Job 15-21 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Job 15:1: 15:1–21:34 In this second round of speeches, Job’s friends focus on the fate of the wicked and imply that Job’s condition shows he has sinned.

Summary for Job 15:1: 15:1–21:34 ^a In this second round of speeches, Job’s friends focus on the fate of the wicked and imply that Job’s condition shows he has sinned.
Summary for Job 15:2-3: 15:2-3 ^b You are nothing but a windbag (literally You fill your belly with the east wind): Since the east wind was hot, it might represent heated (Exod 14:21 ^c; Hos 13:15 ^d; Jon 4:8 ^e) or violent (Job 27:21 ^f; Jer 18:17 ^g) speech.
15:6 ^h Your own mouth condemns you: Job feared that this would happen (9:20 ⁱ; see Matt 26:65 ^j).
Summary for Job 15:7-8: 15:7-8 ^k When the Lord himself later issued a similar challenge, Job found it convicting (38:1-11 ^l).
15:8 ^m The book’s readers know about God’s secret council (1:6-12 ⁿ; 2:1-6 ^o; see 1 Kgs 22:19-20 ^p; Ps 89:5-7 ^q), but Job and his company did not.
Summary for Job 15:9-10: 15:9-10 ^r Aged, gray-haired men claim a monopoly on wisdom (8:8-10 ^s; 12:20 ^t; see 12:2 ^u).
15:12 ^v What has weakened your vision (literally Why do your eyes blink): This sentence might be a metaphor for unbelief, or it could indicate winking like a schemer or blinking in disbelief.
15:14 ^w Can any mortal be pure? Eliphaz repeated himself (4:17-19 ^x) and Job (7:17 ^y; 14:4 ^z).

• anyone born of a woman: Both “mortal” and “born of woman” imply weakness.
15:15 ^aa The heavens, traditionally associated with purity (Exod 24:10 ^ab), were not absolutely pure; they had been defiled, perhaps by rebellious angels (Job 1:6-7 ^ac).
Summary for Job 15:17-19: 15:17-19 ^ad before any foreigners arrived: Eliphaz’s contempt for foreign ideas is ironic because wisdom literature has a more international flavor than is characteristic of other Old Testament writings.
Summary for Job 15:20-35: 15:20-35 ^ae The wicked also suffer everything that happened to Job (see 1:16-19 ^af)—attacks by marauders (15:21 ^ag), loss of possessions (15:29 ^ah), crumbled houses (15:28 ^ai), and fire (15:30 ^aj, 34 ^ak).
15:21 ^al Although Eliphaz generalized the terror that the wicked experience, Job had undergone similar experiences (3:25 ^am; 6:4 ^an; 9:34 ^ao; 13:11 ^ap, 21 ^aq; 23:15 ^ar; 27:20 ^as; 30:15 ^at). Bildad (18:11 ^au, 14 ^av) and Zophar (20:25 ^aw) spoke of more terror to come.

• The Sabeans and Chaldeans were examples of the destroyer (1:13-17 ^ax), but this could refer to any destructive agent (1:18-19 ^ay). Destroyers might be agents of Satan (1 Cor 10:10 ^az; Rev 9:11 ^ba) or divine agents that punish wickedness (Exod 12:23 ^bb; 2 Sam 24:16 ^bc; 2 Chr 32:21 ^bd; Acts 12:23 ^be; Heb 11:28 ^bf). Eliphaz meant the latter.
15:22 ^bg for fear they will be murdered (literally he is marked for the sword): The wicked might be killed by murder or by the sword of God’s wrath.
15:23 ^bh They wander around, saying, “Where can I find bread?”: Like the wicked (15:20 ^bi), Job either experienced hunger (see 15:27 ^bj) or (following the Greek Old Testament) had been “appointed to be food for a vulture,” which would parallel “marked for the sword” (15:22 ^bk).
15:25 ^bl Job had complained earlier that God was treating him like a formidable foe (7:19-21 ^bm; 13:24 ^bn).
15:30 ^bo The burning sun (literally The flame) might be the scorching sun or a flame of judgment from God (15:34 ^bp, see Num 16:31-35 ^bq; Ps 106:17-18 ^br; Ezek 20:47 ^bs).

