Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Job 22:12

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Job 22:12. Is not God in the height of heaven? — It appears, from this and the following verses, that Eliphaz was attributing infidel and blasphemous speeches or sentiments to Job. As if he had said: "Thou allowest that there is a God, but thou sayest that he is infinitely exalted above the heavens and the stars, and that there is so much dense ether and thick cloud between his throne and the earth, that he can neither see it nor its inhabitants." These were sentiments which Job never held, and never uttered; but if a man be dressed in a bear's skin, he may be hunted and worried by his own dogs. Job's friends attribute falsities to him, and then dilate upon them, and draw inferences from them injurious to his character. Polemic writers, both in theology and politics, often act in this way.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

22:1-26:14 THIRD ROUND OF ARGUMENT

Eliphaz speaks (22:1-30)

In the first two rounds Eliphaz had not been as severe on Job as the others. Now, however, he attacks Job with specific accusations. He argues that since a person can add nothing to God, God would not make Job suffer in the hope of gaining some benefit for himself. The reason for Job’s suffering must lie with Job, not with God (22:1-3. Note how once again Eliphaz refers back to the main part of his dream; cf. 4:17-19). And since God would not punish Job for his reverence, he must be punishing him for his sin (4-5). Eliphaz’s accusation is that Job has heartlessly oppressed others to make himself rich (6-9), and that is why God is now punishing him (10-11).
According to Eliphaz, Job practises all this evil because he thinks God is so far away that he cannot see him and will not punish him (12-14). This was the way wicked people in former ages thought and behaved. They ignored God in spite of the benefits they received from his gracious blessings (15-18). The godly rightly rejoice when they see such people consumed in fiery judgment (19-20).
In view of the certain punishment of the wicked, Eliphaz urges Job to submit humbly to God and repent (21-23). Job must learn to look for his satisfaction in God, not in wealth (24-26). Then God will answer his prayers and give him all that he desires (27-30).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

ELIPHAZ WARNS: JOB CANNOT HIDE HIS SINS FROM GOD

"Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness? Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not; And he walketh on the vault of heaven. Wilt thou keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden? Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream."

Eliphaz parades himself as a mind-reader in this passage. He charges that Job thinks that God is so high and far away that he cannot see Job's sins, and that God cannot see what Job did on cloudy days.

"Wilt thou keep the old way which wicked men have trodden" Such unfeeling, ignorant and insulting words must have been particularly obnoxious to Job.

"Whose foundation was poured out as a stream" Our American Standard Version translators evidently missed it here. Foundations cannot be `poured out' because they are not liquids. The KJV has, "Whose foundation was overflown with a flood"; and the RSV has, "Their foundation was washed away." Kline,Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, p. 478. DeHoffGeorge DeHoff's Commentary, Vol. 3, p. 51. and DriverInternational Critical Commentary, Job, p. 196. interpreted this as a reference to the flood; and Driver gave the literal meaning as, "The foundations of whose houses were carried away by the Deluge."Ibid. However, Pope disputed this interpretation, stating that, "Many interpreters incorrectly take this line to refer to the Flood; but the thought is only of the sudden destruction of the wicked, exactly as in Jesus's parable (Matthew 7:26)."The Anchor Bible (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1982), Job, p. 151. Pope himself is in error here, because Eliphaz was not referring to some local flood, but to the destruction of wicked men walking in the "way of old" (Job 22:15), which is clearly a reference to some specific event of great antiquity. In all the editions which we have consulted, the marginal references list Genesis 6:5; Genesis 6:13; Genesis 6:17 as shedding light on what is written here. These, of course, refer to the Deluge.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Is not God in the height of heaven? - In the highest heaven. That is, Is not God exalted over all worlds? This seems to be intended to refer to the sentiments of Job, as if he had maintained that God was so exalted that he could not notice what was occurring on earth. It should, therefore, be read in connection with the following verse: “God is so exalted, that thou sayest, How can he know? Can he look down through the thick clouds which intervene between him and man?” Job had maintained no such opinion, but the process of thought in the mind of Eliphaz seems to have been this. Job had maintained that God did “not” punish the wicked in this life as they deserved, but that they lived and prospered. Eliphaz “inferred” that he could hold that opinion only because he supposed that God was so exalted that he could not attend to worldly affairs. He knew no other way in which the opinion could be held, and he proceeds to argue “as if” it were so.

