Job 15:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He states that the complete existence of the wicked is filled with worry. Even in times of tranquility, their conscience remains troubled. He notes that the years allotted to the powerful who act unjustly are limited, for oppressors do not endure for long.

This indicates that the wicked are continually beset by necessity and pressure, much like a battlefield where, on one flank, the king looms with enemy flags, while on the opposite side, bandits encroach, leaving no respite for their mind or spirit.

You have granted him strength in a fleeting moment so that he may transition eternally. Job 14:20. A literal interpretation of this reveals that the individual received fortitude in a brief period, as he was enabled to exist here temporarily before ultimately departing to a realm where he is no longer constrained by the limits of mortality. However, during this transient phase, he realizes that in the everlasting realm, he will either experience unending joy or face everlasting punishment. This notion of being "strengthened in a brief moment" prior to his eternal departure is aptly followed by the statement: You will change his appearance and send him away.

In Eliphaz's second discourse, he challenges Job's justifications with renewed fervor and identifies his statements as baseless and even opposing to God, implying that Job deems prayer unnecessary (15:1-4). Eliphaz aims to admonish Job for his hypocrisy and arrogance, as Job attributes to himself the wisdom and knowledge of the elders (5-12), failing to recognize that no one can be deemed pure before the Lord while asserting his own righteousness (13-16). In contrast, Eliphaz brings forth the wisdom of the ancients, who were marked by their longevity and experience, affirming that the life of the wicked is filled with perpetual dread and that his demise is dreadful, specifically due to his arrogance towards God (17-35).