His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "crushed in the gate" isn't just about general hardship, but points to a public, legal ruin. This suggests that the downfall of the wicked isn't always a private affair, but can involve the very systems of justice and public life they might have once manipulated. It highlights how their fate becomes a matter of open judgment, leaving them exposed and without defenders.
His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Eliphaz is trying to explain why Job is suffering so intensely, arguing that prosperity for the wicked is fleeting and ultimately leads to ruin, often striking their families. He suggests that the downfall of the wicked's children is a direct consequence of their father's oppressive actions, leading to public disgrace and legal ruin where no one will defend them. This, he implies, is the inevitable fate of those who turn from God, a fate he is subtly suggesting has already befallen Job.
Eliphaz uses a vivid image of being 'crushed in the gate.' What does this location signify, and why is it so potent in this verse?
The 'gate' in ancient Near Eastern cultures was far more than just an entrance. It was the heart of public life:
Eliphaz points to the suffering of Job's children. Is he suggesting a direct, inherited punishment for their father's supposed wickedness?
Eliphaz's words carry a heavy implication about the sins of the fathers being visited upon the children. He's not just describing a random tragedy but suggesting a consequence:
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The verse concludes with a stark pronouncement: 'and there is no one to deliver them.' What does this finality reveal about their plight?
The phrase 'no one to deliver them' paints a picture of absolute hopelessness and isolation.
Understand the original words
sha'ar · Hebrew Noun
The public forum where legal cases were heard and social justice was administered; to be crushed there signifies a public lack of legal or divine protection.
natsal · Hebrew Verb
To rescue, save, or liberate from danger, trouble, or oppression; fundamentally used to describe God’s act of intervening for the helpless.
The phrase 'crushed in the gate' powerfully evokes ancient Near Eastern judicial practices where public judgment occurred. Eliphaz uses this imagery to imply that Job's children, much like the unjust, faced public condemnation and ruin with no one to defend them, suggesting their father's sin led to their downfall.
Ancient Near East (dates vary)
City gates as public centers
City gates served as vital public spaces, functioning as marketplaces, administrative centers, and, crucially, the location for courts of law and judicial proceedings.
Circa 1000 BC - 400 BC
Patriarchal and early Israelite society
In the societal structures reflected in the Book of Job and surrounding literature, family honor and lineage were paramount. Calamities befalling children were seen as direct reflections of a father's standing with God and community.
Unknown (likely sometime between 6th and 4th century BC)— this verse
Eliphaz speaks to Job
Eliphaz, a friend of Job, offers counsel based on his observations and traditional wisdom, directly addressing Job's suffering and attributing it to hidden sin.
This passage directly links the curse of disobedience to the loss of children and their inability to find safety, echoing the sense of abandonment and ruin in Job 5:4.
Proverbs 20:7This proverb highlights that a righteous life leads to a lasting legacy for one's children, implicitly contrasting with the fate described in Job 5:4 where the wicked's children suffer because of their parent's actions.
Isaiah 1:17This prophetic call to justice and deliverance for the oppressed resonates with the helplessness of the children in Job 5:4, emphasizing God's concern for those who are crushed and have no one to champion their cause.
Jeremiah 7:15This verse speaks of God casting out a people because of their wickedness, mirroring the ultimate lack of deliverance and safety for the children described in Job 5:4 as a consequence of sin.
bensonJob 5:4: "His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them."
Job 5:4 . His children — Whose greatness he designed in all his enterprises, supposing his family would be established for ever; are far from safety — Are exposed to dangers and calamities, and can neither preserve themselves, nor the inheritance which their fathers left them. There is no question but he glances here at the death of Job’s children; and they are crushed in the gat…
clarkeJob 5:4: "His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them."
His children are far from safety - His posterity shall not continue in prosperity. Ill gotten, ill spent; whatever is got by wrong must have God's curse on it. They are crushed in the gate - The Targum says, They shall be bruised in the gate of hell, in the day of the great judgment. There is reference here to a custom which I have often had occasion to notice: viz., that in the…
The phrase "crushed in the gate" isn't just about general hardship, but points to a public, legal ruin. This suggests that the downfall of the wicked isn't always a private affair, but can involve the very systems of justice and public life they might have once manipulated. It highlights how their fate becomes a matter of open judgment, leaving them exposed and without defenders.
Eliphaz is trying to explain why Job is suffering so intensely, arguing that prosperity for the wicked is fleeting and ultimately leads to ruin, often striking their families. He suggests that the downfall of the wicked's children is a direct consequence of their father's oppressive actions, leading to public disgrace and legal ruin where no one will defend them. This, he implies, is the inevitable fate of those who turn from God, a fate he is subtly suggesting has already befallen Job.
Eliphaz is trying to explain why Job is suffering so intensely, arguing that prosperity for the wicked is fleeting and ultimately leads to ruin, often striking their families. He suggests that the downfall of the wicked's children is a direct consequence of their father's oppressive actions, leading to public disgrace and legal ruin where no one will defend them. This, he implies, is the inevitable fate of those who turn from God, a fate he is subtly suggesting has already befallen Job.
"His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them." — The phrase "crushed in the gate" isn't just about general hardship, but points to a public, legal ruin. This suggests that the downfall of the wicked isn't always a private affair, but can involve th…
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Last reviewed October 2026