02_Burnight-co_347_370 28/10/14 10:35 Pagina 363 DOES ELIPHAZ REALLY BEGIN “GENTLY”? 363 his good conduct. Eliphaz accuses Job of failing to recognize what in his view is clearly divine punishment: according to his strictly retributive theology (cf. 4,7-9, discussed below), he believes that Job must have sinned to be suffering so, but — rather than turning to God in supplication as Eliphaz himself would have done (cf. 5,8) — Job has responded foolishly ($tlsk) by giving vent to his fear ($tary) in 3,25, expressing his longing for death ($twqt) in 3,21- 22, and complaining that God does not see his righteous ways ($ykrd ~t) in 3,23. This intertextual reading of 4,6 also removes the apparent con- tradiction with Eliphaz’s statement in 5,17: “How happy is the man whom God reproves / So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty”. If Eliphaz is asserting Job’s moral excellence in 4,6, then for what is Job being “disciplined” in this later verse 44? If, however, Eliphaz is being critical in 4,6, then there is no contradic- tion; both verses reflect Eliphaz’s belief that Job has sinned, and should acknowledge this and accept his punishment, rather than re- sponding by tacitly (thus far) accusing God of being unjust. VII. Job 4,7: is Job innocent or guilty? The reading of 4,2-6 that I have outlined above also accounts for a number of puzzling elements that have been noted by commenta- tors in connection with 4,7-11. 4,7 Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? This verse is frequently interpreted as Eliphaz reassuring Job that, being innocent, he need not fear dying. If this is Eliphaz’s in- tent, however, then he has chosen a poor way to “comfort” his friend; as Terrien writes, 44 Crenshaw follows the majority of modern interpreters in viewing 4,6 as Eliphaz’s affirmation of Job’s moral rectitude, but notes that the verse is then at odds with 5,8, in which Eliphaz urges him to seek El; see J. CRENSHAW, “Divine Discipline in Job 5:17-18, Proverbs 3:11-12, Deuteronomy 32:39, and Beyond”, Reading Job Intertextually (eds. K. DELL – W. KYNES) (LHBOTS 574; London 2012) 179, n. 2.