Job had in the previous chapter appealed to plain “facts,” and had rested his whole argument on them. Eliphaz, instead of meeting the “facts” in the case, or showing that they did not exist as Job said they did, considered his discourse as a denial of Divine Providence, and as representing God to be so far above the earth that he could not notice what was occurring here. How common is this in theological controversy! One man, in defending his opinions, or in searching for the truth, appeals to “facts,” and endeavors to ascertain their nature and bearing. His adversary, instead of meeting them, or showing that they are not so, at once appeals to some admitted doctrine, to some established article of a creed, or to some tradition of the fathers, and says that the appeal to fact is but a denial of an important doctrine of revelation. It is easier to charge a man with denying the doctrine of Providence, or to call him by a harsh name, than it is to meet an argument drawn from fact and from the plain meaning of the Bible.

And behold the height of the stars - Margin, as in Hebrew “head” - ראשׁ rô'sh. God is more exalted than the highest of the stars. The stars are the highest objects in view, and the sense, therefore, is, that God is infinitely exalted.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 22

So Eliphaz takes up the argument now. And the same old story: he accuses Job of being wicked and he actually makes many bad accusations. He said,

Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself? Is there any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? or is it any gain to him, that you make your ways perfect? Will he reprove thee for the fear of thee? or will he enter into thee with judgment? ( Job 22:2-4 )

In other words, "Job, do you think that you're adding anything to God? Is it anything to God if you are good? If you justify yourself? It's no gain to God." But,

Is not thy wickedness great? and your iniquities infinite? For you have taken a pledge from the brother for nothing, you've stripped the naked of their clothing. You have not given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honorable man dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken ( Job 22:5-9 ).

So these are accusations now that he is making against Job. They're not proved. He is assuming these things now, but there is absolutely no proof to them at all, and Job doesn't answer them immediately, but in a couple of chapters Job will answer these accusations. When we get to chapter 29, he answers the accusations that are made against him, or chapter 30.

But it's interesting how that hospitality was considered really a... well, not to be hospitable was actually a great wickedness. In other words, if you didn't give a cup of water, if you didn't give bread, if you didn't seek to help the poor, the widows, the fatherless and all, then that was considered a great wickedness. I think that one of the tragic things about our culture today is that we are so much into ourselves that we really aren't even aware of the needs of those around us. I have great difficulty with people who can spend lavish amounts of money for their own luxuries and their own pleasure but do not take any concern or any care for the poor. They think nothing at all of spending fabulous sums to adorn their own bodies, and yet, if someone comes up who is really destitute, they are annoyed. "Go away, go ask someone else." It was considered a great wickedness in the time of the Bible, and I think that it is still a great wickedness. I do not believe that we can justify a luxurious lifestyle for ourselves when people are hurting, when people are hungry, when people are in great need. I think that we need to become more sensitive to the needs of others around us. There is a movement in England of what they are calling communal-type living. I do not agree with it, because I think that they are exerting too much pressure. But they are encouraging the people who have, say, a $15,000 car to sell it and to buy a $2,000 car and give the $13,000 to the poor. If you're living in a $50,000 house and you only need a $20,000 house, sell your house and give the remainder to the poor. And it is quite a movement in England right now. John Stout is involved in this, or was at least a while back. I don't know if they still are or not. But, as I say, I don't necessarily agree with it, but yet, I do feel very strongly that if God has blessed us, it isn't that we would use the financial blessings to heap up unto ourselves gold and silver while others are around us in real need, hungering and hurting.

James said, "Go to now, ye rich, weep and howl for the miseries that have come upon you. Because you have laid up your gold and silver for the last days, but it's going to corrupt. It's going to be rotten, and the laborer that you have defrauded is crying out for his pay and all" ( James 5:1-4 ). Jesus said, "How hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven; easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than a rich man" ( Matthew 19:24 ). Why? Because they that are rich fall into different, many different temptations which damn men's souls. If God has blessed us, it is that we might use those blessings of God to share with others that are in need. And if we close up our hearts, if we close up ourselves to the needy world around us, to the needy brothers and sisters in Christ while we are just spending foolishly for ourselves in luxuries that really are just nothing, then surely God will judge us.

They're accusing Job of these kind of things. As far as they are concerned, they are horrible accusations declaring the wickedness of Job. And because you have done these things, he declares, verse Job 22:10 :

Snares are round about you, sudden fear troubles you; Darkness, that you cannot see; waters are covering you. Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are! And you say, How does God know? how can he judge through the dark cloud? ( Job 22:10-13 )

He is now falsely accusing Job, he is saying, "Job, you're saying how can God see you when it is a cloudy day?" You know, God's up there in heaven, He can't see through the clouds. Job didn't say that, but this guy is just really laying one on Job. You say that,

Thick clouds are a covering, then he can't see through them; and he walks in the circuit of heaven. Have you marked the old way which wicked men have trodden? Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood: Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them? Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. The righteous see it, and are glad: the innocent laugh them to scorn. Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumes. [Now Job,] acquaint yourself with God, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto you. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart ( Job 22:14-22 ).

