Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "deep sleep" here isn't just about regular sleep, but a profound, almost trancelike state that separates the person experiencing the vision from the ordinary world. This highlights how God's revelations often come when we're most vulnerable and detached from our usual awareness, making the experience intensely personal and awe-inspiring.
Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Eliphaz is about to recount a terrifying vision he experienced, which he believes holds a profound message about humanity's sinfulness and God's justice. This vision occurred in the dead of night, a time when people are usually deep in slumber, making the experience even more unsettling and significant. It sets the stage for Eliphaz's argument that Job's suffering must be a consequence of his own wrongdoing.
God sometimes spoke through visions, but these weren't always gentle dreams. They could be intensely real and unsettling.
The Nature of Night Visions
The verse mentions "visions of the night." In the ancient world, and in Scripture, God used visions as a way to communicate His will or reveal truths. These weren't just random dreams. The commentaries highlight that visions could happen while a person was awake (unlike dreams), making them feel even more immediate and impactful.
When Sleep Falls on Others
Eliphaz specifically notes that these unsettling thoughts came "when deep sleep falleth on men." This contrast is crucial. While everyone else was lost in unconscious rest, Eliphaz was wide awake, troubled by these powerful, divine-yet-disturbing communications. This solitude amplifies the intensity of his experience.
Even God-given revelations could bring profound distress. What does this tell us about encountering the divine?
The "Perplexing Thoughts"
The word translated as "thoughts" here can carry a sense of being troubled or perplexed. It wasn't just a passive reception of information; it was an active, and perhaps overwhelming, mental processing. Eliphaz was grappling with what these visions meant, and the commentaries suggest these "manifold thoughts" were the direct result of the divine encounter.
Fear Precedes Revelation
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These perplexing thoughts, stemming from the vision, set the stage for the fear that Eliphaz will soon describe. This highlights a key aspect of encountering God's presence or His powerful messages: they can evoke awe, fear, and deep introspection, not just comfort or understanding. It's a reminder that holiness can be intimidating.
This passage also describes a deep sleep falling on Abram while God gives him a vision, mirroring the context of Job 4:13 where a vision occurs during a time of deep sleep for others.
Daniel 2:1Daniel has disturbing dreams and visions of the night that cause him distress, highlighting the common theme of troubled thoughts arising from nocturnal revelations.
Numbers 12:6God states that He makes Himself known to prophets in visions and speaks to them in dreams, establishing the biblical precedent for divine communication through these means, as seen in Job's experience.
Job 33:15Elihu later describes God speaking to people in dreams and visions of the night when they are in a deep sleep, reinforcing the idea that such experiences are channels for divine communication, even if unsettling.
bensonJob 4:13: "In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,"
Job 4:13 . In thoughts — Or, By reason of my thoughts; my perplexing thoughts. These thoughts, it seems, arose from the visions of the night, which, probably, he had had before, and were the occasion of the fear mentioned Job 4:14 . Visions differed from dreams herein, that God imparted his mind to men in dreams when asleep, but in visions when they were awake. And these visions were sometimes communicated by…
wesleyJob 4:13: "In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,"
4:13 In thoughts - These thoughts arose from the visions of the night, which it is probable he had seen before. Visions differed from dreams herein, that God imparted his mind to men in dreams when asleep, but in visions, when they were awake. And these visions sometimes happened by day, but most frequently by night. Sleep - In the dead of the night, when men usually are in a deep sleep; though Eliphaz was no…
The phrase "deep sleep" here isn't just about regular sleep, but a profound, almost trancelike state that separates the person experiencing the vision from the ordinary world. This highlights how God's revelations often come when we're most vulnerable and detached from our usual awareness, making the experience intensely personal and awe-inspiring.
Eliphaz is about to recount a terrifying vision he experienced, which he believes holds a profound message about humanity's sinfulness and God's justice. This vision occurred in the dead of night, a time when people are usually deep in slumber, making the experience even more unsettling and significant. It sets the stage for Eliphaz's argument that Job's suffering must be a consequence of his own wrongdoing.
Eliphaz is about to recount a terrifying vision he experienced, which he believes holds a profound message about humanity's sinfulness and God's justice. This vision occurred in the dead of night, a time when people are usually deep in slumber, making the experience even more unsettling and significant. It sets the stage for Eliphaz's argument that Job's suffering must be a consequence of his own wrongdoing.
"Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men," — The phrase "deep sleep" here isn't just about regular sleep, but a profound, almost trancelike state that separates the person experiencing the vision from the ordinary world. This highlights how God…
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Last reviewed October 2026