What does Job 17 say?

About the friends- 17:2, 4, 5, 10, 12

God Himself- 17:3, 6

About Job and his hopeless situation- 17:1, 7, 11, 13-16

Jesus and Job 17

17:2 Jesus was surrounded by mockers- Servants of God often found themselves as surrounded by hostile mockers (Ps. 119:51; Jer.20:7) and Jesus is the ultimate illustration of this (Ps. 22:7, 12; Matt. 27:29, 41).  

He was surrounded by them even in his death

 17:6 Job is a byword as the innocent sufferer of Psalm 69:11-12. Psalm 69 is often quoted in the NT and applied to Jesus. (Ps. 69:4/ Jn. 15:25; Ps. 69:9a/ Jn. 2:17; Ps. 69:9b/Rom. 15:3; 69:21/ Jn. 19:28-30).

Spitting is a major form of disgrace. Job endured people spitting in His face. Job’s experiences foreshadow the experiences of the ultimate righteous sufferer (Matt. 26:67; 27:30; Mk. 10:34; 14:65; 15:19).

 17:8 This verse speaks of the upright being appalled. The verb appalled is used of the suffering servant in Isaiah 52:14. Many will be appalled at the appearance of the Servant. 

 17:13-16 Jesus’ death and resurrection can provide us with hope, a hope that even sin and death cannot take away (I Corinthians 15; Heb. 2:10-18). 

16:18 O earth, do not cover my blood- The earth is sometimes called to witness men’s sins (Deut. 30:15-20; Isa. 1:2; Micah 6:1-2) but here Job calls upon it to testify of His innocence. 

Job’s longs for the earth not to cover his blood. The phrase cover his blood also appears in Gen. 37:26; Isa. 26:21. In Gen. 4:10 the voice of Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. Blood represented life itself (Lev. 17:11), and it is precious. Even an animal’s blood was to be covered with the ground (Lev. 17:13; Ezek. 24:7-8). Because life and blood were so precious, taking life demanded one’s life be taken (Gen. 9:5-6; Num. 35:29-34). 

And let there be no resting place for my cry- The law of Moses made provision for an avenger of blood who executed the killer of his near kin (Num. 35:9-34). If the avenger failed to act, God was expected to act. Job begs that his cry find no resting place until he was avenged. 

16:19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven,- While Job’s appearance served as a witness against him in vs. 8, he is confident of a witness in heaven (vs.19). The witness is more than just a man. He is in heaven.

But who is this witness, this advocate? Some argue that the witness is God Himself.[1] In this context, the witness seems like a 3rd party who will plead his case before God (vs. 21). 

And my advocate is on high- The word translated advocate is only used here. 

 16:20 My friends are my scoffers;- There is question about the translation of key words. 

The word translated friends is used of Job’s friends in 2:11; 32:3; 42:10.

The NET translates this phrase “My intercessor is my friend.” This word translated intercessor can carry the idea of scoffer (Ps. 1:1; Prov.1:22; 3:34; 9:7, 8, 12; 13:1; 14:6) or it can speak of a translator or an interpreter (Gen. 42:23; II Chron. 32:31; Job 33:23; Isa. 43:27).[1] 

[1] Newsome, 460-461, does not believe these words variously translated are from the same Hebrew word but that they are different words. Clines, 371, agrees and has some good notes about the translation. 

Jesus and Job 16:15-22

16:16, 20 Job’s face is flushed with weeping. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35), at the triumphal entry to the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44), and at Gethsemane (Heb. 5:7). Jesus offered strong crying and tears to the One able to save Him. 

 16:17 Job was innocence and there was no violence in his hand. Jesus was completely innocent and there was no violence in His mouth on a much greater level than Job (Isa. 53:9; I Peter 2:22). 

 16:18 Job begs that the earth not cover his blood. While the blood of Abel cries out for vengeance, the blood of Jesus cries out for mercy (Gen. 4:10; Heb. 12:24).

