What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
What is any human being, that they should be pure? And anyone born of a woman, how could they be truly righteous?
The speaker is emphasizing that all humans are fundamentally flawed and cannot achieve perfect purity or righteousness on their own.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Job, which is set in the ancient Near East, Eliphaz is one of Job's friends who visits him during his intense suffering and debates the reasons for it. He argues that humans are inherently flawed and cannot achieve purity or righteousness on their own, reflecting a common ancient worldview that emphasized human dependence on God. This statement comes in the midst of Eliphaz's rebuke, where he challenges Job's claims of innocence by highlighting universal human sinfulness.
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