• The breath of God might be a desert wind or a more direct theophany (a manifestation of God’s presence) that caused the burning of Job 15:34 ^bt.
15:34 ^bu The flame of judgment (15:30 ^bv) will burn the unjust gain of the godless.

‏ Job 16

16:4 ^bw Job might have wanted to shake his head in mockery or in horror (2 Kgs 19:21 ^bx; Pss 22:7 ^by; 109:25 ^bz; Isa 37:22 ^ca; Jer 18:16 ^cb; Lam 2:15 ^cc; Matt 27:39 ^cd).
16:7 ^ce Job’s family here means his extended household, including his servants (1:15-19 ^cf).
Summary for Job 16:9-10: 16:9-10 ^cg jeer and laugh at me: Job was the subject of mockery (cp. Ps 35:21 ^ch; Isa 57:4 ^ci; Lam 2:16 ^cj; 3:46 ^ck).

• To slap the cheek was less an act of violence (Ps 3:7 ^cl; Mic 5:1 ^cm) than an insult (1 Kgs 22:24 ^cn; Isa 50:6 ^co; Lam 3:30 ^cp; Matt 26:67 ^cq).
16:12 ^cr took me by the neck: This might refer to a wild animal with its prey (see 16:9 ^cs), but it is more likely a military image that signaled defeat (Gen 49:8 ^ct; Ps 18:40 ^cu).
16:13 ^cv pierce me: Literally pierce my kidneys.

• my blood: Literally my gall. The picture is of wounds to vital organs.
16:14 ^cw Again and again he smashes against me: Job pictures himself as a fortress that God is besieging. Job saw God as a warrior (cp. Exod 15:3 ^cx; Ps 24:8 ^cy) who did not defend him or offer him salvation (Jer 20:11 ^cz; Zeph 3:17 ^da) but attacked him as though he were dangerous (Job 6:12 ^db; see Isa 42:13 ^dc).
16:15 ^dd Since Job insisted on his innocence, his wearing burlap (literally I sewed on burlap) was a sign of mourning, not penitence. Perhaps it was attached to indicate that he would never remove it because he could never be consoled (Gen 37:34-35 ^de).

• My pride lies in the dust (literally I have buried my horn in the dust): A horn symbolized dignity and power (1 Sam 2:1 ^df; Pss 75:4-5 ^dg; 89:17 ^dh, 24 ^di; 92:10 ^dj; 112:9 ^dk; 148:14 ^dl); cutting it off inflicted degrading humiliation (Ps 75:10 ^dm; Jer 48:25 ^dn; Zech 1:12 ^do).
16:17 ^dp done no wrong (or done no violence; Hebrew lo’-khamas): If violence is the meaning, Job was possibly denying that he was a formidable warrior who should be attacked (16:12-14 ^dq; see also Isa 59:6 ^dr; Jon 3:8 ^ds).

• Contrary to Eliphaz’s charge (Job 15:4-5 ^dt) and Bildad’s assumption (8:6 ^du), Job’s prayer was pure because he was innocent (Gen 20:5 ^dv; Isa 59:3 ^dw).
Summary for Job 16:18-22: 16:18-22 ^dx Job expected his suffering to prove fatal (7:7 ^dy, 21 ^dz; 10:20-22 ^ea); he pleaded with God to reveal his innocence even if he died first. 16:18 ^eb Job’s blood would cry out that he had been innocent and that he had suffered undeservedly (cp. Gen 4:10-11 ^ec; Isa 26:21 ^ed; Ezek 24:7-8 ^ee).
Summary for Job 16:19-21: 16:19-21 ^ef my witness is in heaven: Job wished for a benevolent third party who would mediate between him and God (see 9:32-35 ^eg). Job wanted an advocate from heaven (16:19 ^eh; cp. Zech 3:1 ^ei) who would eventually stand on the earth (Job 19:25 ^ej; cp. 1 Sam 24:15 ^ek; John 14:16 ^el, 26 ^em; 15:26 ^en; 16:7 ^eo; 1 Jn 2:1 ^ep).

