What is the meaning of Job 15:6? Your own mouth - Eliphaz points first to what Job himself has been saying. Scripture repeatedly shows that what flows from the mouth reveals the heart (Matthew 12:34–37; Proverbs 18:21). - The point is personal responsibility: Job cannot shift blame elsewhere. Just as Romans 14:12 reminds every believer, “each of us will give an account of himself to God,” so Job’s words are his own. not mine - Eliphaz claims neutrality: “I’m not the one condemning you.” Whether or not his claim is valid, the statement underlines a biblical truth—people often judge themselves by their own speech (Luke 19:22). - This echoes Proverbs 6:2, “you have been trapped by what you said, ensnared by the words of your mouth,” showing how self-inflicted judgment can be. condemns you - The term is judicial. Eliphaz sees Job’s assertions of innocence as evidence of guilt, concluding Job must be hiding sin (Job 15:4–6). - While Eliphaz misreads Job’s situation, the principle stands: careless or rebellious words can bring real condemnation (James 3:6; Matthew 12:37). - God’s law operates this way—self-confessed guilt is still guilt (2 Samuel 12:13; Isaiah 6:5). your own lips - The repetition drives the point home: both mouth and lips, the whole instrument of speech. - Deuteronomy 17:6 requires two or three witnesses for conviction; here, Eliphaz treats Job’s mouth and lips as a double witness against him. - Jesus later affirms that “out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45), reinforcing that lips cannot hide what the heart harbors. testify against you - Eliphaz uses courtroom language—Job is on trial, and his words are on the witness stand. - Psalm 50:6 says, “the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge.” Here, Job’s own speech plays a similar role, highlighting God’s perfect justice. - Believers are cautioned: our testimony can either vindicate or indict us before both God and people (1 Timothy 6:12; Philippians 2:14–16). summary Job 15:6 records Eliphaz charging that Job’s own words prove him guilty. Though Eliphaz wrongly assumes Job’s suffering must be punishment for hidden sin, the verse underscores an enduring biblical lesson: our speech exposes our heart and can stand as evidence before God and others. Therefore, let every word be “acceptable in Your sight, O LORD” (Psalm 19:14), knowing that by our words we may be either condemned or acquitted (Matthew 12:37). |
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