“If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?”
Eliphaz acknowledges the difficulty of addressing Job when he is overwhelmed with emotion and suffering, yet he proceeds to offer counsel anyway, suggesting that the impulse to explain outweighs the recognition of the inadequacy of words. His hesitation before speaking reveals both sensitivity to Job's pain and an investment in offering his theological interpretation. The acknowledgment of difficulty combined with the decision to speak anyway establishes the dynamic of the dialogue: compassion tempered by the belief that explanation is necessary.
Church Fathers on Job 4:2
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? It has been a1ready declared above, what there is set forth in the interpretation of these names. Therefore, because we are in haste to reach the unexamined parts, we forbear to unfold again what has been already delivered. According1y this is to be heedfully observed, that they, that bear the semblance of heretics, begin to speak softly, saying, If we assay to commune with…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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