Job 22:11
Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
Original Language Analysis
אוֹ
H176
אוֹ
Strong's:
H176
Word #:
1 of 7
desire (and so probably in proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if
חֹ֥שֶׁךְ
Or darkness
H2822
חֹ֥שֶׁךְ
Or darkness
Strong's:
H2822
Word #:
2 of 7
the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness
לֹֽא
H3808
לֹֽא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
3 of 7
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
תִרְאֶ֑ה
that thou canst not see
H7200
תִרְאֶ֑ה
that thou canst not see
Strong's:
H7200
Word #:
4 of 7
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
Cross References
Lamentations 3:54Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.Jonah 2:3For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.Job 19:8He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he hath set darkness in my paths.
Historical Context
Ancient Mesopotamian and Israelite thought associated floods with divine judgment (Genesis 6-9). Water imagery appears throughout Job's speeches as a metaphor for overwhelming suffering (6:15-20, 14:11). Darkness and flood together suggest cosmic-level judgment.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Job's experience of God's hiddenness challenge simplistic formulas about God's presence with the righteous?
- What does it mean to trust God when experiencing 'darkness' and 'floods' that seem to contradict His promises?
- How should we respond to suffering people—with theological explanations or compassionate presence?
Analysis & Commentary
Or darkness, that thou canst not see (אוֹ־חֹשֶׁךְ לֹא־תִרְאֶה)—Choshech (darkness) in Hebrew wisdom literature represents confusion, disorientation, and divine absence. Job has repeatedly described this darkness (3:4-9, 10:21-22, 23:17), but Eliphaz treats it as deserved judgment rather than mysterious trial.
Abundance of waters cover thee (וְשִׁפְעַת־מַיִם תְּכַסֶּךָּ)—Shiph'at-mayim (flood of waters) evokes chaos and destruction, possibly alluding to the Flood judgment. The drowning imagery pictures overwhelming, inescapable calamity. Eliphaz sees divine retribution; Job experiences divine hiddenness (13:24). The same suffering receives radically different interpretations depending on one's theological assumptions.