 16:21 Compare this to Job 9:32-33; 19:25; 33:23-24. Job is not prophesying of Jesus in the sense of stating what He will do. Job is expressing a longing, a desire for One who will do what Jesus accomplishes. Jesus actually goes far beyond what Job desired. Job’s sins, however small, had made him God’s enemy (Rom. 5:6-10). All the things Job experienced, and more were endured by Jesus on the cross to bring those who were His enemies back to Him. 

16:7-14

God is ferociously and relentlessly attacking Job. God is the subject of almost all the verbs in this unit. The name El, God, is used in vs. 11. Most of the verbs are 3rd masculine singular with the subject being He (vs.7a, 8b, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14).  Verse 10 is the exception to this because it used 3rd person plural verbs translated they. Eliphaz stated that Job is attacking God in 15:25-26, but Job insists that it is God who is attacking him in these verses.

 16:7  You have laid waste all my company- The word company is the same word used in 15:34. Eliphaz pictured the company of the godless as barren in 15:34 and God has certainly done that to Job laying waste his whole company. Job has lost his children and most of his servants (1:13-19; 19:13-20). 

 16:8 You have shriveled me up, It has become a witness;- The word for witness is used here and in vs. 19 of the chapter. His physical appearance screams of his guilt.

 16:9 His anger has torn me and hunted me down- The word torn, taraph, indicates a wild animal tearing a person (Gen. 37:33) or another animal apart (Ex. 22:13). The verb is used in the picture of the wicked tearing the righteous in Ps. 7:2; 17:12. When God is portrayed as doing the tearing, it is a result of the people’s sins (Hos. 5:14; 6:1). In 18:4 Bildad uses the same verb torn to say that Job has torn himself. 

He has gnashed at me with His teeth;- The phrase gnashing the teeth is used of the wicked’s treatment of the righteous (Ps. 35:16; 37:12). This the only time God is pictured in Scripture as gnashing His teeth in Scripture.  

My adversary glares at me- This line speaks of God as an adversary against His people (Lam. 2:4). . 

 16:10 They have gaped at me with their mouth,- Three verbs with 3rd common plural suffixes are used in 16:10 and are translated they. Job is attacked both from above and below. God’s violent opposition lead to the crowds turning against Job. Since Job’s sufferings were viewed as a result of his sins and God is viewed as the source of Job’s sufferings, then his enemies would feel free to unleash their fury on Him. 

They have slapped me on the cheek with contempt;- To be slapped on the cheek is a great insult (I Kings 22:24; Ps. 3:7). The “loss of dignity is just as agonizing for Job as the excruciating physical pain.”

16:11 God hands me over to ruffians- While God (El) is the subject of the verbs in this section (vs.7-14), this is the only instance where He is specifically mentioned. 

And tosses me into the hands of the wicked- Instead of the wicked suffering intensely as Eliphaz described in 15:17-35, Job as an innocent man has been handed over to them. 

 16:12 I was at ease, but He shattered me,- 

And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces- God is the predator who has captured Job by the neck and destroyed him. Gen. 49:8; Ex. 23:27 show the powerful grabbing his enemy by the neck.

16:13 His arrows surround me- The Almighty shots at Job with His arrows in Job 6:4; 30:12. We see the same idea of the LORD shooting at His people in Ps. 38:2; Lam. 3:12. In Ps. 64:7 He shoots at the wicked. 

Without mercy He splits my kidneys open;- The word mercy, chamal, sometimes describes God’s mercy or compassion upon His people (II Chron. 36:15; Ezek. 16:5). More frequently it is used to describe God as having no compassion or

We seek to establish in the podcast on vs. 20-35 that many of the things said about the wicked by Eliphaz are pictured as judgments upon the wicked throughout the Bible. If that is so, what is wrong with Eliphaz speech? He is not wrong about the punishment of the wicked, but he wrong in classing Job among the guilty. Second, Eliphaz is not wrong about the judgment of the wicked, but do all these judgments work out in this life? Luke 16:19-31 gives us additional light from the New Testament. Lazarus laid at the rich man's gate, begging for things to eat, and having his sores licked by dogs fits Eliphaz' picture of the wicked man. On the other hand the righteous man's abundance and blessings seem to indicate him as a righteous man. However, things were much different than they appeared outwardly. The ultimate blessings of righteousness and penalties of wickedness do not manifest themselves always in this world.  

