Job 22:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Verse 20. Were not their structures laid waste, and what remained was consumed by flames? Job 22:20. 19. Indeed, the structures of the wicked stand as a testament to their accumulation of iniquity. They engage in wrongdoing without hesitation, and their sinful actions go unpunished. They transgress and prosper, amassing more transgressions alongside worldly riches. Yet, ‘their structures are laid waste’ when they are taken from this life into ruin or removed from the sight of the Eternal Judge into the everlasting fire of hell. Those individuals, even after shedding their mortal bodies, will be restored to that same condition in the resurrection, such that with the flesh in which they transgressed, they shall face torment.

Eliphaz delivers his final rebuke to Job, attempting to demonstrate that human righteousness holds no value before God, thereby indicating that divine punishments should be seen as reflections of God's impartial justice. He argues that it is a transgression for a person to have the chance to assist their neighbor and choose not to do so. Job is suffering due to such sins. He tries in vain to find solace in the belief that God, in His majesty, overlooks the trivial matters of earthly existence. This mindset mirrors that of the ancient wicked, who also had such thoughts of God and met with sudden destruction through calamities like floods and fire.