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Dhammapada · narration sample

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The Bible · 440 of 1189

Job 4

1.Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2. If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking? 3. Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. 4. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. 5. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. 6. Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?

7.Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? 8. Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. 9. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed. 10. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. 11. The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion’s whelps are scattered abroad.

12.Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14. Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 17. Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? 18. Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: 19. How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? 20. They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it. 21. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Asked of Guide

Why does Eliphaz say suffering proves guilt in Job 4?

Eliphaz argues from observation and a dream-vision: he remembers that “they that plow iniquity…reap the same” and reports a night vision asking, “Shall mortal man be more just than God?” He treats suffering as divine retribution because the innocent normally do not perish and the guilty experience collapse like lions losing prey.

Eliphaz’s claim rests on tradition and authority—he appeals to what he has seen and to a supernatural message that distrusts human righteousness. This answer echoes Proverbs’ wisdom tradition, where righteous conduct brings blessing and wickedness brings ruin, but the book of Job tests that simple equation.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.