 The things Eliphaz says are the very things that have happened to Job. Fire consumes (15:30, 34; 1:16), marauders attack (15:21; 1:13-15, 17), possessions are taken away (15:29; 1:17), his wealth did not endure (15:29; 1:13-17), and the houses of his children crumbled (15:28; 1:19). The discussion above has sought to call attention to how the same vocabulary words and ideas used by Eliphaz were used by Job to describe his own experience.

Jesus and Job  

15:22 The wicked was destined for the sword. The LORD of hosts reckons the sword against His Shepherd declaring that the Shepherd will be struck and all the sheep scattered in Zech. 13:7. Jesus quotes a portion of Zech. 13:7 in Matt. 26:31 and Mark 14:27 and applies it to Himself and His disciples. Jesus too was destined for the sword.

15:2 Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge- The words that Job uses are not typical of a wise man. Eliphaz will hit Job with a barrage of questions. 

And fill himself with the east wind? The east wind comes off the desert and produces great discomfort (Jonah 4:8), destruction of crops (Gen. 41:6, 23, 27; Ezek. 17:10; 19:12), the tearing apart of ships (Ps. 48:7; Ezek. 27:26), brings locusts (Ex. 10:13), and is a picture of judgment (Job 27:21; Jer. 18:17; Hos. 13:15).

Bildad in 8:2 and Zophar in 11:2 speak in a similar way to what Eliphaz says here. Job did describe his words this way in 6:26. Job will describe their words the same way in 16:2-3. 

The word translated himself is sometimes translated belly (KJV, ESV, NIV, NET) (Jud. 3:21, 22; Job 20:15, 23) or abdomen (Num. 5:21, 22, 27) or even womb (Gen. 25:23-24; 30:2; 38:27; Job 1:21; 3:10-11). This word is also used in vs. 35. Since this was believed to be the seat of emotions therefore Eliphaz accuses Job of speaking more from the standpoint of emotion than intellect. 

 15:3 Should he argue with useless talk- The word argue was prominent in Job’s last speech- 13:3, 10, 10, 15.

Or with words which are not profitable?- This word profitable is used in texts where the people pursue idols that could not profit (Isa. 30:5-6; 44:9-10; 57:12; Jer. 2:8, 11; 7:8; 12:13; 16:19; 23:32). Job’s words are empty and unprofitable as idols. 

 15:4 Indeed, you do away with reverence- The word you is emphatic as Eliphaz describes what Job is doing. It is Job, not God, who is in the wrong. The verb do away is the same Hebrew word translated frustrates in 5:12 in which God frustrates the plotting of the shrewd. It is a word that often speaks of covenant breaking (Gen. 17:14; Lev. 26:15, 44; Num. 15:31; Deut. 31:16, 20; Judges 2:1; Ps. 119:126). The LORD uses it of Job in 40:8 saying that Job seeks to annul (NASB) or nullify the LORD’s justice. 

The word reverence is the root word used in 1:1, 8; 2:3 as the text talks about Job as one who fears God. (Also see Job 4:6; 22:4; 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10). Particularly striking is the contrast between this verse and 4:6. In 4:6 Eliphaz seems to acknowledge Job’s piety while in 15:4 he says that Job himself undermines it.  

Job has questioned God’s justice and sought to call Him to court. These indeed are striking words. 

15:5 And you choose the language of the crafty- In 5:12 it was difficult to tell if Eliphaz put Job in the company of those who are crafty, but there is no doubt here. The word crafty can be used more positively as prudent (Prov.12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8,15, 18; 22:3; 27:12), but the context demands a more negative use. It is the same word used of the serpent in Gen. 3:1. 

