Job 4:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The phrase "which verb is true be in thy words" indicates that Job consistently spoke words of significance, either to inspire others to strive for excellence or to clarify the divine order.

In these statements, it seems that Job often expressed such thoughts, potentially to provoke envy in others or for other reasons. Consider all of you who pose such inquiries and reflect on to whom you are akin. If Eliphaz was not absolved after making his remarks in such a context, we, who analyze the events and can recount what befell Job, are even less likely to be pardoned. They believe they have found a suitable opportunity to criticize and confront him without awaiting the full understanding of the situations at hand.

Job's lamentations regarding his circumstances provoke his friends to voice objections and initiate an extensive discussion about the reasons behind his afflictions. Eliphaz is the first to respond. After asking for permission to speak, he expresses his astonishment that someone who has so frequently brought solace to others in distress could now voice such vehement grievances, especially since his awareness of his own virtues should reassure him of a favorable outcome. He draws from his own experiences, asserting that innocence typically shields an individual from ruin; in contrast, might and aggression cannot spare one from the Lord’s wrath. This leads him to the conclusion that had Job truly been innocent, he would not have encountered such calamities.