In Job 15, Eliphaz speaks with a perspective that sounds remarkably like Genesis and the Prophets. I think it’s good and right to read Job 15 and reflect on the creation accounts in Genesis 1–2, the snake in the garden in Genesis 3, Cain in Genesis 4, the fall of the “sons of God” in Genesis 6, the conquest of Canaan described in Joshua, and the exile as described in the Prophets. Reading Job with reference to the Torah and Prophets respects the context of the final form of Job. Job is a part of the Old Testament. The author/editors are inviting us to hear the message of Job in light of the whole, complex message of the Old Testament.

Let me explain what I’m seeing here in Job 15.

The Snake

In Job 15:5, Eliphaz compares Job’s speech to “the tongue of the crafty” (עֲרוּמִים, Job 15:5). That’s Genesis 3 imagery through-and-through. The snake was “the most crafty (עָרוּם מִכֹּל חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה) of all the beasts of the field.”

First Man

In Job 15:7, Eliphaz questions Job, “Are you the first adam (אָדָם, human being) who was born?” Alongside the reference to crafty speech above, “the first Adam (אָדָם)” inevitably recalls Genesis 1–2.

Fault with Angels

Job 4:18 and Job 15:15 both mention God finding fault with his angels (4:18) or holy ones (15:15). Genesis 6:2 is a passage that is foundational to every biblical story of angels or spiritual beings being in rebellion.

Gift of the Land

Job 15:19 speaks about the fathers of the wise “to whom alone the land was given.” Commentators usually describe this passage as a general reference to an idea that the earth belongs to the wise. But whatever the origin of the saying, in the context of the Old Testament, and in light of the other references above, I think it’s good and right for a reader to read this passage in light of the conquest of Canaan. In the Old Testament, there is one set of fathers (the family of Abraham) who were given one land (Canaan).

Cain

Eliphaz speaks about how a wicked person is treated violently even when he is at peace (Job 15:21). The wicked wanders (נדד) about looking for food (Job 15:23). In Genesis 4, Cain similarly fears being unjustly attacked and is pronounced to a wanderer (נוד) in the land (Genesis 4:14).

Exile

Finally, Eliphaz describes the wicked as those overwhelmed by distress and anguish like people experience when they are overwhelmed by a “a prepared king” (Job 15:24). Eliphaz describes the wicked as those whose land is conquered. The cities of the wicked are destroyed; they become heaps of trash (Job 15:28). Repeatedly he describes the land of the wicked in terms of darkness (Job 15:22, 23, 30).

This sounds like Isaiah’s description of the exiled land of Israel-Judah. Those who won’t listen to the Torah and the testimony of the Prophets are without light (Is 9:20). They pass through the land in distress, looking for food (Is 9:21). They live in thick darkness, distress, and gloom (Is 9:22).

Conclusion

In light of the canonical context of Job, it is good and right to read Eliphaz’s words in Job 15 with reference to the Pentateuch and the Prophets. The author/editors of the final form of Job want you to think, with Eliphaz and Job, about the story of God. What does the story of God tell you about suffering and its causes? Eliphaz has his take. Job disagrees. What do you think?