Job 5:23
For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
This speech comes early in Job's dialogues with his three friends, around 2000-1800 BC based on patriarchal setting. Eliphaz was likely from Teman, known for wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7). His theology represented the conventional wisdom of the ancient Near East: righteousness brings blessing, suffering indicates sin.
The agricultural imagery would resonate deeply with an ancient audience. Stones were a perpetual problem—they had to be cleared from fields, they broke plow tips, and they limited crop yields. God's covenant with Noah established peace between humans and animals (Genesis 9), but attacks from wild beasts remained a real danger in the ancient world. Lions, bears, and wolves threatened both livestock and people. The promise of peace with animals appears elsewhere as a covenant blessing (Leviticus 26:6; Ezekiel 34:25; Hosea 2:18). Eliphaz's words echo legitimate covenant promises, but his application fails because he doesn't understand that Job's suffering isn't punitive but testing. The book of Job ultimately challenges the simplistic retribution theology that Eliphaz represents.
Questions for Reflection
- What does it mean to have a 'covenant' or 'league' with stones and beasts?
- How does this promise relate to humanity's original dominion over creation?
- Why does Eliphaz's theologically sound promise fail to comfort Job?
- In what ways do we see nature's hostility as a result of the fall?
- How might this verse point prophetically to the final restoration of creation?
Analysis & Commentary
Eliphaz continues his counsel to Job with promises of covenant blessing for the righteous. The phrase "thou shalt be in league" (ki im-avnei hassadeh veriteka) literally means "your covenant shall be with the stones of the field." The Hebrew berit (covenant/league) indicates a formal, binding relationship of peace.
The subject is striking: "stones of the field"—typically obstacles to farming. In ancient agriculture, rocky soil was a constant challenge. The promise that even stones would be in covenant suggests miraculous harmony with creation itself. The parallel statement reinforces this: "the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee" (vechayat hassadeh hoshlmah lak). The verb shalam means to be complete, whole, or at peace—the same root as shalom.
This imagery recalls Edenic harmony before the fall, when creation existed in perfect peace. Eliphaz promises that the righteous will experience restoration of this harmony—stones won't hinder work, wild animals won't threaten. This represents complete security and divine favor manifested in the natural world. However, the irony is that Eliphaz applies this incorrectly to Job, assuming Job's suffering proves unrighteousness.