Job 4 · The Lantern

Forsothe Eliphat Themanytes answeride, and seide,

What does Eliphaz say? "Have you often spoken in your suffering?" By "suffering" the Scripture may signify "sin," as it states, "Under his tongue is mischief." Eliphaz did not say, Have you committed any evil action? Eliphaz asks, "Have you spoken?" Indeed the fame of Job's life shone everywhere, and many still testified to Job's virtue.

Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? It has been already declared above, what there is set forth in the interpretation of these names. Therefore, because we are in haste to reach the unexamined parts, we forbear to unfold again what has been already delivered.

The friends of Job who came to console him, who had kept silence up to now because the acuteness of his pain, after Job had finished undertook the boldness to speak. First Eliphaz the Temanite speaks. He had not taken Job's words in the spirit in which they were spoken.

If we bigynnen to speke to thee, in hap thou schalt take it heuyli; but who may holde a word conseyued?

Lo! thou hast tauyt ful many men, and thou hast strengthid hondis maad feynt.

Thi wordis confermyden men doutynge, and thou coumfortidist knees tremblynge.

But now a wounde is comun on thee, and thou hast failid; it touchide thee, and thou art disturblid.

Where is thi drede, thi strengthe, and thi pacience, and the perfeccioun of thi weies?

While Scripture's spirit witnesses on behalf of Job that he has not committed any folly against God, Eliphaz incorrectly understands the reason behind what has been imposed upon Job. Eliphaz believes that Job suffers because of trespasses, and he thinks the words Job has spoken were motivated by his unacceptable behavior.

Where is thy fear, thy strength, thy patience, and the perfectness of thy ways? All which same he makes to succeed that sentence which he set before, saying, But now a stroke is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

He also exaggerated the subsequent impatience which appeared in Job from his past life. For virtue which fails so quickly in trial does not seem true because, as it is written in Sirach, "Gold and silver are proved in fire; men are proven in the crucible of humility." (2:5) A man is preserved by many virtues so that he does not fail in trials.

Y biseche thee, haue thou mynde, what innocent man perischide euere, ethir whanne riytful men weren doon awei?

Certis rathir Y siy hem, that worchen wickidnesse, and sowen sorewis,

and repen tho, to haue perischid bi God blowynge, and to be wastid bi the spirit of his ire.

The roryng of a lioun, and the vois of a lionesse, and the teeth of `whelpis of liouns ben al to-brokun.

The writer mentions natural things, that is, nothing that is new or unusual. Certain laws regulate everything, and nothing has changed. Indeed, if what concerns wild beasts remains the same, even more so what concerns us remains unchanged. If it is not possible to restrain "the strength of the lion," then the righteous also cannot be prevented from talking frankly.

The author signifies by "the lion" those powerful men who inspire people with fear, as lions do. By "lioness" he means their wives, who were evil and inspired fear simply by speaking. In the same manner, their children were arrogant and quite cruel. All these have perished. They were extinguished instantly.

But the fact that the children and family should suffer for the sins of the parents seemed to go contrary to the opinion of Eliphaz since he intends to defend the opinion that adversities in this world are punishments for sin.

Tigris perischide, for sche hadde not prey; and the whelpis of a lioun ben distried.

Certis an hid word was seid to me, and myn eere took as theueli the veynes of priuy noise therof.

In the present case Eliphaz wants to suggest, in my opinion, that Job has often spoken such words either, perhaps, to drive others to jealousy or with a different intention. You that ask such questions, see whom you resemble. Indeed, if Eliphaz has spoken so in these circumstances without obtaining forgiveness, it will be the same for us.

ON HOW HERETICS MISUSE THIS VERSE. Now a secret word was spoken to me. 'A secret word,' heretics pretend to hear, that they may bring a certain reverence for their preaching over their hearers' minds. And hence they preach with a secret meaning, that their preaching may seem to be holy, in proportion as it is at the same time hidden.

Because Eliphaz had accepted that adversities in this life only happened to someone because of his sin, he wanted from this to accuse Job and his family of being subject to sin. As exactly the contrary was clearly the case for Job and his family, he wanted to show that neither Job nor his family was immune from sin.

In the hidousnesse of `nyytis siyt, whanne heuy sleep is wont to occupie men,

drede and tremblyng helde me; and alle my boonys weren aferd.

And whanne the spirit `yede in my presence, the heiris of `my fleisch hadden hidousnesse.

Oon stood, whos chere Y knewe not, an ymage bifor myn iyen; and Y herde a vois as of softe wynd.

There stood a certain one, but I could not discern the form thereof. For we do not speak of a certain one, saving surely in the case of him, whom we are either unwilling or unable to express. Now with what feeling it is here said a certain one, is clearly set forth, in that it immediately comes in, but I could not discern the form thereof.

Eliphaz employs "murmur" and "voice" as words to express his ideas about God. As … the murmur and the voice strike our ears, they have no form or aspect. We only receive their sensation. Just as it is not possible to see a "murmur" or "voice," so we must realize the same is true of our thoughts about the divine nature.

He places the person revealing third, when the text says, "It stood still, but I could not discern the face, an image before my eyes." Here he indicates three things which show for certain that it was a vision.

Whether a man schal be maad iust in comparisoun of God? ethir whethir a man schal be clennere than his Makere?

And do not think, Eliphaz says, that I am speaking these words to you reproachfully. No person, in fact, is totally blameless, and if he can hide his sins from people, he does not hide them from God's all-seeing eye that knows everything accurately. This indicates what is contrary to the Lord.

Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Human righteousness compared with the righteousness of God is unrighteousness, for even a candle is seen to shine bright in the dark, but being set in the ray of the sun its light is darkened.

Finally, he expresses the words which he asserts were revealed to him when he says, "Can mortal man be righteous before God?" He introduces these words to confirm his opinion which he already touched on (v. 7), namely, that adversities do not happen to someone in this life except because of sin.

Lo! thei that seruen hym ben not stidefast; and he findith schrewidnesse in hise aungels.

Hou myche more thei that dwellen in housis of cley, that han an ertheli foundement, schulen be wastyd as of a mouyte.

Fro morewtid til to euentid thei schulen be kit doun; and for no man vndurstondith, thei schulen perische with outen ende.

Eliphaz, still clinging to the same principle … that Job's critical circumstances were due to Job's own sins, adds these words, "Since they could not help themselves through virtue by repenting of their evils, these afflictions befell them." And Eliphaz suggests that he fully comprehends this situation.

They shall be cut off from morning to evening. For the sinner is 'cut off from morning to evening,' in that from the beginning of his life to the end thereof he is ever getting wounded by the commission of sin. For the reprobate by increase in wickedness are at all times redoubling blows upon themselves, cut off by which, they may fall headlong into the pit.

This can also refer to violent death for he says next, "Between morning and evening they will be destroyed," for trees are cut down by a cause outside the tree itself.

Sotheli thei, that ben residue, schulen be takun awei; thei schulen die, and not in wisdom.

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