Job 15:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Job’s strong admonishment of his companions led to their irritation and discontent. However, this was not an expression of pride before the Lord. In fact, because Job was confident in his integrity, he dismissed their empty slanders. Overcome with regret for having chastised Job earlier, Eliphaz resorts to futile and hollow talk, suggesting that Job had spoken of him with arrogance in the sight of God. Moreover, without any anticipation, he quickly discloses the motive behind his denouncement of Job: as though Job had adopted the speech of the unrighteous.

You are justified by words that are unworthy of you, and you claim that you should not, as stated in Job 15:3, 29. They believe that only those who can be led into the folly of their own declarations possess a fear of the Lord. Thus, the text continues: Indeed, you have cast aside reverence and have engaged in prayers before God, as seen in Job 15:4. Here, "take" signifies "remove," suggesting that you, in asserting your own righteousness, have neglected to seek the mercy of your Creator. When heretics cannot identify genuine evil that demands good, they fabricate issues to draw rebuke towards themselves, which allows them to maintain a façade of righteousness, often leading them to utter words that offend. Therefore, everything continues to be compounded further.

In his second address, Eliphaz adamantly challenges Job's justifications, deeming his statements as unfounded and even oppositional to God, hinting that Job perceives prayer as superfluous (15:1-4). He intends to confront Job with his own words regarding hypocrisy and arrogance, as Job claims to possess the wisdom and insight of the elders (5-12), while overlooking that no one can be deemed innocent before the Lord, thus viewing himself as blameless (13-16). However, Eliphaz juxtaposes Job's testimony with the ancient wisdom of forebears who were revered for their longevity and knowledge; they affirmed that the existence of the wicked is marked by continual dread and a dreadful conclusion, precisely due to their self-exaltation before God (17-35).