Job 15:16
how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The powerful image of "drinking injustice like water" isn't just about enjoying sin; it reveals how deeply ingrained and habitual corruption can become. It's not a casual sip, but a desperate, unquenchable thirst that consuming evil becomes as essential as breathing or drinking water.
Bildad has just claimed God doesn't trust even heavenly beings if they aren't perfect. Now, he pivots to argue how much less God would trust flawed humans, especially those deeply steeped in sin, likening them to someone greedily gulping down water. This verse is part of Bildad's escalating accusation that Job himself is inherently corrupt and deserves his suffering, a theme that continues as Job fiercely defends his integrity.
Eliphaz's words take a sharp turn, moving from general observations about God's purity to a pointed accusation. What does this shift reveal?
Eliphaz begins by contrasting God's perfection with the imperfection of even 'heavenly beings' (Job 15:15). He then pivots dramatically, using the phrase 'how much less' to draw a stark conclusion about humanity. This isn't just a general statement about sin; it's a direct jab at Job. The context of the book shows Job's friends are desperately trying to prove he's a wicked sinner deserving of his suffering. Eliphaz uses this verse to imply that if even pure beings aren't perfect in God's eyes, how much less is Job, whom Eliphaz sees as corrupt.
The image of 'drinking injustice like water' is incredibly vivid. What does this metaphor tell us about the depth of corruption?
This phrase paints a powerful picture of deep-seated sin. It's not just about occasional wrongdoing; it's about a habit so ingrained it becomes natural, even desirable.
A Thirst for Iniquity
Think about how desperately someone thirsty craves water. This is the intensity and frequency the verse describes for sin. It suggests a person who actively seeks out and consumes wrongdoing, finding satisfaction in it. Their entire being is oriented towards injustice.
Natural and Delightful
Commentators note that this habit can become as 'free,' 'easy,' 'greedy,' and even 'delightful' as drinking water is to the thirsty. It implies sin has replaced righteousness as their natural inclination. They don't just stumble into sin; they pursue it with a kind of perverse eagerness.
Understand the original words
to'ebah · Hebrew Adjective
An object, action, or state that is morally detestable, loathsome, or causes extreme revulsion, especially in the sight of God. In a biblical context, it often refers to actions that violate God's law or character.
alach · Hebrew Adjective
Refers to something that has become spoiled, ruined, or morally depraved. It suggests a state of moral decay or spiritual putrefaction that has tainted one's nature.
avlah · Hebrew Noun
A deviation from the standard of God's righteousness; perversion of truth, fairness, or legal rectitude. It denotes behavior that is wrong, crooked, or contrary to the revealed will of God.
This passage echoes the imagery of 'drinking iniquity,' describing a corrupted witness who 'swallows up justice,' highlighting a deep-seated perversion of what is right.
Jeremiah 2:13This verse speaks of a people who have 'forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters,' to 'hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water,' a powerful metaphor for seeking spiritual sustenance from corrupt sources instead of God.
Matthew 7:17-18Jesus teaches that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, paralleling the idea that a corrupt nature, like one that 'drinks injustice like water,' will consistently produce ungodly actions.
1 Peter 4:3This verse describes past ways of life as spent in 'senseless rituals and excessive drinking, wild parties, and lawless idol worship,' touching on the theme of indulgence in sin, though Job's verse emphasizes the habitual, almost necessary consumption of wickedness.
bensonJob 15:16: "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?"
Job 15:16 . How much more abominable and filthy is man — If saints are not to be trusted, much less sinners. If the heavens are not pure; if heavenly beings, who maintained their allegiance to their Maker, are not free from imperfection, when compared with God, much less is man, who is degenerated, and has rebelled against him. Which drinketh iniquity like water — Who, besides his natural proneness to s…
pooleJob 15:16: "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?"
Who, besides his natural proneness to sin, hath contracted habits and customs of sinning, and sinneth as freely and easily, as greedily and delightfully, as frequently and abundantly, as men, especially in those hot countries, used to drink up water. But this did not Job; and therefore though the things delivered by him and the rest be true in the general, yet they commit a great error in misapplying th…
The powerful image of "drinking injustice like water" isn't just about enjoying sin; it reveals how deeply ingrained and habitual corruption can become. It's not a casual sip, but a desperate, unquenchable thirst that consuming evil becomes as essential as breathing or drinking water.
Bildad has just claimed God doesn't trust even heavenly beings if they aren't perfect. Now, he pivots to argue how much less God would trust flawed humans, especially those deeply steeped in sin, likening them to someone greedily gulping down water. This verse is part of Bildad's escalating accusation that Job himself is inherently corrupt and deserves his suffering, a theme that continues as Job fiercely defends his integrity.
Bildad has just claimed God doesn't trust even heavenly beings if they aren't perfect. Now, he pivots to argue how much less God would trust flawed humans, especially those deeply steeped in sin, likening them to someone greedily gulping down water. This verse is part of Bildad's escalating accusation that Job himself is inherently corrupt and deserves his suffering, a theme that continues as Job fiercely defends his integrity.
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"how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!" — The powerful image of "drinking injustice like water" isn't just about enjoying sin; it reveals how deeply ingrained and habitual corruption can become. It's not a casual sip, but a desperate, unquen…