‏ Job 17

17:1 ^eq My spirit is crushed: This can refer to a properly contrite attitude (Ps 51:17 ^er), but more often it connotes an unbearably sad heart (Prov 18:14 ^es).
17:2 ^et surrounded by mockers: Laments typically describe mockery as the response of the wicked to the distress of the righteous (Pss 22:7 ^eu; 69:10-12 ^ev; 89:50-52 ^ew). In wisdom literature, mockery is directed against the right behavior (Prov 1:22 ^ex; 9:7 ^ey).
Summary for Job 17:3-5: 17:3-5 ^ez defend my innocence, O God (literally please keep my pledge with yourself): A pledge (Hebrew ‘erabon) can be a deposit guaranteeing payment (Gen 38:17-20 ^fa; Exod 22:26-27 ^fb; Deut 24:10-14 ^fc; see Prov 20:16 ^fd; 27:13 ^fe), so this might suggest atonement. It might also be another reference to Job’s desire for an advocate to plead his case (see study note on Job 16:19-21).
17:6 ^ff To spit in someone’s face was even more insulting than a slap (16:10 ^fg) because spit made the person unclean (Num 12:14 ^fh).
Summary for Job 17:8-9: 17:8-9 ^fi Some scholars view these verses as being out of place, but perhaps Job was ironically quoting his opponents’ words.
Summary for Job 17:10-16: 17:10-16 ^fj Job gave up on his comforters (6:15-21 ^fk; 13:4-5 ^fl; 16:2-3 ^fm; cp. 12:2 ^fn) and believed he would die a hopeless death.
17:13 ^fo to the grave (Hebrew to Sheol): The realm of the dead was visualized as a house (30:23 ^fp; Ps 49:11 ^fq; Eccl 12:5 ^fr).
17:14 ^fs my father ... mother ... sister: This bitter parody of a family reunion in a graveyard shows how Job envisioned his impending death.
17:16 ^ft the grave (literally the bars of Sheol): Sheol—the abode of the dead—was seen as having a barred gate, allowing no escape.

‏ Job 18

Summary for Job 18:2-3: 18:2-3 ^fu How long before you stop talking? Bildad addressed Job in the plural, perhaps meaning “people like you.”
18:5 ^fv The light of the wicked will be snuffed out could be a metaphor for a life of confused darkness (Prov 4:19 ^fw); more likely, it indicates an early death (Prov 13:9 ^fx; 24:20 ^fy).
18:7 ^fz The stride that is shortened is the opposite of walking and running in the blessed life (Prov 4:12 ^ga).
Summary for Job 18:8-10: 18:8-10 ^gb A series of hunting devices illustrates the biblical principle of retribution (see study note on 34:11).
Summary for Job 18:11-13: 18:11-13 ^gc Bildad applies the biblical principle of retribution (18:8-10 ^gd) to Job, as do Eliphaz (15:21-23 ^ge) and Zophar (20:25 ^gf).
18:13 ^gg death devours: Isaiah later reversed the figure and saw the Lord as swallowing up death (Isa 25:8 ^gh; see 1 Cor 15:54 ^gi).
18:15 ^gj The image of burning sulfur recalls the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:24 ^gk) and suggests the fate of all the wicked (Ps 11:6 ^gl; Rev 19:20 ^gm; 21:8 ^gn).
18:17 ^go Being forgotten by those who come later is a familiar curse against the wicked (see 18:19 ^gp; Pss 34:16 ^gq; 109:13 ^gr; Prov 10:7 ^gs).
18:19 ^gt This curse of childlessness (see 18:16 ^gu; Pss 109:13 ^gv; Isa 14:21-22 ^gw) and Bildad’s earlier cruelty (Job 8:4 ^gx) show that he regarded Job’s condition as the just reward for his wickedness (1:18-19 ^gy).
18:20 ^gz in the west ... in the east: These phrases might refer to people from times past and times to come or to people from various places.
18:21 ^ha Bildad kept implying that Job had rejected God (15:4 ^hb, 13 ^hc, 25 ^hd).

‏ Job 19

19:3 ^he The number ten did not represent a specific count but an indefinite large number (e.g., Gen 31:7 ^hf; Lev 26:26 ^hg; Num 14:22 ^hh; Dan 1:20 ^hi).
19:6 ^hj Job was convinced that justice had been delayed (19:7 ^hk) and that God had wronged him (19:8-12 ^hl). Later, Elihu (34:12 ^hm) and God himself (40:2 ^hn) disagreed.

