Job 4:3

Behold, you were always the one encouraging others,

                Strengthening failing hands.

 

Eliphaz is setting Job up as a hypocrite. He points out the good Job attempted but hammers him with his apparent sin and lack of repentance.

Among the choices for “Behold”, my sources had “see”, “think”, “surely”, “look”, and nothing. Job is full of these interjections that many times are ignored by the various translators. Kind of like putting and in a whole bunch of verses where clearly a poet would not, these choices do not fundamentally change the message, but they sure detract from the presentation. I appreciate the big “Beholds” and guess that the exact interjection is purely of personal preference rather than fumbling over the meaning. Maybe the Hebrew word is more like a grunt than a word. I much prefer the interjection that sets off what is to come from what has come before.

Alternatives to “encouraged” were “instructed”, “upholden him that was falling”, and “reproved”. At this moment, my guess is that Eliphaz wanted it to come across negative like “reproved” might, but the use of upholden in the King James made we want to pick encouraged over the much more “popular” instructed. The mental picture is of Job helping out those who needed the help. Not so much as taught or scolded, but helped.

I used “always”, but the consistent choice among all sources was “many”. I used the always to delineate the consistency of Job rather than the sheer number of times he helped others.

Strengthened was a unanimous choice, but “failing” was representative of a changing condition over the option of “weak” or “slack”.

I picture this characteristic of Job like that of Barnabas the encourager from the New Testament. They both model this behavior that we could emulate if we only chose to do so. I want to be an encourager and it easy to do, but sometimes I neglect to consider it an option. I am trying to o better and have a plan to open my eyes to opportunities, but it takes effort for me. I view it as a gift I have to exercise to keep sharp.

Eliphaz is showing Job how when others are struggling, he used to reach out from a position of strength. Yet, now that Job is struggling, he is sitting down and pitching a fit over his circumstances. Eliphaz is ridiculing him. Sometimes we need that. Sometimes the encouragement we need is to get up and keep going. When we do not know which way to go, sometimes we need to be told to keep moving. I portray Eliphaz as the enemy, but sometimes God uses our enemies to propel us to right action.

Seek to be the encourager. We are all human and struggle. Be the help for others that you sometimes need.