Job 22: Eliphaz Invents Job's Sins
Opening the third cycle, Eliphaz fabricates specific crimes against Job, then urges him to return to God and be restored.
Job 22 (WEB)
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2 “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him, that you make your ways perfect?
4 Is it for your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgment?
5 Isn’t your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities.
6 For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 You haven’t given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are around you. Sudden fear troubles you,
11 or darkness, so that you can not see, and floods of waters cover you.
12 “Isn’t God in the heights of heaven? See the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 You say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn’t see. He walks on the vault of the sky.’
15 Will you keep the old way, which wicked men have trodden,
16 who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17 who said to God, ‘Depart from us;’ and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad. The innocent ridicule them,
20 saying, ‘Surely those who rose up against us are cut off. The fire has consumed their remnant.’
21 “Acquaint yourself with him, now, and be at peace. Thereby good shall come to you.
22 Please receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you shall be built up, if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.
24 Lay your treasure in the dust, the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
25 The Almighty will be your treasure, and precious silver to you.
26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and shall lift up your face to God.
27 You shall make your prayer to him, and he will hear you. You shall pay your vows.
28 You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to you. Light shall shine on your ways.
29 When they cast down, you shall say, ‘be lifted up.’ He will save the humble person.
30 He will even deliver him who is not innocent. Yes, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
Job 22 (KJV)
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
20 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
Job 22 (ASV)
1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God? Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gainto him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee, That he entereth with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6 For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear troubleth thee,
11 Or darkness, so that thou canst not see, And abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
13 And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not; And he walketh on the vault of heaven.
15 Wilt thou keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden?
16 Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
17 Who said unto God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us?
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad; And the innocent laugh them to scorn,
20 Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed.
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, And lay up his words in thy heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents.
24 And lay thou thy treasure in the dust, Andthe gold ofOphir among the stones of the brooks;
25 And the Almighty will be thy treasure, And precious silver unto thee.
26 For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, And shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee; And thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; And light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When they casttheedown, thou shalt say, There is lifting up; And the humble person he will save.
30 He will deliverevenhim that is not innocent: Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
Summary
Eliphaz begins the third and final cycle of speeches by pressing his case to its harshest point. He argues that human righteousness gains nothing for God, who needs nothing from us, so Job's claim to integrity is beside the point. Then, abandoning all restraint, Eliphaz simply invents a list of crimes to explain Job's suffering: he must have taken pledges from his brothers for nothing, stripped the naked, withheld water and bread from the weary and hungry, sent widows away empty, and broken the arms of the fatherless. Therefore, he reasons, snares and sudden terror surround Job. Eliphaz accuses Job of imagining that God cannot see through the thick clouds to judge. Yet he ends with a genuinely beautiful and tender appeal: if Job will acquaint himself with God and be at peace, receive instruction, return to the Almighty, and put away unrighteousness, then he will be built up, find the Almighty himself to be his treasure, delight in God, and have his prayers heard. The tragedy is that this lovely call to repentance is aimed at a man who has nothing to repent of in the way Eliphaz imagines; the cure is real, but the diagnosis is a slander.
Voices
- Eliphaz the Temanite — The friend who, unable to prove Job's guilt, fabricates specific sins to explain his suffering, then issues a tender but misdirected call to repent and be restored.
- Job — The blameless man now falsely accused of oppressing the poor, the widow, and the fatherless.
- The Almighty (God) — Presented by Eliphaz both as the judge who sees through the clouds and as the treasure Job could delight in if he would only return.
Key Verse
Job 22:21 (WEB)
“Acquaint yourself with him, now, and be at peace. Thereby good shall come to you.
Lessons Learned
- When our theory demands someone's guilt, we are tempted to invent the evidence to fit it.
- A true and beautiful invitation to God can be ruined by a false accusation attached to it.
- God needs nothing from us, yet he delights to be sought, and offers himself as our treasure.
- We must guard against slandering others to defend our own understanding of how God works.
- Assumed guilt breeds false charges. Eliphaz accuses Job, “you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing” (Job 22:6, WEB), inventing sins to fit his theory of suffering.
- God is not benefited by our righteousness. “Can a man be profitable to God?” (Job 22:2, WEB). God is self-sufficient; our obedience blesses us, not him.
- Acquaint yourself with God and be at peace. “Acquaint yourself with him, now, and be at peace” (Job 22:21, WEB) is a genuinely beautiful call, sadly tied to a false accusation.
- God himself is our treasure. “The Almighty will be your treasure” (Job 22:25, WEB). The deepest reward of returning to God is God himself.
- What specific sins does Eliphaz invent against Job, and why does he resort to fabrication?
- How can Eliphaz's closing appeal (22:21-30) be both genuinely beautiful and deeply misapplied?
- What is true in Eliphaz's claim that a man cannot be profitable to God (22:2-3)?
- Why is slandering someone to protect our theology so dangerous?
- Eliphaz says the Almighty himself can be our treasure (22:25). What would it look like to treasure God that way?
- Eliphaz charges Job with oppressing the poor, the naked, the hungry, the widow, and the fatherless (22:6-9), none of which is true. He fabricates because his theory requires Job's guilt; if suffering proves sin, then a great sufferer must have committed great sins. The book exposes this reasoning as false.
- The call to be acquainted with God, return to him, and find him as treasure is genuinely lovely and true for any sinner. The tragedy is that it is built on a slander against an innocent man. A right invitation can be wrongly aimed, wounding rather than healing.
- Eliphaz is right that God is self-sufficient and gains nothing from human righteousness; our obedience does not enrich God. Scripture affirms this. His error is using that truth to dismiss Job's integrity as irrelevant to his case.
- When we slander to defend a system, we sacrifice a person on the altar of being right, bearing false witness against a neighbor. Encourage the group to hold their explanations loosely and to refuse to twist facts to fit them.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to consider whether they seek God for his gifts or as their treasure himself. As leader, help the group taste the joy of delighting in the Almighty for who he is.