The big picture
Job 15 opens in verse 1 with “Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 18 with “Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:”, and closes in verse 35 with “They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.” Repeated or prominent terms include mouth, darkness, ready, vanity, belly. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Job · King James Version · 35Job 15:1-7
1–7: Answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
Job 15:1–7 opens with “Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,” and reaches “Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Job 15 develops its own movement around mouth, darkness, ready, vanity, belly, with particular weight carried by mouth, belly, born.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 3 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Job 15:1-7
King James Version1Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
2Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
3Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?
4Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God.
5For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.
6Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee.
7Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?
Job 15:8-14
8–14: Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to…
Job 15:8–14 opens with “Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?” and reaches “What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Job 15 develops its own movement around mouth, darkness, ready, vanity, belly, with particular weight carried by secret, aged, born.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 6 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Job 15:8-14
King James Version8Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?
9What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?
10With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.
11Are the consolations of God small with thee? is there any secret thing with thee?
12Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,
13That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest such words go out of thy mouth?
14What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Job 15:15-21
15–21: Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not…
Job 15:15–21 opens with “Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.” and reaches “A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Job 15 develops its own movement around mouth, darkness, ready, vanity, belly, with particular weight carried by abominable, clean, days.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Job 15:15-21
King James Version15Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
16How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?
17I will shew thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare;
18Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:
19Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger passed among them.
20The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
21A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
Job 15:22-28
22–28: He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited…
Job 15:22–28 opens with “He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.” and reaches “And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Job 15 develops its own movement around mouth, darkness, ready, vanity, belly, with particular weight carried by ready, darkness, hand.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Job 15:22-28
King James Version22He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword.
23He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
24Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
25For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty.
26He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
27Because he covereth his face with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.
28And he dwelleth in desolate cities, and in houses which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps.
Job 15:29-35
29–35: He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither…
Job 15:29–35 opens with “He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the…” and reaches “They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Job 15 develops its own movement around mouth, darkness, ready, vanity, belly, with particular weight carried by vanity, accomplished, belly.
Context that brings the passage to life
“He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Job 15:29-35
King James Version29He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth.
30He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.
31Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
32It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
33He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.
34For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.
35They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Job 15:1 begins with “Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,”
Where the chapter turns
Job 15:16 forms a natural hinge: “How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”
The final note
Job 15:35 leaves the reader with “They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and their belly prepareth deceit.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words mouth, darkness, ready, vanity, belly, born help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What is Abram invited to trust?
God's promise of an heir and innumerable descendants despite his present childlessness.
Why does the delay matter?
The covenant is larger than one lifetime and includes suffering before deliverance.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.