So his advice to Job is, "Just get right. Find God, Job. Just find God. And be at peace. Listen to His words. Follow Him."

And then thou shalt lay up gold as the dust, of the gold of Ophir, as the stones of brooks. Yea, the Almighty shall be your defense, and you will have plenty of silver. For then shall you have the delight in the Almighty, and you will lift up your face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear you, and you shall pay your vows ( Job 22:24-27 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

1. Eliphaz’s third speech ch. 22

In his third speech Eliphaz was even more discourteous than he had been previously.

"He [Eliphaz] made three serious accusations against Job: he is a sinner (Job 22:1-11), he is hiding his sins (Job 22:12-20), and he must confess his sins and repent before God can help him (Job 22:21-30)." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 47.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Job’s spiritual defiance 22:12-20

Eliphaz proceeded next to judge Job’s motives. He assumed Job had concluded that because God was far away in heaven, he would get away with sin on earth. However, Job had affirmed God’s omniscience (Job 21:22).

"Presuming to read Job’s secret thoughts, Eliphaz puts in Job’s mouth blasphemies untrue to the sentiments he has actually expressed (Job 22:12-14)." [Note: Kline, p. 478.]

Perhaps Eliphaz had in mind the wicked of Noah’s generation in Job 22:15-16. In Job 22:18 a Eliphaz seems to be admitting that some of the wicked do prosper temporarily. In his view, Job had been one of these fortunate individuals.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

[Is] not God in the height of heaven?.... The heaven is high, it has its name from its height, and is noted for it; some of the heavens are higher than others, as the heaven of heavens, the third heaven, the habitation of angels and glorified saints; and here God dwells, this is the habitation of his holiness, and the high and holy place he inhabits; his throne is in heaven, in the heaven of heavens is his throne, where he in an especial manner manifests his glory, and the lustre of it; he is not indeed continued here, the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, he is everywhere; yet this is his court and palace, where his residence and retinue is and angels behold his face, and wait upon him; and because this is the principal seat of his majesty, it becomes one of his names, Daniel 4:26; and the words here will bear to be rendered, "is not God the height of the heavens?" t or, as the Vulgate Latin version, "higher than the heavens"; he is above them, more exalted than they, being the Creator of them, see Hebrews 7:26;

and behold the height of the stars, how high they are; or "the head" or "top of the stars" u, which Ben Gersom interprets of the supreme orb, or that high and vast space in which the fixed stars are, or the highest of them, which are at the greatest distance; according to Mr. Huygens w a cannon ball discharged would be twenty five years in passing from the earth to the sun, from, Jupiter to the sun an hundred twenty five years, from Saturn two hundred fifty, and from the sun to the dog star v 691,600 years; and if therefore it would be so long going to the nearest of the fixed stars, how great must be the distance of them from our earth, which are so much higher than the dog star as that is from the sun? But, though these are so exceeding high, yet God is higher than they, see Isaiah 14:13; the truth contained in these words was what both Eliphaz and Job were agreed in, let them be spoken by which they will, some ascribing them to the One, and some to the other; from whence Eliphaz represents Job drawing an inference very impious, blasphemous, and atheistical.

t גבה שמים "sublimitas coelorum", Bolducius; "altitudo coeli", Michaelis; "altitudo coelorum", Schultens. u ראש כוכבים "capat stellarum", Montanus, Bolaucius, Mercerus, Cocceius; "verticem stellarum", V. L. Tigurine version, Michaelis, Schultens. w Cosmotheoros, l. 2. p. 125, 137. v (The Dog Star is the brighest star in the heavens when viewed from the earth. It has a visual magnitude of -1.4 and is 8.7 light years from the earth. It is in the constellation Sirius. The closest star to the earth is α Centaurus and has a visual magnitude of 0 and is 4.3 light years from the earth. It is several times fainter the the Dog Star but is still quite bright compared to neighbouring stars. 1969 Oberserver's Handbook, p. 74, 75. The Royal Astonomical Society of Canada, Toronto, Ontario. Editor)

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?   6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.   7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.   8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.   9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.   10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;   11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.   12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!   13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?   14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

