Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?
Think about it, please—has anyone who was truly innocent ever been destroyed? When have the righteous ever been completely cut off?
Eliphaz is arguing that innocent people don't suffer destruction, implying that those who suffer must have done something wrong.
📚 Historical Context
This is part of Eliphaz's first speech to Job, one of three friends who came to comfort him after he lost his children, wealth, and health. Eliphaz represents the conventional wisdom of his time—that suffering is always a result of sin and that God always protects the righteous. This worldview was common in ancient Near Eastern cultures, where people believed in strict divine justice where good behavior was rewarded and bad behavior was punished.
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