Job 15:16 Meaning and Explanation
“How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The image in Job 15:16 is severe because it describes sin as something people may take in readily, repeatedly, and almost as if it belonged to daily life. Its severity is meant to awaken moral honesty. At the same time, the setting keeps us from using this sentence carelessly. Eliphaz is speaking against a righteous sufferer, and his forceful generalization becomes part of an unjust accusation.
Eliphaz portrays humanity as deeply inclined toward iniquity, using the image of drinking water to convey sin's dreadful ease and frequency. The warning is morally serious, yet Eliphaz wrongly applies such language to prove Job's guilt.
The Context of Job 15:16
After challenging Job's words, Eliphaz asks how man could be clean or righteous before God. Verse 15 says that even the heavens are not clean in God's sight, and verse 16 intensifies the contrast with mankind. Eliphaz then claims to report inherited wisdom about the fate of the wicked, describing their fear, darkness, loss, violence, and deceit through the rest of the chapter. His speech assumes that the patterns of the wicked's downfall explain Job's calamity. The narrative has already given readers knowledge Eliphaz lacks: Job's affliction is not punishment for the hidden wickedness Eliphaz supposes.
What Does Job 15:16 Mean?
The verse joins two stark descriptions, "abominable and filthy," to show Eliphaz's horror at iniquity in God's sight. The phrase "drinketh iniquity like water" supplies the central image. Water is taken often and readily because life requires it; Eliphaz says that people can receive wrongdoing with a similar readiness. He is speaking about a bent toward sin, including the way evil can become familiar and habitual. The image does not lessen responsibility. Drinking is an act, and the figure points to participation in iniquity. Its searching force reaches beyond public crimes to the desires, patterns, and dishonest practices that people may absorb without alarm.
Verse 16 follows Eliphaz's statement about the heavens and heightens his comparison between God's purity and human corruption. It also begins the transition into his long portrayal of "the wicked man." That transition is a major problem in the speech. Eliphaz moves from a true recognition that humans are sinners to a confident verdict that Job belongs among the wicked. The book refuses that verdict. God has called Job perfect and upright, and Job's friends eventually need correction for the way they have spoken of God. We may therefore hear the warning about iniquity while refusing the assumption that severe suffering gives us access to a person's guilt before God.
The Bible's answer to ingrained sin includes both forgiveness and a changed way of life. Christ teaches that what comes from within can defile a person, directing attention to the heart from which evil actions proceed. He also receives sinners and calls them into a life shaped by God's reign. Job 15:16 can lead us to face the ease with which harmful habits take root, while Christ directs that honesty toward repentance, cleansing, and faithful obedience. His ministry does not authorize contempt for those who struggle. It opens a way for people to come into the light, confess truthfully, and receive help to walk differently.
Bible Verses Related to Job 15:16
“And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”
- Job 1:8
“For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.”
- Proverbs 4:17
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,”
- Mark 7:21
“And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.”
- Job 42:7
Where Job 15:16 Echoes in Scripture
Proverbs 4:17 gives a strong canonical echo by describing wicked people as eating bread associated with wickedness and drinking wine associated with violence. Like Job 15:16, it uses ordinary nourishment as an image for evil that has become habitual. The proverb adds a practical warning: repeated participation in wrongdoing can shape a whole path, so wisdom calls us to turn from that path early and deliberately.
How to Apply Job 15:16 Today
We can ask where iniquity has become ordinary in our speech, entertainment, work, relationships, or private thought. The verse encourages clear-eyed repentance before habits harden. It also asks us to avoid treating people as disgusting or beyond mercy. Eliphaz's language shows how concern for holiness can be joined to harsh conclusions about another person. In daily life, we can name wrong truthfully, seek reconciliation where we have harmed others, choose practices that weaken temptation, and pray for a heart that finds goodness more welcome than sin. God sees our need and remains the One to whom we may turn.
Reflection & Prayer
What patterns have we allowed to feel normal even when they pull us away from truth, mercy, or faithfulness? Bring one of them plainly before God. Suggested prayer: "Lord, give us honest hearts. Expose the sin we readily excuse, forgive us, and lead us into habits that love what is good and strengthen our care for others."