God’s involvement in sustaining life through natural processes.

Verse 11: Social elevation of the lowly and mourning shows divine concern for justice and provides hope for current sufferers like Job.

Verse 12: Divine frustration of crafty schemes protects innocent people from manipulation and deception while demonstrating moral order in the universe.

Verse 13: Wisdom trapped by its own craftiness illustrates how excessive human cleverness becomes self-defeating when opposed to divine purposes.

Verse 14: Confusion and disorientation afflicting the crafty despite favorable circumstances shows how moral blindness creates practical difficulties.

Verse 15: Divine protection of the poor from various forms of oppression demonstrates God’s special concern for vulnerable people lacking natural defenses.

Verse 16: Hope for the poor and silenced iniquity result from consistent divine intervention on behalf of the oppressed against their oppressors.

Verse 17: Divine correction presented as blessing reframes suffering as therapeutic treatment rather than vindictive punishment, offering hope for restoration.

Verse 18: The parallel between wounding and healing illustrates the redemptive purpose of divine discipline as preparation for restoration.

Verse 19: Numerical symbolism of six and seven troubles promises comprehensive divine protection covering all possible categories of danger and difficulty.

Verse 20: Specific examples of protection from famine, war, and verbal attacks demonstrate divine care extending to major categories of ancient threats.

Verse 21: Protection from tongue scourging and fearlessness regarding destruction indicate both social and natural security under divine care.

Verse 22: Laughter at destruction and fearlessness of wild beasts shows triumph over normally frightening circumstances through divine confidence.

Verse 23: Covenant peace with stones and beasts represents harmony between humans and their natural environment as result of divine blessing.

Verse 24: Tabernacle peace and complete household security indicate domestic tranquility and prosperity under divine protection and blessing.

Verse 25: Abundant posterity compared to grass emphasizes numerous and healthy descendants as evidence of divine favor and blessing.

Verse 26: Natural death in full age like harvested grain suggests life completion according to divine timing rather than premature termination.

Verse 27: Assertion of certainty based on thorough investigation places responsibility on Job to accept established wisdom for his own benefit.

Theological Themes and Implications

The doctrine of divine discipline emerges as the central theological theme, presenting suffering as corrective rather than punitive. Eliphaz advocates accepting divine correction as evidence of care rather than anger, though his application to Job’s situation proves inadequate for understanding innocent suffering.

Divine justice appears through descriptions of God’s protection of the vulnerable and frustration of oppressive schemes. This theme emphasizes moral order in the universe while providing hope for those experiencing unjust treatment from powerful opponents.

The relationship between repentance and restoration underlies Eliphaz’s entire argument. He assumes that accepting divine correction leads inevitably to renewed blessing, though this formula proves oversimplified when applied to complex situations like Job’s experience.

Divine transcendence permeates the chapter through acknowledgment of God’s unsearchable ways and marvelous works. While this theme correctly emphasizes human limitations in understanding divine purposes, Eliphaz applies it selectively to support his predetermined conclusions.

Practical Lessons and Applications

The value of seeking God during difficulty provides important guidance for responding to trials and suffering. Rather than relying exclusively on human wisdom or solutions, turning to divine guidance offers resources beyond natural limitations.

The danger of destructive emotions like anger and envy appears through Eliphaz’s warnings about their effects on judgment and decision-making. Managing emotional responses appropriately helps maintain clear thinking during difficult circumstances.

The importance of accepting correction when appropriate applies to genuine situations of divine discipline, though careful discernment is required to distinguish between corrective discipline and other forms of suffering.

The hope of ultimate restoration encourages perseverance during temporary difficulties, though this hope should not minimize the reality of present pain or assume automatic resolution of all problems.

Cross References

Hebrews 12:5-6 – “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” directly parallels Eliphaz’s teaching about divine correction as blessing.

Psalm 34:19 – “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” echoes the promise of divine protection through multiple troubles while acknowledging that righteous people do experience difficulties.

Proverbs 3:11-12 – “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” reinforces the theme of divine discipline as evidence of love.

Isaiah 55:8-9 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways” supports the theme of divine transcendence beyond human understanding.

1 Corinthians 10:13 – “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able” provides New Testament perspective on divine protection during trials.

James 1:2-4 – “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” offers similar counsel about finding benefit in trials while acknowledging their difficulty.