      Eliphaz and his companions had condemned Job, in general, as a wicked man and a hypocrite; but none of them had descended to particulars, nor drawn up any articles of impeachment against him, until Eliphaz did so here, where he positively and expressly charges him with many high crimes and misdemeanours, which, if he had really been guilty of them, might well have justified them in their harsh censures of him. "Come," says Eliphaz, "we have been too long beating about the bush, too tender of Job and afraid of grieving him, which has but confirmed him in his self-justification. It is high time to deal plainly with him. We have condemned him by parables, but that does not answer the end; he is not prevailed with to condemn himself. We must therefore plainly tell him, Thou art the man, the tyrant, the oppressor, the atheist, we have been speaking of all this while. Is not thy wickedness great? Certainly it is, or else thy troubles would not be so great. I appeal to thyself, and thy own conscience; are not thy iniquities infinite, both in number and heinousness?" Strictly taken, nothing is infinite but God; but he means this, that his sins were more than could be counted and more heinous than could be conceived. Sin, being committed against Infinite Majesty, has in it a kind of infinite malignity. But when Eliphaz charges Job thus highly, and ventures to descend to particulars too, laying to his charge that which he knew not, we may take occasion hence, 1. To be angry at those who unjustly censure and condemn their brethren. For aught I know, Eliphaz, in accusing Job falsely, as he does here, was guilty of as great a sin and as great a wrong to Job as the Sabeans and Chaldeans that robbed him; for a man's good name is more precious and valuable than his wealth. It is against all the laws of justice, charity, and friendship, either to raise or receive calumnies, jealousies, and evil surmises, concerning others; and it is the more base and disingenuous if we thus vex those that are in distress and add to their affliction. Eliphaz could produce no instances of Job's guilt in any of the particulars that follow here, but seems resolved to calumniate boldly, and throw all the reproach he could on Job, not doubting but that some would cleave to him. 2. To pity those who are thus censured and condemned. Innocency itself will be no security against a false and foul tongue. Job, whom God himself praised as the best man in the world, is here represented by one of his friends, and he a wise and good man too, as one of the greatest villains in nature. Let us not think it strange if at any time we be thus blackened, but learn how to pass by evil report as well as good, and commit our cause, as Job did his, to him that judgeth righteously.

      Let us see the particular articles of this charge.

      I. He charged him with oppression and injustice, that, when he was in prosperity, he not only did no good with his wealth and power, but did a great deal of hurt with them. This was utterly false, as appears by the account Job gives of himself (Job 29:12-17; Job 29:12-17, c.) and the character God gave of him, Job 1:1-3; Job 1:1-3 And yet,

      1. Eliphaz branches out this charge into divers particulars, with as much assurance as if he could call witnesses to prove upon oath every article of it. He tells him, (1.) That he had been cruel and unmerciful to the poor. As a magistrate he ought to have protected them and seen them provided for; but Eliphaz suspects that he never did them any kindness, but all the mischief his power enabled him to do,--that, for an inconsiderable debt, he demanded, and carried away by violence, a pawn of great value, even from his brother, whose honesty and sufficiency he could not but know (Job 22:6; Job 22:6), Thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, or, as the LXX. reads it, Thou hast taken thy brethren for pledges, and that for nought, imprisoned them, enslaved them, because they had nothing to pay,--that he had taken the very clothes of his insolvent tenants and debtors, so that he had stripped them naked, and left them so (the law of Moses forbade this, Exodus 22:26; Deuteronomy 24:13),-- he had not been charitable to the poor, no, not to poor travellers, and poor widows: "Thou hast not given so much as a cup of cold water (which would have cost thee nothing) to the weary to drink, when he begged for it (Job 22:7; Job 22:7) and was ready to perish for want of it, nay, thou hast withholden bread from the hungry in their extremity, hast not only not given it, but hast forbidden the giving of it, which is withholding good from those to whom it is really due,Proverbs 3:27. Poor widows, who while their husbands were living troubled nobody, but now were forced to seek relief, thou hast sent away empty from thy doors with a sad heart, Job 22:9; Job 22:9. Those who came to thee for justice, thou didst send away unheard, unhelped; nay, though they came to thee full, thou didst squeeze them, and send them away empty; and, worst of all, the arms of the fatherless have been broken; those that could help themselves but little thou hast quite disabled to help themselves." This which is the blackest part of the charge, is but insinuated: The arms of the fatherless have been broken. He does not say, "Thou has broken them," but he would have it understood so, and if they be broken, and those who have power do not relieve them, they are chargeable with it. "They have been broken by those under thee, and thou hast connived at it, which brings thee under the guilt." (2.) That he had been partial to the rich and great (Job 22:8; Job 22:8): "As for the mighty man, if he was guilty of any crime, he was never questioned for it: he had the earth; he dwelt in it. If he brought an action ever so unjustly, or if an action were ever so justly brought against him, yet he was sure to carry his cause in thy courts. The poor were not fed at thy door, while the rich were feasted at thy table." Contrary to this is Christ's rule for hospitality (Luke 14:12-14); and Solomon says, He that gives to the rich shall come to poverty.

