Job 13 4

Job 13:4 kjv

But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.

Job 13:4 nkjv

But you forgers of lies, You are all worthless physicians.

Job 13:4 niv

You, however, smear me with lies; you are worthless physicians, all of you!

Job 13:4 esv

As for you, you whitewash with lies; worthless physicians are you all.

Job 13:4 nlt

As for you, you smear me with lies.
As physicians, you are worthless quacks.

Job 13 verses

Job 13 4 Meaning

Job 13:4 expresses Job’s scathing critique of his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. He accuses them of manufacturing deceptive arguments and providing utterly ineffective counsel, thereby compounding his suffering rather than alleviating it. In his view, their words, intended as comfort and divine explanation, are instead fabrications that misrepresent God and his own situation, making them spiritually unhelpful and even harmful, like quack doctors whose remedies only worsen the patient's condition.

Job 13 4 Context

Job 13:4 is uttered during Job’s intense response (Job 12-14) to the second round of speeches from his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. After enduring their consistent, albeit misguided, theological arguments and direct or indirect accusations that his suffering must stem from hidden sin, Job shifts his focus from merely defending his innocence to outright condemning their counsel. His friends believed in a rigid retribution theology where righteousness guaranteed prosperity and sin inevitably led to suffering, prompting them to urge Job to confess a sin they assumed he had committed. Job 13:4 is his indignant rejection of their shallow explanations and false comfort, revealing his profound disappointment that those who came to support him have instead offered painful untruths. This verse reflects the broader literary purpose of Job, which challenges simplistic understandings of divine justice and suffering prevalent in the ancient world.

Job 13 4 Word analysis

• But (וְ / ve): This conjunctive particle serves as a strong adversative, signaling a direct contrast or opposition to what has just been said or implied. Here, it dramatically separates Job's genuine struggle from his friends' false remedies, underscoring the severity of his accusation against them.

• you (אַתֶּם / attem): This plural pronoun specifically addresses Job’s three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—collectively. It assigns responsibility to them as a unified group for the flawed advice they have presented.

• forgers (טֹפְלֵי / ṭōp̄lê): From the verb ṭāphal, which literally means "to smear," "to plaster," or "to whitewash." This term suggests a superficial, hasty, and ultimately deceptive application or covering. In this context, it vividly paints a picture of someone manufacturing or concocting something insubstantial or misleading, like applying a shoddy veneer to conceal deeper issues.

• of lies (שֶׁקֶר / šeqer): This noun refers to falsehood, deceit, untruth, or a lie. Job accuses his friends not merely of being mistaken, but of constructing arguments that are inherently untrue, or at least misrepresentative of his experience and, critically, of God's character and dealings. Their counsel is fabricated.

• You are all (כֻּלְּכֶם / kul·leḵem): This emphatic phrase intensifies the condemnation, highlighting that the accusation applies to every single one of his friends. It removes any possibility of exemption or partial vindication, underscoring the universal inadequacy of their shared "wisdom."

• worthless (אֱלִיל / ʾělîl): This word frequently denotes "nothingness," "vain," "of no account," or even "idols" in the Old Testament, signifying that which is empty, powerless, or brings no benefit. Applied here to the "physicians," it signifies that their attempts to heal or help are utterly futile, barren, and ultimately bring no real aid.

• physicians (רֹפְאֵי / rōp̄'ê): Derived from rāpāʾ, meaning "to heal" or "to restore." Job uses this term with bitter irony. His friends presented themselves as those who could diagnose his spiritual malady and provide a cure, but Job declares them failures. Their "remedy"—their theological discourse—only deepened his pain.

• "forgers of lies": This impactful phrase identifies the very nature of Job’s friends' communication. They are not genuinely conveying truth or offering deep insight; instead, they are fabricating a narrative that suits their rigid theology. This implies their arguments are built on faulty premises and are designed to mischaracterize Job's situation or God’s actions rather than truly explain them. They essentially invent untruths to fit their predetermined conclusions.

• "worthless physicians": This powerful metaphor directly attacks the utility and competence of his friends. They claimed to be ministers of comfort and spiritual healing for Job, but their interventions brought only additional suffering and pain. Their "medicine" was not only ineffective but harmful, exacerbating his anguish rather than providing relief or a genuine understanding of his plight. They are utterly unqualified for the role they adopted.

Job 13 4 Bonus section

The Hebrew term ṭāphal ("forgers") when combined with "lies" suggests a deceitful covering, akin to applying whitewash over a cracked wall. It points to a cosmetic solution meant to obscure underlying structural flaws. In this instance, Job's friends are attempting to smooth over the complexity of his suffering and God's actions with a theological plaster that does not hold, ultimately revealing more of their own superficial understanding than providing true answers. This powerful imagery of a botched spiritual repair emphasizes the friends' lack of genuine empathy and insight into Job's plight. Their "cure" only deepened the disease of his despair.

Job 13 4 Commentary

Job 13:4 is a blistering indictment from Job against his friends, crystallizing his frustration and spiritual agony. He denounces their theological arguments not merely as incorrect but as actively deceptive, labeling them "forgers of lies." This implies their words are not just misinformed opinions but deliberately constructed falsehoods or oversimplified assumptions about God's ways. They sought to impose a neat, rigid framework of sin-equals-suffering upon Job’s complex and innocent reality. This approach, built on human logic rather than divine truth or empathy, left no room for God’s mysterious sovereignty or Job’s unmerited suffering. Furthermore, calling them "worthless physicians" vividly expresses their failure as counselors. Instead of providing the healing balm of compassion and true understanding, their superficial remedies—their judgmental advice—inflicted deeper wounds, offering no genuine solace. This verse highlights the profound spiritual danger of offering false comfort and making pronouncements about God based on human wisdom rather than a true and humble understanding of His ways.