14:13 Is Sheol far enough away from God to be used as a hiding place (Ps. 139:8; Amos 9:2)? The question must be asked, Is there any time or space to hide from the wrath of the eternal, omnipresent God? Jesus is the safe hiding spot from the wrath of God (Ro. 3:21-26; I Thess. 1:10).

 14:13 The thief on the cross begged Jesus to remember him in Luke 23:42-43.

 14:14 If he had hope of resurrection, in spite of his hardships, an assurance of life after death would fill him with hope. Hope of a resurrection can sustain us through the trials of life.

 14:14 We shall all be changed- I Cor. 15:51. Belief in the resurrection of Jesus assuring a resurrection to life for all those who trust Him is a game/life changer. 

 14:15 Life would be no less oppressive, but it would be tolerable if he would be raised, vindicated, and given life.[1] Is the call that Job hopes for like the one that Lazarus received (John 11:43)? John 5:28-29. This may be the idea behind the song, “I’ll be somewhere listening for my name.”

 14:15 What is God’s purpose for providing the resurrection? God’s longs for fellowship with man. He desires the work of His hands. 

 14:16-17 Job longs for God to forgive his sins. He wants God to dismiss the incriminating evidence against him.[2] It is because of Jesus that we are blessed to have forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 10:43).

Remember Phil. 1:19 and context considering its seeming allusion to Job 13:16. 

 14:20 God does not send man away but brings him to Himself (Phil. 1:20-23; II Cor. 5:1-8).

 14:21 In the resurrection believers are joined to each other (I Thess. 4:13-18). 

[1] Much of this wording was influenced by Habel, 243.
[2] The language for this was influenced by Douglas Sean O’Donnell, “Job” in the Expository Commentary, vol. 4, 385. General Editors: Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., Jay Sklar. Wheaton, Crossway, 2020.

Job 14:1-12 Job has been confident that he would win in a court case before God but now his mood changes and he is overwhelmed by the brevity of life. Job moves from a description of his personal situation to the people in general. 

 14:1 Man, who is born of woman- The word man, adam, begins the verse and therefore is stressed. The phrase born of woman is only in Job in the OT. The expression includes everyone emphasizes the cycle of birth and the fragility of life and is used in Job 15:14; 25:4. It is used in the NT of John the Baptist in Matt. 11:11; Luke 7:28. Sirach 10:18

is short lived and full of turmoil- The brevity of life is highlighted as in 7:6, 16; 9:25-26; 10:20. This phrase few of days is an intentional reversal of the language about being full of days in Gen. 25:8; I Chron. 29:28; Job 42:17.

14:7 For there is hope for a tree,- The book of Job often appeals to agricultural illustrations. While there is hope for a tree, in 14:19 God destroys a man’s hope. The word for hope is used elsewhere in Job in 4:6; 5:16; 6:8; 7:6; 8:13; 11:18, 20; 17:15, 15; 19:10; 27:8. Several these passages uttered by Job stress his hopelessness (6:8; 7:6; 17:15; 19:10).

14:8 Though its roots grow old in the ground- In the ground is actually in the dust. The word for dust is used again at vs.19. Dust is often in Job associated with death (7:5; 17:16; 21:26).

And its stump dies in dry soil- Tree, roots, and stump are all mentioned as this tree is thoroughly dead. 

 14:9 At the scent of water it will flourish- This is a strong hyperbole picturing a tree’s ability to survive.[1] The word translated flourish (parach) is also used of Aaron’s rod that budded in Num. 17:5, 8 or the righteous flourishing in Ps. 92:12-13.

14:11 And a river becomes parched and dried up- Isa. 19:5. The verb translated parched is used of Noah’s flood waters (Gen. 8:13) and the waters of the Red Sea (Ps. 106:9). The verb dried up is used in Gen.8:7, 14; Josh. 4:23, 23; 5:1. Job’s friends were a dry wadi promising water but failing to deliver in 6:14-23, but this is also a general picture of human life. 

