"Can humans be more pure than the Creator?"

Job 4:17

“You grief is a punishment from God.”

One of the first things I was taught during the Pastoral Care Training of my Rabbinical studies was a basic human approach to consolation - what TO NEVER say to a mourner, or to any one at all.

Any sort of justification of suffering as a result of transgression or bad behavior is not only humanely cruel but also religiously ridiculous, adding salt to wounds and harming instead of helping. Yes, our bad choices can lead to consequences but there’s a time and place for gentle feedback and words can often hurt rather than help.

Perhaps that’s the intention of Job’s authors, who insert the first of the friendly voices who come to console Job - but end up with the verbal equivalent of ‘friendly fire’ instead.

Eliphaz of Yemen is the first to speak up, responding to Job’s bitter words of grief and devastating deathwish.

But Eliphaz’s role in the dialogue with Job is one of complex dynamics, blending an attempt at theological reasoning with a lack of true empathy. At face value, his words aim to explain Job's suffering within a framework of divine justice. However, the substance of his response pivots sharply away from consolation toward an accusation of implicit guilt.

Yikes.

He even refers to a dream he had in which he was inspired to justify God’s justice - at the expense of Job’s innocent and pious life and suffering. Eliphaz’ rhetorical question is echoed in sanctimonious religious rhetoric, spoken and written through the ages by well meaning pious people whose words still hurt:

הַאֱנוֹשׁ מֵאֱלוֹהַּ יִצְדָּק אִם מֵעֹשֵׂהוּ יִטְהַר־גָּבֶר׃

Are mortals more just than God? Can humans be more pure than the Creator?

Job 4:17

Eliphaz’s rhetorical question, building up on his earlier words "What innocent person ever perished? Where have the upright been destroyed?"—betray a rigid adherence to the principle of retributive justice: the belief that suffering is a direct consequence of sin. For Eliphaz, Job's suffering isn't a puzzle or an exception to the rule; it’s evidence that Job must have done something wrong. This perspective places the blame squarely on Job, dismissing the notion of unmerited suffering. Instead of offering solace, Eliphaz deepens Job's anguish by questioning his integrity and labeling his lamentations as self-deceptive.

Eliphaz’s dream, detailed at the end of Chapter 4, underscores his theological position with a stark view of humanity’s place before God. The imagery—“those who dwell in houses of clay, whose origin is dust”—paints humans as fragile, flawed, and unworthy of divine trust or favor. By invoking this vision, Eliphaz seeks to bolster his argument that Job should accept his suffering as justified and inevitable within the cosmic order.

Eliphaz’s response reflects a worldview that prioritizes maintaining a coherent theological system over engaging with the lived experience of suffering—a choice that echoes through the book of Job as a cautionary tale about the limits of such rigid dogma in the face of profound human pain.

When confronted with suffering - our own, and those of others - silence is sometimes more helpful than wise words and profound positions on the state of the world.

Eliphaz has one more chapter to go in this first round of poetic responses to pain - hopefully helping us, by showcasing what to not say - to be better and kinder as we show up to support each other and speak up to witness and help soothe the sorrows of the world.

Image: "The Vision of Eliphaz", from Illustrations of the Book of Job, by @WilliamBlake (c. 1825–1826).

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