Job 22:1-11 Meaning: The Trap of Righteous Accusation
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
2“Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him that you make your ways perfect?
4Is it for your piety that he reproves you, that he enters with you into judgment?
5Isn’t your wickedness great? Neither is there any end to your iniquities.
6For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7You haven’t given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived in it.
9You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10Therefore snares are around you. Sudden fear troubles you,
11or darkness, so that you can not see, and floods of waters cover you.
1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
5Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
6For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
7Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
9Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
1Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2Can a man be profitable unto God? Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself.
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gainto him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee, That he entereth with thee into judgment?
5Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities.
6For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, And stripped the naked of their clothing.
7Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; And the honorable man, he dwelt in it.
9Thou hast sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear troubleth thee,
11Or darkness, so that thou canst not see, And abundance of waters cover thee.
1And Eliphaz the Temanite answereth and saith: --
2To God is a man profitable, Because a wise man to himself is profitable?
3Is it a delight to the Mighty One That thou art righteous? is it gain, That thou makest perfect thy ways?
4Because of thy reverence Doth He reason with thee? He entereth with thee into judgment:
5Is not thy wickedness abundant? And there is no end to thine iniquities.
6For thou takest a pledge of thy brother for nought, And the garments of the naked Thou dost strip off.
7Thou causest not the weary to drink water, And from the hungry thou withholdest bread.
8As to the man of arm--he hath the earth, And the accepted of face--he dwelleth in it.
9Widows thou hast sent away empty, And the arms of the fatherless are bruised.
10Therefore round about thee are snares, And trouble thee doth fear suddenly.
11Or darkness--thou dost not see, And abundance of waters doth cover thee.
1And Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2Can a man be profitable to God? surely it is unto himself that the wise man is profitable.
3Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4Will he reason with thee for fear of thee? Will he enter with thee into judgment?
5Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities without end?
6For thou hast taken a pledge of thy brother for nought, and stripped off the clothing of the naked.
7Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8But the powerful man, he had the land; and the man of high rank dwelt in it.
9Widows hast thou sent empty away, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11Or darkness, that thou canst not see, and floods of waters cover thee.
Meaning in one sentence
When Eliphaz accused Job of hidden sins, he turned true theology into a weapon. Understand the meaning of Job 22 and the danger of judging others’ suffering.
Context
Job has lost everything and is sitting in ashes. His three friends came to comfort him, but their comfort turned into argument. By chapter 22, Eliphaz speaks for the third time. He is frustrated that Job will not admit to some secret sin. Eliphaz opens with a truth: God does not need anything from us. But then he uses that truth as a club. He invents specific crimes Job must have committed, crimes that would explain his suffering. Eliphaz is certain that suffering is always punishment, so Job must deserve what he is getting.
Key Words
The Hebrew word behind “profitable” (sakan, H5532) means to be of use or service. Eliphaz asks if a man can be useful to God, as if Job were trying to earn his way by being good. But the word itself is cold and transactional. Eliphaz also uses “pleasure” (chephets, H2656). He asks if God takes pleasure in Job’s righteousness. The answer in the book of Job is yes, God does take pleasure in his people, but Eliphaz cannot see that. He reduces the relationship to a business exchange. Later he uses the word “crushed” (dakha, H1792) for the arms of the fatherless. It is a violent word, and Eliphaz applies it to Job with no evidence. He is not just mistaken; he is harsh.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read Eliphaz’s speech in different ways. Some see him as a sincere but misguided teacher. His opening point about God’s self-sufficiency is true, but he misapplies it. Others see him as the worst kind of friend, one who uses theology to wound. Matthew Henry wrote that Eliphaz “charges Job with crimes of which he was innocent.” John Wesley noted that Eliphaz speaks “by strong presumption” rather than evidence. Both views agree that Eliphaz’s accusations are not from God. Later in the book, God himself tells Eliphaz that he has not spoken rightly about him.
A common misunderstanding
A common mistake is to think that Eliphaz’s words in Job 22 represent the final message of the book. His question “Can a man be profitable to God?” sounds wise. But the book of Job as a whole does not endorse Eliphaz’s conclusions. In fact, God rebukes Eliphaz and his friends in Job 42:7, saying they have not spoken what is right. Eliphaz took a true statement and used it to ruin a broken man. The real message of Job is that suffering is not always a punishment, and God’s ways are deeper than our formulas.
Living This Out
This week you may meet someone who is suffering. It could be a friend, a coworker, or a family member. Eliphaz shows you what not to do. Do not try to figure out what sin might have caused their pain. Do not invent reasons for why they deserve it. Instead, offer what Eliphaz forgot: presence, patience, and compassion. You do not need to have answers. Sometimes the most faithful thing you can say is, “I am so sorry. I am here.”
Main takeaway: Suffering does not automatically mean hidden sin, and jumping to conclusions can wound instead of heal.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Eliphaz thought Job must be bad because he was hurting. But he was wrong. When someone is sad, we should be kind, not accuse them.
For ages 9, 12
Eliphaz made up sins that Job never did. He was sure that suffering is always a punishment. But the book of Job shows us that sometimes bad things happen to good people. When a friend is having a hard time, don’t look for what they did wrong. Just be there for them.
Questions People Ask
Why does Eliphaz ask 'Can a man be profitable to God' in Job 22:2?
Eliphaz is arguing that God does not gain anything from human righteousness. He thinks Job is claiming to be so good that God owes him something. It is a true statement about God's self-sufficiency, but Eliphaz uses it to dismiss Job's pain and to imply that Job's suffering must be punishment for sin.
What sins does Eliphaz accuse Job of in Job 22?
Eliphaz says Job took pledges from his brothers for nothing, stripped the naked, gave no water to the weary, withheld bread from the hungry, sent widows away empty, and crushed the fatherless. There is no evidence Job did any of these things. Eliphaz is inventing sins based on his assumption that suffering equals punishment.
Is Eliphaz right in Job 22?
Eliphaz is partly right about God not needing anything from humans. But his application to Job is false. The book of Job shows that God later rebukes Eliphaz and his friends for not speaking what is right about him. Eliphaz’s mistake is turning a true theological point into a weapon against a suffering man.
How should Christians read Eliphaz's speeches in Job?
Christians should read Eliphaz's speeches as examples of wrong assumptions about suffering. They contain some truth, but they are not God's final word. The book of Job warns us not to oversimplify suffering and not to judge others based on their circumstances. God's ways are deeper than our formulas.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study