 14:12 So man lies down and does not rise- Job 7:9; Ps. 41:8; Ecc. 3:19-20. There are three different Hebrew words translated man in 14:10, 12. The word lies down (shakab) in Job is connected to death in 3:13; 7:21; 20:11; 21:26. While the tree cut down may spring to life once again, the man who dies will not rise from the dead. 

Until the heavens are no more- Ps. 72:5, 7, 17; 89:29, 35-37. Is this a statement of the permeance of man’s death, once he dies he will never rise, or does this place a time limitation on the statement that man will not rise? While the Old Testament does indicate an end to the physical universe (Ps. 102:25-27; Isa. 51:6; in the Pseudepigrapha in I Enoch 45:4-5; 51:1-2), it seems to fit the context more if we take this as a statement about the permeance of death. In Deut. 11:21; Ps. 89:29, 35-37; Jer. 31:35-37 the reliability of God’s promises to Israel and David are as reliable as the sun, moon, and stars. 

He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep- 7:8-10; 10:21-22. Sleep is not viewed as a temporary situation from which God will arouse man (like in I Cor. 15:6, 18. 51) but it is a permanent one (Jer. 51:39, 57). 

The different textual views on Job 13:15

The textual difficulties and translation of this verse is the most disputed in the book.

 13:15 Though he slay me, yet I will trust in Him- KJV

Though He slay me, I will hope in Him- NASB

God might kill me, but I have no other hope- NLT

 What does the Hebrew text say?

In the main Hebrew text, the Codex Leningradensis, there is a negative lo, no before the verb hope. Some Hebrew manuscripts have lu, to Him, instead of no.

Does the hen at the beginning of the verse mean behold or does it mean if in this context?

Does the final verb mean trust (AV), wait (RV), hesitate (NEB), tremble

The value of the NLT at this point is that it shows Job’s desperation. He does not think it will work, it is his only chance. 

Jewish rabbis throughout the centuries wrestled with the meeting. In the second century A.D. these words were written. 

                  Mishnah Sota 5. 5 On that same day Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hyrcanus taught: Job served the Holy One, Blessed be He, only out of love, as it is stated: “Though He will slay me, still I will trust in Him” (Job 13:15). And still, the matter is even, i.e., the verse is ambiguous, as there are two possible interpretations of the verse. Was Job saying: I will await Him, expressing his yearning for God; or should the verse be interpreted as saying I will not await Him. As the word “lo” can mean either “to him” or “not,” it is unclear which meaning is intended here. 

Which fits the context best? “How one resolves these ambiguities is as much a matter of context as text.”[1] While sometimes in textual questions the text is decisive, the contradictory evidence from the text itself may point to context as the most important way to answer this question. 

Contextually, which of these readings make more sense? There are writers who each appeal to the context and yet go in opposite directions.

13:15 Job will defend his ways to God’s face 13:16 If Job were a hypocrite would he put his life in jeopardy this way? This, along with vs. 18, sounds like he expects vindication. Even if this passage is positive, what is Job’s hope, is his hope to survive the trial or is his hope to be vindicated even if he does not survive this trial.

The overall context of Job 12-14 is less positive. 

I am afraid some writers begin from the basis that Job has no hope of the afterlife. Then when we encounter a difficult passage they argue therefore that this could not be proof of the afterlife because Job has no belief in it. 

[1] Newsome, 435.

 12:13-25 God reverses people’s fortunes (I Sam.2:1-10; Ps. 113:5-8) and does so in the life and death of Jesus (Luke 1:46-56).  Job has stressed the sovereignty of God in bringing disaster upon the greatest of men. But the sovereign one stepped into history in the person of Jesus and man have insulted, rejected, and murdered the King and the LORD.  

 12:13 All these terms for wisdom, strength, counsel, and power are used of the ideal Messianic ruler from the stem of Jesse in Isa. 11:2. Isaiah 11:1-5 paints a beautiful picture of the ruler from David’s line who was to come. 

