fear (also used as infinitive) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
confidence
כִּסְלָתֶ֑ךָkis.la.Te.kha
H3690
in a good sense · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
hope
תִּ֝קְוָתְךָ֗tik.va.te.cha
H8615
literally a cord (as an attachment) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
uprightness
וְתֹ֣םve.Tom
H8537
completeness · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct
ways
דְּרָכֶֽיךָde.ra.Khei.kha
H1870
a road (as trodden) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Proverbs 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Job 17:15 And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?
Job 23:11-12 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
Job 16:17 Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.
2 Kings 20:3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in th…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 4:1-6
In these verses,
I. Eliphaz excuses the trouble he is now about to give to Job by his discourse (Job 4:2): "If we assay a word with thee, offer a word of reproof and counsel, wilt thou be grieved and take it ill?" We have reason to fear thou wilt; but there is no remedy: "Who can refrain from words?" Observe, 1. With what modesty he speaks of himself and his own attempt. He will not undertake the management of the cause alone, but very humbly joins his friends with him: "We will commune with thee." Those that plead God's cause must be glad of help, lest it suffer through their weakness. He will not promise much, but begs leave to assay or attempt, and try if he could propose any thing that m…
Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, &c.--Does thy fear, thy confidence, come to nothing? Does it come only to this, that thou faintest now? Rather, by transposition, "Is not thy fear (of God) thy hope? and the uprightness of thy ways thy confidence? If so, bethink thee, who ever perished being innocent?" [UMBREIT]. But Luk 13:2-3 shows that, though there is a retributive divine government even in this life, yet we cannot judge by the mere outward appearance. "One event is outwardly to the righteous and to the wicked" (Ecc 9:2); but yet we must take it on trust, that God deals righteously even now (Psa 37:25; Isa 33:16). Judge not by a part, but by the whole of a godly man's life, and by hi…
Is not this thy fear,.... The fear of God, that which is of him, comes from him, is a grace of his implanted in the hearts of his people at conversion, and is increased and encouraged, and drawn forth into fresh exercise through the grace and goodness of God displayed; for a slavish fear, or a fear of punishment, of wrath and damnation, is not the true grace of fear, which maybe in unregenerate men, and even in the devils; but this lies in a reverential affection for God on account of his goodness, and in a carefulness not to offend him on that account; in an hatred of sin, and a departure from it; in an attendance on the worship of God, and is sometimes put for the whole of it; and is accom…
The Church Fathers
"Is not your fear insane? If you were sincere in advising others, you had to expect what is happening to you. You have frightened yourself for no reason of these evils, have you not said: "The fear which I feared has come to me? And are not your hope, and the simplicity of your life, like stupidity, that which makes one believe that these goods are true?
"Is not your fear based on folly, as is your hope, and your mischievous ways?" That is to say, was there not a foolish intention behind your actions? Eliphaz means, "Either you have not done these things, or your life is full of evil. Or you do not fear God with a righteous intention and all that you say is mere words. Your hope is based on folly." Eliphaz states that Job's hope was filled with foolishness. Why? Is it necessary to say that? Is it not possible that after often helping his neighbor, he has now fallen into misfortune? "No," says Eliphaz.
While Scripture's spirit witnesses on behalf of Job that he has not committed any folly against God, Eliphaz incorrectly understands the reason behind what has been imposed upon Job. Eliphaz believes that Job suffers because of trespasses, and he thinks the words Job has spoken were motivated by his unacceptable behavior. "Is not your fear founded in folly," since you think you are righteous, "your hope also, and the mischief of your way?" Folly, Eliphaz says, is also the hope that you will be considered righteous. For such punishments are not imposed upon a righteous person. Eliphaz calls Job's way the "way of wickedness." He continuously thinks that the holy man suffers due to sins. This is also why Eliphaz ascribes folly to him.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Doubting · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
6 Is not thy piety thy confidence,
Thy Hope? And the uprightness of thy ways?
7 Think now: who ever perished, being innocent?!
And where have the righteous been cut off?!
8 As often as I saw, those who ploughed evil
And sowed sorrow, - they reaped the same.
9 By the breath of Eloah they perished,
By the breath of His anger they vanished away.
10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the shachal,
And the teeth of the young lions, are rooted out.
11 The lion wanders about for want of prey,
And the lioness' whelps are scattered.
In Job 4:6 all recent expositors take the last waw as waw apodosis: And thy hope, is not even this the integrity of thy way? According to our punctuation, there is…
People . . . who were weak were depressed and suffered from low morale (Isa 13:7; 35:3; Ezek 7:17).
Rashi on Job 4:6
Surely now, your end reveals your beginning, that your fear, that you feared heaven...
your foolishness is due to foolishness and not to full understanding, and so are your hope and the sincerity of your ways all foolishness.
