Job 5 4

Job 5:4 kjv

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

Job 5:4 nkjv

His sons are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer.

Job 5:4 niv

His children are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.

Job 5:4 esv

His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them.

Job 5:4 nlt

Their children are abandoned far from help;
they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.

Job 5 verses

Job 5 4 Meaning

Job 5:4 is part of Eliphaz the Temanite's first speech to Job, where he asserts that wickedness inevitably leads to suffering. This particular verse describes the severe consequences Eliphaz attributes to the children of the wicked: they are deprived of security, subjected to public humiliation and ruin, and find no one to rescue them. It reflects Eliphaz's deep conviction in a strict retribution theology, suggesting that such distress is a direct divine judgment for their parents' wrongdoing, highlighting utter helplessness and absence of divine favor or human assistance.

Job 5 4 Context

Job 5:4 is uttered by Eliphaz the Temanite in his initial response to Job's lament. Job had expressed deep anguish, questioning the fairness of his suffering while maintaining his innocence. Eliphaz, acting as an interpreter of traditional wisdom, bases his argument on his own perceived insights and widely accepted ancient Near Eastern retribution theology, which held that righteousness brings prosperity and wickedness brings calamity. His primary point is that God is just and always punishes the wicked. He implies that Job's unprecedented suffering must therefore be a result of hidden sin. In this specific verse, Eliphaz extrapolates from this general principle, describing how the supposed wickedness of the parents would result in their children's downfall, publicly shamed and utterly without help. This implicitly condemns Job by suggesting his calamities, including the death of his children, align with the fate of the wicked, rather than being an inexplicable trial or a divine test.

Job 5 4 Word analysis

• His children (בָּנָיו, bānāyw): This term refers to direct male descendants or offspring in general. In ancient Israel, children were seen as an extension of the parent's identity and legacy. Their fate was often inextricably linked to the status and actions of the family patriarch. Eliphaz implies that the "wicked man's" lineage suffers collective ruin.
• are far from safety (יִרְחֲקוּ מִיֶּשַׁע, yirḥăqū mîyeša‘):
  • yirḥăqū (from רָחַק, raḥaq): "to be distant, far off." Implies removal or separation from something positive.
  • mîyeša‘ (from יֶשַׁע, yesha‘): "safety, deliverance, salvation, help, welfare, well-being." This is a broad term indicating security and flourishing. The children are removed from any state of being whole, protected, or delivered. It conveys abandonment and vulnerability.
• and are crushed (וְיְדֻכְּאוּ, wəyᵊdukkaʾû):
  • yᵊdukkaʾû (from דָּכָא, dākāʾ): "to crush, to break in pieces, to oppress." A strong verb denoting severe affliction, subjugation, or ruin. It implies being overwhelmed beyond recovery, metaphorically depicting extreme pressure or ruin, akin to being ground into dust.
• in the gate (בַשַּׁעַר, baššaʿar): The city gate in ancient Near Eastern society was a crucial public space. It served as the place for:
  • Judicial proceedings: Elders and judges would convene here to hear cases and administer justice (e.g., Ruth 4:1-11; Amos 5:10).
  • Commercial transactions: Business dealings and agreements were made there.
  • Public assembly and social interaction: News was exchanged, and community life happened.Therefore, being "crushed in the gate" signifies public humiliation, legal defeat, injustice, or the violent overthrow of their status, perhaps even a public execution, all witnessed by the community. It's not a private misfortune but a widely observable disgrace and helplessness where they cannot find redress.
• neither is there any to deliver them (וְאֵין מַצִּיל, wəʾên maṣṣîl):
  • wəʾên: "and there is no." A strong negation.
  • maṣṣîl (from נָצַל, naṣal): "one who delivers, snatches away, rescues, frees." This denotes an absolute absence of a rescuer or advocate. It points to a situation of utter desolation where neither human intervention nor divine protection is available. From Eliphaz's perspective, this lack of deliverer is a mark of God's complete abandonment due to the supposed wickedness.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• His children...far from safety...crushed: This sequence highlights a downward spiral from a state of general insecurity to acute and public devastation. It is a total loss—physical, social, and legal. The collective nature of the suffering is emphasized by linking it directly to the family line.
• Crushed in the gate: This phrase brings the judgment into the most public and legal sphere. It’s not just a private tragedy, but a recognized, perhaps legally sanctioned, undoing witnessed by the whole community. It implies an accusation against their reputation and an irreversible defeat in any appeal to justice.
• Neither is there any to deliver them: This final phrase solidifies the utter hopelessness of their plight. It denies them any hope of external intervention, whether from family, friends, legal systems, or divine mercy (as perceived by Eliphaz). It reinforces the idea that their fate is sealed due to their implied unrighteousness.

Job 5 4 Bonus section

It is significant that Eliphaz presents this outcome ("His children...") as a general truth, though it directly echoes the calamities that befell Job's children (Job 1:18-19). This thinly veiled accusation adds to Job's anguish rather than providing solace. Eliphaz's words imply that if Job were righteous, his children would have been preserved, and a deliverer found. This highlights the boundary of his wisdom—it's based on human observation and conventional wisdom, not direct divine revelation or a deep understanding of God's sovereign purposes. The suffering described for the "wicked's children" here mirrors precisely what Job himself experienced, making Eliphaz's 'comfort' a poignant indictment of Job's integrity and a profound misinterpretation of divine justice in this specific case.

Job 5 4 Commentary

Job 5:4 serves as a potent example of Eliphaz's flawed retribution theology, where suffering is rigidly equated with divine judgment for specific sins. While it holds a truth that sin does bring consequences (e.g., Rom 6:23), Eliphaz misapplies it to Job's situation, failing to recognize that not all suffering is punitive. He argues that the children of the wicked are removed from any well-being, utterly broken, and experience public disgrace and legal defeat in the city's place of judgment. The absence of a deliverer is the grim culmination, implying total divine abandonment. This view was common in ancient Near Eastern thought, providing a comforting, albeit often erroneous, explanation for suffering, suggesting that divine favor guaranteed prosperity. However, Job’s experience powerfully refutes this simplistic dogma. The irony lies in Eliphaz attributing to Job (whose children have died) a fate meant for the "wicked," underscoring his failure to provide true comfort and his limited understanding of God's ways beyond strict cause-and-effect.