 12:14 The word for rebuilt in the LXX is also used in John 2:20. The context is that Jesus prophesied of His resurrection (John 2:19-22). There what Jesus rebuilds cannot be destroyed. 

 12:14 Jesus opens a door that cannot be shut and shuts a door that cannot be open (Rev. 3:7). The same terms in the LXX of Job 12:14 are used in Rev. 3:7.

 12:17-21 Mary’s prayer in Luke 1 shows that in the very act of God sending Jesus into the world He “brought down rulers from their thrones, and He has exalted those who were humble” (Luke 1:52).

 12:19 The word used for captives in the LXX, priests are led away captive, is used of those that Jesus set free in Luke 4:18. By enduring the pain and anguish of the cross Jesus set free the captives. 

 12:20 Jesus was silent before Pilate (Matt. 27:12-14; Mk. 15:4-5; Jn. 19:9-10) and Herod (Lk. 23:9). The most eloquent of men was speechless. 

 12:22 As God brings darkness out of light so at the cross, darkness engulfed the land in the brightest moments of the day (Matt. 27:45; Mk. 15:33; Lk.23:44-45).

 12:22 These two terms used for the darkness and deep darkness here were used in 10:21-22 to describe the darkness of Sheol. It is Jesus through His resurrection who gives the ultimate victory over Sheol (Acts 2:27-31).

 12:25 While He is made to grope in the darkness, through these events of His death and resurrection, the light of the world (John 1:4; 8:12) transfers us from the kingdom of darkness to light (Col. 1:12-14).

 Think of how Christ, the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords (Rev. 19:16), experienced Job 12, especially vs. 17-21, in the events surrounding the cross. Job complained that God humbles the great, wise, and noble and robs them of all their dignity. In Jesus God became a man and humbles Himself (Phil. 2:7-8) to become a subject of mockery and reproach upon the cross (Matt. 27:38-44; Mk. 15:27-32; Lk. 23:35-39). They truly poured contempt on Him He was stripped and goes barefooted (I assume) to the cross. By experiencing the cross, Jesus gives a whole new meaning to suffering and shame (II Cor. 8:9; Heb. 12:1-2). He makes it possible for the captives to be set free from their prisons (Luke 4:18).

In the cross God utterly confounds human wisdom- (I Cor. 1:18-2:5). 

12:4 I am a joke to my friends- The LXX omits lines a and b of verse 4. His friends should have provided support, but he is a laughingstock to them. This same word sechoq can mean laughter (8:21) or laughingstock in Jer. 20:7; Lam. 1:7; 3:14; Ps. 31:11-12; 35:15; 41:9; 69:10-12. While generally it is the wicked who mock the righteous, Ps. 52:5-7 is an occasion for the righteous mocking the wicked. 

The word friends had been used in the book in the description of these three men coming to Job in 2:11 and in a description of how they disappointed Job (6:14 27). Usually, in the Psalms the mistreatment comes at the hands of enemies. It particularly hurts to be mistreated by friends as Job 16:20; Ps 38:11; 88:18 show. 

The one who called on God and He answered him- Ps. 99:6 mentions Moses, Aaron, and Samuel among those who called upon the LORD and He answered. Job had often called on God and God had answered though that is not the case in the present (9:16; 27:9; 30:20-21).

The just and blameless man who is a joke- The just or righteous (9:14-15, 20; 10:15) and the blameless (1:1, 8; 2:3; 8:20; 9:20, 21,22) are important words throughout the book. Now Job, though innocent has become the subject of their ridicule (Ps.69:10-12). The contrast between who Job really is and how he is viewed by his friends and society is stark.

 12:5 He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, The NKJV differs strongly several other versions here.[1] Those at ease are referred to in Ps. 123:4; Isa. 32:9, 11; Jer. 3:26; Lam. 1:15; Amos 6:1; and Zeph. 3:13. These passages seem to refer to those who are blessed presently but who look down upon or are indifferent to the suffering of those who are beneath them. 

