Job 5 6

Job 5:6 kjv

Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

Job 5:6 nkjv

For affliction does not come from the dust, Nor does trouble spring from the ground;

Job 5:6 niv

For hardship does not spring from the soil, nor does trouble sprout from the ground.

Job 5:6 esv

For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground,

Job 5:6 nlt

But evil does not spring from the soil,
and trouble does not sprout from the earth.

Job 5 verses

Job 5 6 Meaning

Job 5:6 is a statement made by Eliphaz the Temanite, one of Job's friends, as part of his first speech. He argues that human suffering and hardship are not random occurrences, like weeds springing spontaneously from the ground. Instead, he posits that affliction and trouble have a distinct, moral cause and are a direct consequence of sin or foolishness, implying a divine hand in their distribution. Eliphaz maintains that suffering is not a product of blind chance or a natural process independent of human conduct.

Job 5 6 Context

Job chapter 5 is part of Eliphaz the Temanite's first response to Job's lament. Job had just poured out his despair, wishing he had never been born (Job 3). Eliphaz, a representative of traditional wisdom theology, attempts to console Job by asserting that God is just and punishes the wicked, while blessing the righteous. He begins by stating that no one can stand before God blameless and that humans are inherently prone to trouble. In Job 5:6, Eliphaz moves from general observations to directly challenging the apparent randomness of Job's suffering. He asserts that affliction is never an accidental outcome of impersonal forces, but always an organized consequence linked to human actions, primarily sin. This statement reflects a strong belief in the retributive justice system: God justly rewards the good and punishes the evil. While this principle holds true generally, Eliphaz misapplies it to Job's unique situation, where Job's suffering is for divine purposes of testing and demonstration of faithfulness, not due to personal sin. Historically, such 'friends' or counselors represented the prevalent wisdom traditions of their time, which sought to explain misfortune primarily through individual moral failing, an understanding that the book of Job ultimately critiques and expands upon.

Job 5 6 Word analysis

• For: This conjunction introduces the logical reason or explanation for Eliphaz's preceding assertion (e.g., that calamity overtakes fools). It links his general theological principle to the specific origins of suffering.
• affliction: Hebrew: אָוֶן (`aven). This term can mean "trouble, sorrow, wickedness, iniquity, misfortune, disaster." In this context, it refers to human distress or calamity, often implying that it stems from a moral failing or results from an act of evil, reflecting Eliphaz's view of suffering as deserved.
• cometh not forth: Hebrew: לֹא יֵצֵא (lo yetze). A strong denial of origin or emergence. The verb yetze (to go out, to come forth) signifies a natural or spontaneous appearance. The negation lo (not) firmly rejects such a source for affliction.
• of the dust: Hebrew: עָפָר (`aphar). Literally "dust, dry earth, soil." Symbolically, it often represents commonness, insignificance, transience, or the chaotic, unorganized elements of creation. Eliphaz denies that human suffering springs from a random, uncreated, or non-causal source, like mere dust without purpose or direction.
• neither doth: A reinforcing conjunctive phrase that introduces the second, parallel denial. It emphasizes that both 'affliction' and 'trouble' originate from something other than spontaneous natural processes.
• trouble: Hebrew: עָמָל (amal). This word signifies "toil, labor, distress, misery, pain, suffering, grief." Whileaven(affliction) might denote the broader state of distress or even the act of wrongdoing,amal` often highlights the painful experience, hardship, or burdensome outcome of effort, suffering, or wickedness.
• spring out: Hebrew: יִפְרַח (yifrach). Literally "to blossom, to sprout, to flourish," often used for vegetation emerging from the ground. This vivid agricultural metaphor conveys the idea of something spontaneously growing or appearing as a product of nature's course. Eliphaz denies that human suffering has such a natural, unguided, or unplanned origin.
• of the ground: Hebrew: אֲדָמָה (`adamah). This refers to "ground, land, earth, soil." More specific and fertile than 'dust', it continues the agricultural metaphor. Together with "dust," it signifies a purely natural, self-generating process, similar to how plants naturally emerge from the earth without apparent external cause, which Eliphaz emphatically states is not the case for human suffering.

Words-group analysis:

• "For affliction cometh not forth of the dust,": This initial clause establishes Eliphaz's denial of a random, impersonal origin for human suffering. By comparing "affliction" (aven) to something spontaneously arising from "dust" (aphar) and denying this, he insists that human hardship is not without a cause, and specifically, not a trivial or meaningless cause from a common, unorganized source.
• "neither doth trouble spring out of the ground": This parallel clause reinforces and broadens the first statement. Using the vivid imagery of "trouble" (amal) failing to "spring out" (yifrach) from the fertile "ground" (adamah`), Eliphaz emphatically dismisses any notion that human hardship emerges through natural, unguided processes. This repetition highlights his conviction that there is a precise, moral, and divine agency behind all human suffering. Together, both phrases set forth Eliphaz's theological framework where human suffering is always an intentional consequence rather than an accident of nature.

Job 5 6 Bonus section

• Eliphaz's position, while misapplied to Job, upholds a fundamental biblical principle: human actions, especially moral choices, have consequences, often leading to either blessing or hardship.
• The denial of affliction arising from 'dust' or 'ground' implies an ordered universe governed by divine purpose, challenging any worldview that sees human suffering as arbitrary or purely chance-driven.
• This verse represents a common theological struggle: explaining why suffering occurs. Eliphaz provides a simple, direct explanation rooted in popular wisdom of his time.
• The vivid imagery is typical of ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature, using common agricultural experiences to convey profound theological truths.
• The Book of Job as a whole ultimately challenges the simplistic cause-and-effect understanding of suffering presented by Eliphaz and the other friends, leading to a deeper, albeit more mysterious, appreciation of God's sovereignty and wisdom.

Job 5 6 Commentary

Job 5:6 reveals Eliphaz's deep-seated belief in the retributive principle: suffering is a direct, causal consequence of sin, and not an uncaused, spontaneous phenomenon like a plant springing from the soil. He employs powerful agricultural metaphors – "affliction cometh not forth of the dust" and "trouble spring out of the ground" – to underscore his rejection of a random or naturalistic origin for human hardship. For Eliphaz, suffering is inherently meaningful, reflecting a divinely ordered system where every act of wrongdoing yields its just, painful fruit. This statement encapsulates the core of his initial argument: God is just, and therefore Job's great suffering must stem from some sin or folly on his part. While the Bible affirms that sin does bring suffering and has consequences, Eliphaz's rigidity in applying this to Job demonstrates a limited understanding of God's broader purposes, such as testing of faith (Jam 1:2-4), growth (Rom 5:3-4), or even participation in Christ's sufferings (Phil 3:10), all of which transcend simple moral ledger-keeping.