Job 15 · The Lantern

Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,

Whether a wise man schal answere, as spekynge ayens the wynd, and schal fille his stomac with brennyng, `that is, ire?

For thou repreuest hym bi wordis, which is not lijk thee, and thou spekist that, that spedith not to thee.

"You accuse with your words him who is not equal to you and say what is not profitable to you." Your purification is an accusation against God. In fact, if you are afflicted undeservedly, he who is afflicting you is undoubtedly accused of iniquity.

Whence Eliphaz adds; Thou reprovest with words him that is not equal to thee, and thou speakest what is not expedient for thee. Now they suppose that no one has the fear of the Lord, saving him whom they can draw into the foolishness of their own confession.

He next reproves him for saying, "I want to dispute with God," (13:3) and again, "Spare me in only two things and then I will not hide myself from your face and so on." (13:20) In this reproach he cites him for many things. First, for pride because he contends against someone who is greater than he is.

As myche as is in thee, thou hast avoidid drede; and thou hast take awey preyeris bifor God.

For wickidnesse hath tauyt thi mouth, and thou suest the tunge of blasfemeris.

Because Job reproached his friends with confidence, they were irritated and hurt. This did not demonstrate any arrogance before God. In fact, since Job trusted in his own innocence, he did not take seriously at all the vain power of his accusers.

Whence it is still further added, For thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, and thou followest the tongue of the crafty. 'Iniquity teaches the mouth,' when there is conceived by a bad life somewhat to be spoken of a worse kind.

Job had not disputed with God from pride, but out of confidence in the truth. But Eliphaz rashly judged this to flow from wickedness and so he then says, "For your wickedness has taught your tongue," as if to say: It is apparent from the effect that you blaspheme and so he then says, "and you imitate the tongue of blasphemers." In reality, the man who blasphemes denies the just…

Thi tunge, and not Y, schal condempne thee, and thi lippis schulen answere thee.

Whether thou art borun the firste man, and art formed bifor alle little hillis?

Eliphaz is just about to say, did you by any chance exist before the entire world, so that you learned about the most ancient times? Or did you learn anything from the mouth of God? You are not superior to us in knowledge at all. Since you had said that "wisdom is found in a long time," are you not caught in a trap now?

Ver. 7, 8. Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret of God? and shall His wisdom be inferior to thee? Whence Eliphaz sets himself to reprove blessed Job as it were on principles of reason, saying, Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret of God?

Still he shows that the argument he used was unfitting in many ways. First, by comparison of Job to all creatures. For if any creature could argue with God, this would be really fitting only for the first and most excellent of creatures, a condition which does not befit God and so Eliphaz says, "Were you born the first man and formed before all the hills," so that for this reas…

Whether thou herdist the counsel of God, and his wisdom is lower than thou?

What thing knowist thou, whiche we knowen not? What thing vndurstondist thou, whiche we witen not?

Bothe wise men and elde, myche eldre than thi fadris, ben among vs.

Whether it is greet, that God coumforte thee? But thi schrewid wordis forbeden this.

What reisith thin herte thee, and thou as thenkynge grete thingis hast iyen astonyed?

What bolneth thi spirit ayens God, that thou brynge forth of thi mouth siche wordis?

What is a man, that he be with out wem, and that he borun of a womman appere iust?

"Who is the person," Eliphaz asks, "who can be blameless or can proclaim, I am righteous?" If, in fact, those who are very holy, both men and angels, and the purity itself of heaven before the judgment of the most pure God appear to be unclean, what should we say about the damnable and impure human being who drinks iniquity like a draught?

Ver. 14. What is man, that he should be clean? MORAL INTERPRETATION For hereby alone that he is called 'man' he is described as earthly and weak; for man is so named ['homo' from 'humus,' as Hebrew 'Adam'] from the earth. And how is it possible for him to be free from stain, who being made of earth of his own will fell into infirmity?

After Eliphaz had censured Job for his provoking God to argue which he thought pertained to presumption of wisdom, he now censures him for presumption of justice because he had said, "If I am judged, I know I would be found just." (13:18) Eliphaz attacks this statement first because of the frailty of the human condition in which man avoids sin with difficulty and so he says, "W…

Lo! noon among hise seyntis is vnchaungable, and heuenes ben not cleene in his siyt.

How myche more a man abhomynable and vnprofitable, that drynkith wickidnesse as water?

Ver. 16. How much more abominable and useless is man, which drinketh iniquity like water? He who first said it was impossible that man should of himself be clean from sin, and righteous, calls him 'abominable' and 'useless;' 'abominable' on account of the uncleanness of his stain, but 'useless' on account of the unrighteousness of an imperfect life; who however may be understoo…

"He will drink iniquity like water." The author says these words in order to show that [human beings] enjoy uttering blasphemies.

Third, he attacks the same statement from the personal condition of Job himself, as a conclusion to the major (premise above in v. 15) "How much more abominable," through sin, "and useless," by the failure of justice, "is the man who drinks evil like water," i.e. who commits evil as if it were nothing and without any consideration.

I schal schewe to thee, here thou me; Y schal telle to thee that, that Y siy.