      2. He attributes all his present troubles to these supposed sins (Job 22:10; Job 22:11): "Those that are guilty of such practices as these commonly bring themselves into just such a condition as thou art now in; and therefore we conclude thou hast been thus guilty." (1.) "The providence of God usually crosses and embarrasses such; and snares are, accordingly, round about thee, so that, which way soever thou steppest or lookest, thou findest thyself in distress; and others are as hard upon thee as thou hast been upon the poor." (2.) "Their consciences may be expected to terrify and accuse them. No sin makes a louder cry there than unmercifulness; and, accordingly, sudden fear troubles thee; and, though thou wilt not own it, it is guilt of this kind that creates thee all this terror." Zophar had insinuated this, Job 20:19; Job 20:20. (3.) "They are brought to their wits' end, so amazed and bewildered that they know not what to do, and that also is thy case; for thou art in darkness that thou canst not see wherefore God contends with thee nor what is the best course for thee to take, for abundance of waters cover thee," that is, "thou art in a mist, in the midst of dark waters, in the thick clouds of the sky." Note, Those that have not shown mercy may justly be denied the comfortable hope that they shall find mercy; and then what can they expect but snares, and darkness, and continual fear?

      II. He charged him with atheism, infidelity, and gross impiety, and thought this was at the bottom of his injustice and oppressiveness: he that did not fear God did not regard man. He would have it thought that Job was an Epicurean, who did indeed own the being of God, but denied his providence, and fancied that he confined himself to the entertainments of the upper world and never concerned himself in the inhabitants and affairs of this.

      1. Eliphaz referred to an important truth, which he thought, if Job had duly considered it, would have prevented him from being so passionate in his complaints and bold in justifying himself (Job 22:12; Job 22:12): Is not God in the height of heaven? Yes, no doubt he is. No heaven so high but God is there; and in the highest heavens, the heavens of the blessed, the residence of his glory, he is present in a special manner. There he is pleased to manifest himself in a way peculiar to the upper world, and thence he is pleased to manifest himself in a way suited to this lower world. There is his throne; there is his court: he is called the Heavens,Daniel 4:26. Thus Eliphaz proves that a man cannot be profitable to God (Job 22:2; Job 22:2), that he ought not to contend with God (it is his folly if he does), and that we ought always to address ourselves to God with very great reverence; for when we behold the height of the stars, how high they are, we should, at the same time, also consider the transcendent majesty of God, who is above the stars, and how high he is.

      2. He charged it upon Job that he made a bad use of this doctrine, which he might have made so good a use of, Job 22:13; Job 22:13. "This is holding the truth in unrighteousness, fighting against religion with its own weapons, and turning its own artillery upon itself: thou art willing to own that God is in the height of heaven but thence thou inferrest, How doth God know?" Bad men expel the fear of God out of their hearts by banishing the eye of God out of the world (Ezekiel 8:12), and care not what they do if they can but persuade themselves that God does not know. Eliphaz suspected that Job had such a notion of God as this, that, because he is in the height of heaven, (1.) It is therefore impossible for him to see and hear what is done at so great a distance as this earth, especially since there is a dark cloud (Job 22:13; Job 22:13), many thick clouds (Job 22:14; Job 22:14), that come between him and us, and are a covering to him, so that he cannot see, much less can he judge of, the affairs of this lower world; as if God had eyes of flesh,Job 10:4; Job 10:4. The interposing firmament is to him as transparent crystal, Ezekiel 1:22. Distance of place creates no difficulty to him who fills immensity, any more than distance of time to him who is eternal. Or, (2.) That it is therefore below him, and a diminution to his glory, to take cognizance of this inferior part of the creation: He walks in the circuit of heaven, and has enough to do to enjoy himself and his own perfections and glory in that bright and quiet world; why should he trouble himself about us? This is gross absurdity, as well as gross impiety, which Eliphaz here fathers upon Job; for it supposes that the administration of government is a burden and disparagement to the supreme governor and that the acts of justice and mercy are a toil to a mind infinitely wise, holy, and good. If the sun, a creature, and inanimate, can with his light and influence reach this earth, and every part of it (Psalms 19:6), even from that vast height of the visible heavens in which he is, and in the circuit of which he walks, and that through many a thick and dark cloud, shall we question it concerning the Creator?