Job 15:16 Meaning and Explanation
“How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Eliphaz concludes that man is corrupt, drinking in sin as naturally as drinking water.
What Does Job 15:16 Mean?
Eliphaz drives his argument to its harshest point. If even the heavens are not pure, how much more is man corrupt, a creature who drinks iniquity like water, taking in wrongdoing as easily and as constantly as one swallows a drink. The picture is of sin as a thirst, eagerly indulged.
The image captures a real and sobering truth about human waywardness, our readiness to do wrong. Yet Eliphaz aims it like an arrow at Job, painting his friend as one of the abominable. The verse confronts every reader with the seriousness of sin without licensing us to brand a particular person condemned. The honest answer to such a charge is not self-defense alone but the longing for cleansing that only God can give to thirsty, wayward hearts.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 15:16
What does Job 15:16 mean?
Eliphaz concludes that man is corrupt, drinking in sin as naturally as drinking water.