• capturing me in his net: Job might have been responding to Bildad’s accusation (18:8-10 ^ho).
19:7 ^hp Help! (literally Violence!): Cp. Jer 20:8 ^hq; Hab 1:2-3 ^hr.

• no one answers: See Ps 22:2 ^hs; Lam 3:8 ^ht; Hab 1:2-3 ^hu.
19:8 ^hv blocked my way: See 3:23 ^hw; 13:27 ^hx; Ps 88:8 ^hy; Lam 3:7 ^hz, 9 ^ia.
19:9 ^ib stripped me of my honor: See 12:17-19 ^ic; 29:7-14 ^id, 20 ^ie.
19:17 ^if my own family: Job might have been referring to his tribal line, his parents, his own children, or his siblings.
19:19 ^ig Those I loved have turned against me: See 2:11 ^ih; also 6:14-15 ⁱⁱ, 21-23 ^ij, 27 ^ik; cp. Pss 41:9 ^il; 55:12-14 ^im, 20 ⁱⁿ.
19:20 ^io escaped death by the skin of my teeth: This is an idiom for a narrow escape; the Hebrew could also mean that Job was reduced to a skeleton with a toothy skull.
19:21 ^ip The hand of God had struck Job through the permission he gave to Satan (1:11 ^iq; 2:5 ^ir).
19:22 ^is persecute (literally pursue): Job complained that God had tracked him like a hunter (10:16 ^it) or a warrior (16:13 ^iu).
19:23 ^iv Job wanted his words ... inscribed on a monument, not in a book; Job desired a permanent record of his claim to innocence in response to Bildad’s assertion that he would be forgotten (18:17 ^iw).
19:25 ^ix Job’s faith in a Redeemer could find fulfillment only in Christ; the same was true of his request for an advocate (9:33 ^iy) and a witness in heaven (16:19 ^iz). The term “Redeemer” (Hebrew go’el) comes from both criminal and civil law. An individual could redeem or avenge wrongful bloodshed (Num 35:12-18 ^ja) or redeem lost property, perhaps by buying back a slave or marrying the heir’s widow (Lev 25:25 ^jb, 47-49 ^jc; 27:11-13 ^jd; Ruth 3:13 ^je). The Old Testament knew the Lord as redeemer (Exod 6:6 ^jf; Pss 19:14 ^jg; 103:4 ^jh; Prov 23:10-11 ^ji; Isa 43:1 ^jj [“ransomed”]; Isa 54:5 ^jk); New Testament believers know the Redeemer as the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 1:7 ^jl, 14 ^jm; Heb 9:12 ^jn; 1 Pet 1:18 ^jo). Job wanted his Redeemer to declare his innocence (see Job 1:1 ^jp and corresponding study note).
19:26 ^jq Job had faith that he would be vindicated even if death came first.
19:27 ^jr I will see him for myself: The thought is the same as the psalmist’s in “when I awake” (Ps 17:15 ^js). For Job, this hope could only be fulfilled in seeing God at the end of time (Matt 5:8 ^jt; 1 Cor 13:12 ^ju; 1 Jn 3:2 ^jv; Rev 1:7 ^jw) in transformed flesh (1 Cor 15:43-53 ^jx; Phil 3:21 ^jy).
19:29 ^jz Given the biblical principles against bearing false witness (13:7-11 ^ka; see Matt 7:1-2 ^kb; Jas 4:11-12 ^kc), Job warned his friends that they should fear God’s judgment. They did eventually face his judgment, but they also received mercy (Job 42:7-8 ^kd).

