“In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,”
My Notes
What Does Job 4:13 Mean?
"In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men." Eliphaz claims a nocturnal revelation — a terrifying nighttime vision that forms the basis for his theology. He describes it vividly: deep sleep, a spirit passing before his face, his hair standing on end, a form he can't quite see, and a voice asking, "Shall mortal man be more just than God?" The experience sounds genuinely supernatural.
The problem is that the revelation, while dramatic, produces theology that the book of Job will ultimately reject. The spirit's message — that no mortal can be righteous before God — is used by Eliphaz to condemn Job. The source of the revelation is ambiguous: was it from God? From a deceiving spirit? The text doesn't say. Not every supernatural experience produces true theology.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How do you evaluate supernatural experiences — by their vividness or by whether they produce true theology?
- 2.When has a powerful spiritual experience produced a conclusion that turned out to be wrong?
- 3.What's the difference between a genuine revelation from God and a dramatic experience that produces false certainty?
- 4.How does Eliphaz's example caution you about using personal experiences to judge others' situations?
Devotional
A vision in the night. Deep sleep. A spirit passing by his face. Hair standing on end. A voice in the darkness. Eliphaz describes one of the most vivid supernatural experiences in the Old Testament. And then he uses it to condemn his suffering friend.
The experience sounds real. Terrifying. Convincing. Eliphaz felt something. Heard something. Was transformed by something that happened in the dark. And he carries that experience into his conversation with Job like a weapon: I received a revelation, and my revelation says you deserve what you're getting.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: supernatural experiences don't automatically produce true theology. Eliphaz had a vision. The vision produced a message. The message became the foundation for a theology that the book of Job will spend thirty-seven chapters dismantling. Whatever Eliphaz encountered in the night gave him certainty — but certainty about the wrong conclusion.
This matters because we live in a culture that privileges experience as evidence. "God told me." "I had a vision." "I felt it in my spirit." These claims carry enormous weight, and sometimes they're genuine. But Eliphaz also had an experience. A vivid, hair-raising, life-changing experience. And it produced theology that God himself will later condemn (42:7).
The test of a revelation isn't how dramatic it felt. It's whether it produces truth. And truth is measured against God's character, not against the vividness of the experience. Eliphaz's night vision was spectacular. His theology was wrong. The hair standing on end doesn't mean the message was from God.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Fear came upon me, and trembling,.... Not only a dread of mind, but trembling of body; which was often the case even…
In thoughts - Amidst the tumultuous and anxious thoughts which occur in the night. The Hebrew word rendered thoughts,…
Eliphaz, having undertaken to convince Job of the sin and folly of his discontent and impatience, here vouches a vision…
This revelation which came to him secretly or "stealthily," as the word means, was given in the dead of night. He had…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture