Job 15 13

Job 15:13 kjv

That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?

Job 15:13 nkjv

That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth?

Job 15:13 niv

so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth?

Job 15:13 esv

that you turn your spirit against God and bring such words out of your mouth?

Job 15:13 nlt

that you turn against God
and say all these evil things?

Job 15 verses

Job 15 13 Meaning

Job 15:13 contains Eliphaz's accusation against Job, asserting that Job's profound anguish and questioning of God stem from an inner rebellion. He claims that Job actively directs his spirit in opposition to God, which then outwardly manifests in the defiant words he utters. Eliphaz interprets Job's laments and protests as a deliberate spiritual confrontation with the Divine, viewing his words not as expressions of pain but as an act of hostility and contempt against the Almighty.

Job 15 13 Context

Job 15 opens Eliphaz’s second and most scathing speech to Job, marked by a palpable shift from attempted counsel (Chapters 4-5) to outright condemnation. Here, Eliphaz abandons any pretense of comfort and launches into a harsh denunciation, accusing Job of blasphemy and undermining divine wisdom. His initial approach (Ch. 4-5) suggested that Job’s suffering was a result of some hidden sin. Now, Job’s continued protests of innocence are seen by Eliphaz not merely as obstinacy, but as active defiance against God Himself. Eliphaz represents a rigid, traditional wisdom theology where suffering is strictly proportional to sin, and any questioning of this link is considered impious. The verse reflects this narrow understanding, where Job’s honest lamentation and struggle with God are misconstrued as contempt and rebellion against the Almighty. The historical and cultural context underscores a strong belief in divine retribution, where those who claimed innocence while suffering profoundly were often suspected of concealed wickedness or, as Eliphaz argues here, overt insolence toward God.

Job 15 13 Word analysis

• For (kī, כִּי): A causal conjunction. It introduces the reason for Eliphaz’s previous statement (that Job's own mouth condemns him and his lips testify against him in Job 15:6). It connects Job's suffering and his words to an internal state of defiance.
• you ('attah, אַתָּה): Singular second-person pronoun, directly accusing Job. This highlights the personal and direct nature of Eliphaz’s charge, emphasizing Job as the specific target of this divine accusation.
• turn (tashib, תָּשִׁיב): From the root shuv (שׁוּב), meaning to return, turn back, or cause to turn. In this Hiphil form, it means to direct, incline, or cause something to turn. It implies a deliberate, active turning or directing of one’s inner self. It is not accidental but a conscious disposition.
• your spirit (ruchakha, רוּחֲךָ): Ruach refers to wind, breath, or spirit. Here, it denotes the innermost being, the mind, disposition, or will of a person. It points to Job’s core intention and mental posture. This suggests a fundamental disposition or orientation of the soul.
• against God (el 'El, אֶל־אֵל): El (אֵל) is one of the common names for God. ’el (אֶל) is a preposition meaning “to,” “toward,” “against,” or “unto.” In this context, given the nature of the accusation, it clearly signifies opposition or hostility directed towards God. It denotes an attitude of defiance or challenge rather than humble appeal.
• and (wǝ, וְ): A simple conjunctive, linking the inner disposition to its outward manifestation. It emphasizes the direct relationship between what Job feels inside and what he speaks.
• utter (tōtsi’, תּוֹצִיא): From the root yatsa’ (יָצָא), meaning "to go out, to come forth, to bring out." In this Hiphil form, it means to cause to go out, to bring forth, to produce. It refers to the act of verbalizing, to give expression to something by means of words. It denotes a deliberate production of speech.
• words (millah, מִלָּה): Meaning a word, a speech, an utterance, or a discourse. It represents the concrete verbal expressions coming from Job. Eliphaz refers to the very things Job has said in his previous replies and laments.
• from your mouth (mīppīkha, מִפִּיךָ): Pe (פֶּה) is "mouth" or "edge." Min (מִן) is the preposition "from." This phrase signifies the physical organ of speech from which Job’s utterances originate. It emphasizes the spoken, audible nature of the “words,” reinforcing that Job’s inner rebellion is made manifest and verifiable through his verbal expressions.

Words-group analysis:

• "For you turn your spirit against God": This phrase captures the core of Eliphaz's accusation: Job’s inner self, his disposition, is not merely agitated but actively and deliberately arrayed in opposition to the Almighty. It suggests an inward orientation of rebellion rather than simply intellectual doubt or emotional anguish. It implies a conscious act of redirecting one's inner being away from reverence and towards defiance of the Divine.
• "and utter words from your mouth": This completes the accusation, indicating that the inner turning of the spirit against God manifests directly and overtly through Job's speech. The words Job speaks are seen as a direct consequence and evidence of his rebellious spirit. His public complaints and questions are interpreted not as cries of a righteous sufferer but as blasphemous declarations stemming from an unholy disposition.

Job 15 13 Bonus section

This verse highlights the rhetorical strategy of Job's friends, who often conflate lament with rebellion and questions about divine justice with outright blasphemy. They interpret Job’s authentic expressions of agony and bewildered questioning of God’s ways as an affront, revealing their discomfort with such raw honesty and their adherence to a superficial interpretation of divine governance. The "spirit" (ruach) in Hebrew thought is deep; thus, an attack on Job’s ruach is an assault on his character and his relationship with God at its very core. Eliphaz effectively weaponizes the wisdom tradition against Job, suggesting that only a person completely lost in ungodliness could utter such challenging words against the Creator, contrasting with the proper posture of humility and submission expected from humanity before the divine.

Job 15 13 Commentary

Eliphaz's words in Job 15:13 encapsulate the rigid and ultimately flawed theological framework of Job’s friends. He asserts that Job's verbal protests and lamentations are not genuine expressions of anguish but rather external evidence of an internal spiritual revolt against God. From Eliphaz’s perspective, any questioning of God’s actions, especially from a suffering person, could only arise from a spirit turned "against God." He fails to comprehend that a righteous individual might grapple with suffering and even voice profound questions to God without being in a state of outright rebellion. Instead, Eliphaz equates Job’s honest wrestling with a deliberate act of hostility, demonstrating a limited understanding of human-divine interaction that cannot accommodate innocent suffering or impassioned lament. His accusation underscores a prevailing wisdom theology that struggled with paradox and assumed an infallible, mechanical link between sin and suffering. Job's words, though born of unbearable pain and a desperate desire for understanding, are misread as pure contempt, exposing the friends' spiritual blindness and the inadequacy of their narrow worldview to address Job's complex reality.