‏ Job 20

20:7 ^ke thrown away like their own dung: Cp. 1 Kgs 14:9-11 ^kf; 2 Kgs 9:36-37 ^kg; Ps 83:10 ^kh; Jer 8:1-2 ^ki.
20:10 ^kj Because stolen riches are ill-gotten, they provide no lasting benefit (20:18-21 ^kk).
Summary for Job 20:14-16: 20:14-16 ^kl poisonous venom ... cobras ... viper: In the end, the wicked are no longer deadly to others (Matt 3:7 ^km; Rom 3:13 ^kn) but only to themselves (Prov 23:29-35 ^ko).
20:17 ^kp The streams of olive oil and rivers of milk and honey signify superabundant blessing (Exod 5:19 ^kq; Deut 27:3 ^kr; Joel 3:18 ^ks).
20:20 ^kt Like the grave or death (Prov 27:20 ^ku; 30:15-16 ^kv), the wicked are always greedy and never satisfied (Eccl 5:19 ^kw; Isa 57:20-21 ^kx; Hab 2:5 ^ky).
20:24 ^kz The wicked cannot escape trouble (cp. Isa 24:17-18 ^la; Jer 15:2-3 ^lb; Amos 5:19 ^lc; 9:1-2 ^ld). When they try to escape one threat, they fall victim to another.
20:25 ^le terrors of death: Although the words “of death” are not in the Hebrew, they are implied because the arrowhead glistens with blood (literally with gall), indicating a deadly hit on a vital organ (6:4 ^lf; 16:13 ^lg; Ps 7:12 ^lh).
20:26 ^li Images such as deepest darkness and wildfire are often associated with God’s presence (Deut 4:11 ^lj; 5:22-23 ^lk; Heb 12:18 ^ll) and especially with his judgment (Exod 9:23-24 ^lm; 10:21-29 ^ln).
20:27 ^lo heavens ... will testify: Cp. Deut 4:26 ^lp; 30:19 ^lq; 31:28 ^lr.

‏ Job 21

21:2 ^ls Job’s friends insisted that they were delivering God’s own message of comfort (15:11 ^lt), but Job found no comfort in their words (16:2 ^lu), so he asked for the consolation of their attentive silence (see 13:5 ^lv).
21:6 ^lw When I think about what I am saying: Job was dismayed by his horrible task of complaining against God (13:3 ^lx, 15-16 ^ly, 22 ^lz; 23:1-5 ^ma) and discussing his terrors (6:4 ^mb; 27:20 ^mc; 30:15 ^md).

• My body trembles: This reaction resembles that of Habakkuk (Hab 1:5 ^me; 3:16 ^mf), Ezekiel (Ezek 3:14 ^mg), and Daniel (Dan 8:27 ^mh; 10:8-9 ^mi).
21:8 ^mj In spite of assertions by Eliphaz (5:4 ^mk), Bildad (18:19 ^ml), and Zophar (20:10 ^mm), Job noted that the wicked enjoy children and grandchildren, which should be the reward of the righteous (Prov 17:6 ^mn) but was apparently not going to be his own reward (Job 1:18-19 ^mo; but see 42:13-16 ^mp).
21:17 ^mq light of the wicked never seems to be extinguished: Job countered Bildad (18:5-6 ^mr, 18 ^ms) and standard wisdom (Prov 13:9 ^mt; 20:20 ^mu; 24:20 ^mv; see God’s remarks, Job 38:15 ^mw).
21:19 ^mx you say: Job was quoting and rebutting his friends’ arguments.

• God will punish their children: These were the words of Eliphaz (5:4 ^my) and Zophar (20:10 ^mz), but Job thought God should punish the ones who sin (see Ezek 18:19-20 ^na).
21:22 ^nb The rhetorical answer is that no one can teach a lesson to God (Isa 40:13-14 ^nc; 45:9 ^nd; Rom 11:34 ^ne; 1 Cor 2:16 ^nf).

• The most powerful might refer to angels or demons (1 Cor 6:3 ^ng; 2 Pet 2:4 ^nh; Jude 1:6 ⁿⁱ; Rev 20:1-3 ^nj) or, more likely, to the powerful on earth (Job 34:17-19 ^nk).
21:24 ^nl vigorous and fit (literally the marrow of his bones [is] moist): Bones were thought to be the seat of health.
21:25 ^nm in bitter poverty: Job repeatedly complained about the apparent futility of existence (3:20 ⁿⁿ; 7:11 ^no; 9:18 ^np; 10:1 ^nq).
21:26 ^nr eaten by the same maggots: Cp. 17:14 ^ns; Isa 14:11 ^nt; see Job 19:26 ^nu.
21:28 ^nv houses have vanished because of their sins: Job was echoing Bildad (8:22 ^nw), Eliphaz (15:34 ^nx), and Zophar (20:26 ^ny).
21:33 ^nz the earth gives sweet repose: Job viewed death as a relief (3:17-18 ^oa).
21:34 ^ob They told lies about Job (13:4 ^oc) and about God (42:7 ^od).