As prepared for those whose feet slip- The idea of unsteady or faltering feet or steps is found in Job 4:4; Ps. 18:36; 37:31; 73:2; Prov. 25:19. The innocent are sometimes pictured with firm footing (Ps. 26:1; 37:31) and the feet of the wicked are on shaky ground (Prov. 25:19). The step that slips may be a deliberate rejection of God’s path in Prov. 4:10-12, 26-27. 

 12:6 The tents of the destroyers prosper,- Job talked about God ignoring or even promoting the wickedness of the foolish in 9:23-24 and looking favorably on the schemes of the wicked in 10:3.

And those who provoke God are secure- This same root word translated secure was used by Zophar. Zophar said that if Job turned to God, he would be secure (11:18). While Eliphaz (5:24); Bildad (8:6), and Zophar (11:15-19) have promised peace and safety to those who follow God, Job knows plenty who live in defiance of God and are secure. 

Whom God brings into their power- Is God the subject (as in the KJV, NASB, NKJV, CSB) or the object (NET, ESV, NIV) here? The ESV has “he carries his god in his hand.” On the other hand, the CSB has “God holds them in His hands.” Is this a picture of how the wicked provoke God or is it a picture or how the wicked are in God’s hand and yet He still blesses them? We can compare Gen. 31:29; Micah 2:1; Neh. 5:5; Hab. 1:11 and suggest the overall meaning is that their power is their god. 

In Job 21:7-16 Job will expand on the theme of the prosperity of the wicked that he hits upon here in 12:4-6.

[1] The NET Bible argues the first word could be translated lamp or torch that yields no satisfactory meaning and argue for the word misfortune or calamity. 

11:7 Can you discover the depths of God? These questions of Zophar expect a negative reply. The same Hebrew word is behind the word discover in both parts of the sentence.  The NASB preserves that idea by translating this with the same English word. It is often translated find and is used in Job 28:12 when the question where is wisdom found used.

The word depths is from a Hebrew word (cheqer) used 12 times in the OT, 7 of those cases from the book of Job (5:9; 8:8; 9:10; 34:24; 36:26; 38:16). The word is particularly significant in Job 5:9 and 9:10 for both Eliphaz and Job acknowledged that God does things beyond searching out. Psalm 145:3 also uses the term. (I Cor. 2:10)

Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? The word limits (taklith) describes the boundaries, the farthest reaches of something (Neh.3:21; Job 26:10; 28:3; Ps.139:22). 

We cannot search the heart of the highest men (Prov. 25:3), how much less can we search the heart of God? Human beings cannot reach the outer limits of the physical universe, who can reach the outer limits of God? God’s presence dwarfs the physical world that He created (Isa. 40:12). 

 11:8 They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Isa. 7:11; 55:8-9; Ps.103:11. Job used this word for do (paal) in 7:20 asking what he had done to God to deserve his suffering. Bildad uses the same word to ask Job what he has done that leads him to think he understands God. 

Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? Lam. 2:13 The height of the heavens is contrasted with the depth of Sheol (Ps. 135:6; 139:8; Amos 9:2). In 10:13 Job used the same word know to affirm that he knew what was in God’s heart. 

 11:9 Its measure is longer than the earth- Eph. 3:18. The earth and sea are mentioned together in Hag. 2:6.

And broader than the sea

This section remind us of Psalms 103, 139; Isaiah 40:12-17, and even the LORD’s speeches in Job 38-41. The friends say many things that are good and right, but they draw the wrong conclusions from those truths.

“A human being has a difficult time comprehending God’s ways, for he observes them only in part. He lacks the full picture that is necessary to understand how a particular occurrence fits within God’s plan.”[1]

How is Zophar using this statement on God limitless nature? He especially applies it to God’s knowledge to separate the righteous from the wicked, the guilty from the innocent in vs. 10-11. Prov. 25:3; 30:4 Is Zophar implying that he has searched deeper and higher than Job has? Does he think that he had figured God out? How does he know that God has overlooked some of Job’s sins?

[1] Hartley, 197.