Job 5:14
They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
Original Language Analysis
יְפַגְּשׁוּ
They meet
H6298
יְפַגְּשׁוּ
They meet
Strong's:
H6298
Word #:
2 of 6
to come in contact with, whether by accident or violence; figuratively, to concur
חֹ֑שֶׁךְ
with darkness
H2822
חֹ֑שֶׁךְ
with darkness
Strong's:
H2822
Word #:
3 of 6
the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness
וְ֝כַלַּ֗יְלָה
as in the night
H3915
וְ֝כַלַּ֗יְלָה
as in the night
Strong's:
H3915
Word #:
4 of 6
properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e., night; figuratively, adversity
Cross References
Job 12:25They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.Isaiah 59:10We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.Deuteronomy 28:29And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.Proverbs 4:19The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.Amos 8:9And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
Historical Context
Darkness at noon as divine judgment appears throughout Scripture (Amos 8:9, Matthew 27:45). Eliphaz uses this imagery to characterize Job's state as the result of wickedness rather than divine testing.
Questions for Reflection
- How do you maintain faith when you cannot see God's purposes in your circumstances?
- What does it mean to walk in darkness while still trusting in the Lord (Isaiah 50:10)?
Analysis & Commentary
Eliphaz describes the wicked's fate: 'They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.' The imagery reverses natural order—darkness during day represents divine judgment and confusion. The Hebrew 'mashash' (grope) suggests blind fumbling. Eliphaz implies Job's confusion and inability to understand his suffering proves he's among the wicked experiencing divine judgment. Yet Scripture shows that even the righteous sometimes walk in darkness (Isaiah 50:10), trusting God despite lack of understanding.