John Burnight, «Does Eliphaz Really Begin 'Gently'? An Intertextual Reading of Job 4,2-11», Vol. 95 (2014) 347-370
It is widely believed that the Joban poet presents Eliphaz as seeking to reassure Job in his first speech, and only later accuses him of wrongdoing. One prominent exegete, for example, remarks that Eliphaz 'begins considerately, and proceeds with notable gentleness and courtesy' (Terrien). In this paper I propose that Eliphaz’s opening words are neither gentle nor reassuring. Instead, they are a sharp intertextual response to Job’s complaints that he can find no 'rest' (3,26) and that what he 'feared has come upon him' (3,25). In essence, Eliphaz is implying that Job has brought his suffering on himself.
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DOES ELIPHAZ REALLY BEGIN “GENTLY”? 351
IV. Analysis of Job 4,3-5
4,3-5 are also better viewed as a critique of Job, instead of en-
couragement as is so often supposed:
4,3 Behold you have admonished many,
And you have strengthened weak hands.
4,4 Your words have helped the tottering to stand,
And you have strengthened feeble knees.
4,5 But now it has come to you, and you are impatient;
It touches you, and you are dismayed.
Many modern exegetes assume that Eliphaz is praising Job here.
Andersen, for example, writes that his words represent “a pleasing
tribute to Job’s reputation, especially his ability to help others in
their difficulties” 10. As a result of this assumption, the verb T'r>S;yI in
v. 3 is often translated as “you have encouraged”, “you have coun-
seled”, or similarly. But there is an ambiguity to Eliphaz’s words
that allows for another interpretation. In his article on the use of
equivocal words in Eliphaz’s speech, Hoffman writes:
If Eliphaz is saying that Job used to strengthen suffering people,
then he actually praises and encourages Job ... On the other hand,
if ysr is interpreted here as chastisement, then Eliphaz blames Job
for hypocrisy: you dared to chastise other people, but now, when
you share their misfortune, you blaspheme God! Since this ambi-
guity is placed at the beginning, it can determine the nature of the
entire exhortation 11.
This more critical sense of rsy, in fact, was perceived by the
translators of the ancient versions: the Targum renders T'r>S;yI here as
atnsk (“rebuke, chastise”), the Septuagint as evnouqe,thsaj (“put in
mind, admonish, warn, advise”), the Peshiṭta as (“instruct, chastise”)
10
F.I. ANDERSEN, Job. An Introduction and Commentary (TOTC 13;
Leicester 1976) 111.
11
See Y. HOFFMAN, “The Use of Equivocal Words in the First Speech of
Eliphaz (Job IV-V)”, VT 30 (1980) 114-119, here 114. Fullerton also noted
the Joban poet’s use of ambiguous language; see K. FULLERTON, “Double En-
tendre in the First Speech of Eliphaz”, JBL 49 (1930) 320-374.
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