In brief
Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite are Job's three friends. Hearing of his misfortunes, they come to sympathize and sit with him for seven days without a word. Then, in long speeches, they all defend the same idea: if Job suffers, he must have sinned. At the end of the book, God declares that they have not spoken of him rightly, and Job prays for them. Truth misapplied can wound instead of comforting.
What does the name Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar mean?
The Bible introduces them by their place of origin: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite (Job 2:11). It does not give the meaning of their names. Teman is generally linked to a region of Edom, but the text says nothing more about where they came from.
The story of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar
Come to comfort
Job 2:11-13Three friends of Job, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, hear of all his misfortune. They agree together to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. From a distance they do not recognize him. They weep, tear their robes and sprinkle dust on their heads. Then they sit with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one speaks a word.
Eliphaz and his night vision
Job 4:1-21Eliphaz speaks first. He reminds Job that he has often strengthened others and asks what innocent person has ever perished. He relates a message received in a night vision: can a man be righteous before God? He urges Job not to despise the correction of the Almighty (Job 5:17). Later he will go as far as charging Job with specific sins (Job 22:5-9).
Bildad and the justice of God
Job 8:1-22Bildad the Shuhite compares Job's words to a strong wind. He asserts that God does not pervert justice and hints that Job's children were handed over to their sin. He invites Job to ask the former generations: the godless wither like a reed without water, but God does not reject the blameless and will restore his happiness.
Zophar and unsearchable wisdom
Job 11:1-20Zophar the Naamathite speaks in his turn. He reproaches Job for his many words and says that God treats him less harshly than his iniquity deserves. He exalts the wisdom of God, higher than heaven and deeper than Sheol. He urges Job to put iniquity far from his tent, promising that he will then forget his misery.
Miserable comforters
Job 16:1-5As the speeches go on, Job answers his friends that he has heard all this before: “You are all miserable comforters!” Elsewhere he accuses them of inventing falsehoods and adds that if they had kept silent, they would have passed for wise (Job 13:4-5). Their words, pious in appearance, do not fit his situation.
Rebuked by God, pardoned through Job's prayer
Job 42:7-10After speaking to Job, Yahweh tells Eliphaz that his wrath is kindled against him and his two friends, because they have not spoken of him what is right, as his servant Job has. They are to offer seven bulls and seven rams, and Job will pray for them. They obey, Yahweh accepts Job's prayer, and restores Job when he has prayed for his friends.
What Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar teaches us
- Being present in silence beside someone who suffers is sometimes worth more than long speeches.
- Not every suffering is the punishment for a specific sin: we must be careful not to judge what we cannot see.
- A general truth about God's justice becomes false when it is applied without discernment to another person's life.
- God rebukes those who speak wrongly of him, but he also opens a path of pardon through sacrifice and intercession.
- Praying for those who have hurt us is part of the restoration God is preparing.
Key verses
The finest moment of the three friends. They see how great Job's grief is and stay with him seven days and seven nights without speaking. Their silent presence says more than the speeches that follow.
God's verdict on the three friends. Despite their pious words, they have not spoken of him rightly. God does not endorse their explanation of Job's suffering.
Job's restoration comes when he prays for those who had accused him. The pardon granted to his friends and Job's blessing are linked in the same account.
Bible verses to meditate on
Frequently asked questions
Who were Job's three friends?
They are Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite (Job 2:11). They come together to sympathize with Job and comfort him after his misfortunes. Each then speaks in turn in long speeches, to which Job replies. A fourth man, Elihu son of Barachel, speaks later in the book (Job 32:2).
Why was God angry with Job's friends?
God tells Eliphaz that he and his two friends have not spoken of him rightly, as his servant Job has (Job 42:7). The three explained Job's suffering by his sins and accused him without evidence. Yet God does not deal with them according to their folly: he asks for a burnt offering and for Job's prayer.
Where is the story of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar in the Bible?
They appear in the book of Job. Their arrival is told in Job 2:11-13. Their speeches fill much of the book, starting at Job 4 for Eliphaz, Job 8 for Bildad and Job 11 for Zophar. God's judgment on them and Job's prayer are in Job 42:7-10.