20141105 Wednesday, November 5 2014
Job 26: Who Were Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar?

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country"

When Job's tribulation began (see How Did The Devil Challenge Job To Commit A Satan?, What Was In The Heart Of Job's Tabernacle?, What Did Satan Do To Job's Soul? and By The Skin Of The Teeth), three of his friends came "to mourn with him and to comfort him" (see A Friend In Deed).

"2:11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. 2:12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. 2:13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great." (Job 2:11-13 KJV)

Eliphaz, from the Hebrew name pronounced ale-ee-fawz, meaning The Almighty is pure gold, was a Temanite. Teman, from the Hebrew word pronounced tay-mawn, was an Edomite (descended from Esau; see The Birth of Jacob and Esau, Jacob's Peace With Esau and The Nations Of Esau) clan who lived in an area of the land of Edom (named after Esau), that part of which was known as Teman.

The only other man named Eliphaz recorded in the Scriptures was a son of Esau ("Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz"). Esau's wives were Canaanites ("Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan") - as were the two wives of Judah, from whom all Jews, including Jesus Christ, are descended (see The First Jews and What Does The Bible Really Say About Canaanites?).

"36:1 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

36:2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; 36:3 And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

36:4 And Adah bare to Esau Eliphaz; and Bashemath bare Reuel; 36:5 And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these are the sons of Esau, which were born unto him in the land of Canaan.

36:6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; and went into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. 36:7 For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle.

36:8 Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom." (Genesis 36:1-8 KJV)

Bildad, from the Hebrew name pronounced beel-dawd, was a Shuhite i.e. a descendant of Shuah, a son of Abraham with Keturah. Abraham sent all of his sons, except Isaac (see Isaac: Rising From The Ashes), "eastward, unto the east country." It was not a matter of Abraham sending his sons into an unknown and unprosperous wilderness - it was the very area in which Abraham himself was born (see The LORD's Seed Covenants With The Two Men Of Iraq and the Fact Finder question below).

Notice also that the brother of Shuah was Midian - the father of the people that took in Moses when he fled Egypt (see The Sign Of The Flaming Bush and Jethro's Advice. Moses married a Midianite (see Moses And Zipporah).

"25:1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.

25:2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.

25:3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan.

And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.

25:4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

25:5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. 25:6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country." (Genesis 25:1-6 KJV)

Zophar, from the Hebrew word pronounced ts-oh-fawr, meaning departing, was a Naamathite. Naamathites generally inhabited the "east country" area toward Syria where forms of the name were common e.g. the healing of Naaman in the time of Elisha (see The Healing Of Naaman).

"5:1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 5:2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.

5:3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

5:4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5:5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. 5:6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 5:7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

5:8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." (2 Kings 5:1-8 KJV)

Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar were righteous men who hadn't yet come to understand that Satan's wrath can come upon the righteous just as the LORD's wrath will surely come upon the evil. They witnessed the result, without yet understanding the cause, of Job's tribulation (see Innocent Until Proven Guilty).

"26:1 But Job answered and said,

26:2 How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength? 26:3 How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? 26:4 To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?

26:5 Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof. 26:6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. 26:8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. 26:9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it. 26:10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end. 26:11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. 26:12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. 26:14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?" (Job 26:1-14 KJV)

Fact Finder: (a) Who was Abraham? (b) Why did the LORD tell him to leave his homeland and live as a "pilgrim" and "stranger"?
(a) See the series for Abraham beginning with A Biography Of Abraham: The Genealogy Of Abram and A Biography Of Abraham: From Ur To Canaan
(b) See The Pilgrims and Abraham's Journey: When Will He Arrive?