Job 4:7 Meaning and Explanation
“Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Eliphaz urges Job to recall that, in his view, the innocent never perish and the righteous are never destroyed.
What Does Job 4:7 Mean?
Now Eliphaz states the principle that governs his counsel. He asks Job to remember that no innocent person has ever perished and no righteous one been cut off. In his reasoning, suffering and ruin are reserved for the guilty, so Job's disaster must point to some hidden fault. It is a tidy theology that promises safety to the good and destruction only to the wicked.
Experience and Scripture both complicate this neat equation. The righteous Abel was struck down, and the prophets were slain; supremely, the only truly innocent One was crucified. Eliphaz's rule cannot account for the suffering of the godly. The book of Job exists, in part, to overturn the assumption that calamity always proves guilt, freeing the faithful sufferer to trust a God whose purposes run deeper than reward and punishment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 4:7
What does Job 4:7 mean?
Eliphaz urges Job to recall that, in his view, the innocent never perish and the righteous are never destroyed.