Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
The words belong to Eliphaz's speech at the opening of the argument made by Job's friends. That argument held that affliction was evidence of sin, and though its general counsel contained truth it was wrongly applied to Job. What Eliphaz says about Job and about God therefore cannot be taken as automatically reliable, but must be tested against other inspired declarations, since the book records words that may be mistaken or false.
The book sets forth Job's trial and suffering as a real event and as instruction for sufferers. His affliction does not prove that God was displeased with him, suffering may come upon a good person, and God can work through it for good. The verse itself describes fear and trembling in a night vision so intense that all the speaker's bones shook, showing the powerful physical effect and overwhelming awe of the experience.
The wider passage in verses 11-19 presents sheol as a place of silence, secrecy, sleep, rest, darkness, corruption, and worms. A frightening dream that warns of death is like Eliphaz's vision, linking this trembling with a terrifying warning of death. That same kind of trembling awe also describes one who draws near to Christ and senses His holiness.
The words belong to Eliphaz's speech at the opening of the argument made by Job's friends. That argument held that affliction was evidence of sin, and though its general counsel contained truth it was wrongly applied to Job. What Eliphaz says about Job and about God therefore cannot be taken as automatically reliable, but must be tested against other inspired declarations, since the book records words that may be mistaken or false.
The book sets forth Job's trial and suffering as a real event and as instruction for sufferers. His affliction does not prove that God was displeased with him, suffering may come upon a good person, and God can work through it for good. The verse itself describes fear and trembling in a night vision so intense that all the speaker's bones shook, showing the powerful physical effect and overwhelming awe of the experience.
The wider passage in verses 11-19 presents sheol as a place of silence, secrecy, sleep, rest, darkness, corruption, and worms. A frightening dream that warns of death is like Eliphaz's vision, linking this trembling with a terrifying warning of death. That same kind of trembling awe also describes one who draws near to Christ and senses His holiness.