ELIPHAZ. - The most eloquent of Job's friends (Job 2:11), a native of Teman, a region whose tribe descended from Esau's grandson (Gen. 36:11), famous for wisdom (Jer. 49:7; Obad. 8). In the threefold dispute, the central part of the poem (v. GIOBBE), E. always speaks first; he proceeds by maxims, in the manner of the sages, and upholds the idea then commonly held: only he who has sinned suffers; Job therefore cannot be righteous; by affirming the contrary, he offends God; let him humble himself and implore mercy.

In the 1st discourse (Job 4-5), E. courteously avoids reproaching Job and speaks in general terms. But Job proclaims his righteousness. Then E., in the 2nd discourse, harsher, accuses him, albeit indirectly, of impiety (Job 15). In the 3rd (Job 22), as Job insists on his innocence, E. without any regard attributes to him the most grave sins. In the final intervention, God humbles E. and commands him to appease His wrath through Job's intercession (Job 42:7-9).

Bibliography2 works

BIBL.: A. Lafevre, Job, in DBs, fasc. 22, coll. 1073-98, with ample bibl.; A. Hudal-J. Ziegler-F. Sauer, Einteilung in das Alte Testament, 6th ed., Graz-Vienna 1948, pp. 180-86.

Francesco Spadafora

@incollection{ec5_eliphaz, author = {Spadafora, Francesco}, title = {Eliphaz}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {245--246}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/eliphaz} }

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