Wise men knoulechen, and hiden not her fadris.

To whiche aloone the erthe is youun, and an alien schal not passe bi hem.

A wickid man is proud in alle hise daies; and the noumbre of hise yeeris and of his tirauntrie is vncerteyn.

"All the life of the ungodly," he says, "is spent in anguish," and when they experience peace, their conscience will know this anguish. "The years granted to the oppressors," who are unjust, "are numbered," he says, because the tyrants are ephemeral.

Ver. 20. The wicked man feels proud all his days. LITERAL AND MORAL INTERPRETATION The Elect also are apt to feel pride in some of their thoughts and actions. But because they are Elect persons, they cannot feel pride all their days, because before they end their lives, they turn their hearts from self-exaltation to the fearing of humility.

After he has gotten the attention of his listener, he then tries to answer the arguments which Job had used in debate. He understood Job to have said two things in these arguments.

The sown of drede is euere in hise eeris, and whanne pees is, he supposith euere tresouns.

"Just when he seems to be at peace, his overthrow will come." Here Job learns that war comes from above, and there will be no change in his misfortunes.

Ver. 21. A dreadful sound is alway in his ears, and when there is peace, he suspecteth plots. But there is nothing more happy than simplicity of heart, in that in proportion as it shews forth innocency towards others, there is nothing it dreads to meet with from others.

From this lack of certainty, suspicion and fear arise. He describes this suspicion and fear as a consequence saying, "The sound of terror is always in the ear of that man," since he is threatened by every rumor thinking some attack is being prepared against him. It is as though he confides in no one.

He bileueth not that he may turne ayen fro derknessis to liyt; and biholdith aboute on ech side a swerd.

"He has been appointed to be food for vultures." "He has already been given over to the power of the sword." Notice this again. His death is pitiful. It is not conformed to the common law of nature but is the result of violence, war and battle.

Ver. 22. He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword. For because he believes himself to be on all sides stricken from ambush, despairing of salvation, he is ever growing on in wickedness. Now there are times too when this ungodly man turns his eyes to judgments from above as well, and dreads their coming upon him.

Now when one has fears about some of his enemies, he can hope to escape even if he is defeated for a while with the help of his friends.

Whanne he stirith hym to seke breed, he woot, that the dai of derknessis is maad redi in his hond.

Tribulacioun schal make hym aferd, and angwisch schal cumpas hym, as a kyng which is maad redi to batel.

This means that pain and anguish catches [the wicked] in the middle, just like in a field where on one side a king threatens with inimical banners and on the other side pillaging robbers impend, so that his mind and soul cannot be at rest.

Ver. 24. Trouble shall make him afraid, straits shall besiege him, as a king ready to the battle. In all that the wicked man does, he is hedged in with anguish, and tribulation, and straits; in that his soul is confounded with anxiety and misgiving.

Since he has such fears of everyone, he does not rest but is always plotting something against those whom he fears. Therefore, the occasion of fear is ever multiplied for him, and so he says, "Tribulation will terrify him," threatening him by the actions of others, "and anguish wall him it," because he fears danger from every quarter.

For he helde forth his hond ayens God, and he was maad strong ayens Almyyti God.

He ran with neck reisid ayens God, and he was armed with fat nol.

Fatnesse, that is, pride `comyng forth of temporal aboundaunce, hilide his face, `that is, the knowyng of vndurstondyng, and outward fatnesse hangith doun of his sidis.

He schal dwelle in desolat citees, and in deseert, `ethir forsakun, housis, that ben turned in to biriels.

He describes the absolute solitude of the impious and says that because of their misery, they inhabit desolation instead of prosperous cities and houses. "In fact," Eliphaz says, "their wealth will not last."

Ver. 28. And he dwelleth in desolate communities, and in deserted houses, which are become heaps. For as a 'community' has its name from the intercourse of persons living together in common, 'desolate communities' are the actual throngs of wicked followers, by whose shouts this bad man is commended, when he is hurried away by his wickedness into evil deeds.

After Eliphaz shows the anxieties of fear which the wicked man suffers even when he is in the state of prosperity, he now speaks about the bitter things by which he is consumed when he has been cast down in adversity to answer Job's statement, "Do you write bitter things against me and punish me for the sins of my youth?" (13:26) He places becoming a fugitive as the first of th…

He schal not be maad riche, nether his catel schal dwelle stidefastli; nether he schal sende his roote in the erthe,

nether he schal go awei fro derknessis. Flawme schal make drie hise braunchis, and he schal be takun a wey bi the spirit of his mouth.

Bileue he not veynli disseyued bi errour, that he schal be ayenbouyt bi ony prijs.

Bifor that hise daies ben fillid, he schal perische, and hise hondis schulen wexe drye;

he schal be hirt as a vyne in the firste flour of his grape, and as an olyue tre castinge awei his flour.

For the gaderyng togidere of an ipocrite is bareyn, and fier schal deuoure the tabernaclis of hem, that taken yiftis wilfuli.

He conseyuede sorewe, and childide wickidnesse, and his wombe makith redi tretcheries.

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