This page gives you ready-to-use Bible study questions for Job 15, with a leader’s answer or discussion note for each one. It suits a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study. The questions move from what the chapter says, to what it means, to how it shapes the way you live and speak before God.
Job 15 at a Glance
Job 15 is the second speech of Eliphaz the Temanite, one of Job’s three friends. He opens by accusing Job of empty, windy talk that undermines reverence for God (verses 1-6). He then challenges Job’s claim to special wisdom, reminding him that the older generation has taught the same truths (verses 7-16).
From verse 17 onward, Eliphaz describes the fate of the wicked man in detail: constant fear, a life of insecurity, sudden ruin, and a barren end. He presents this as the traditional teaching of the wise, and the chapter closes with the idea that the godless are doomed to fruitlessness. Keep in mind as you study that Eliphaz speaks sincerely but wrongly about Job’s situation, and the book as a whole shows God correcting this view.
Observation Questions
Use this set first, before anyone offers an opinion. Ask the group to point to the words of the text and to resist interpreting too early. Read the chapter aloud once before you begin, and let the answers come directly from the verses.
Job 15:2-3
2 “Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches with which he can do no good?
(WEB)
Read these verses early to frame the chapter as a challenge to the quality of Job’s speech. They set up the central question of how words before God should be weighed and tested.
Job 15:14-16
14 What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones. Yes, the heavens are not clean in his sight; 16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks iniquity like water!
(WEB)
This passage states the general claim about human frailty that Eliphaz uses against Job. Reading it aloud lets the group hear its weight and think about how it relates to the grace of God.
Job 15:20-24
20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor. 21 A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come on him. 22 He doesn’t believe that he shall return out of darkness. He is waited for by the sword. 23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. 24 Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.
(WEB)
The vivid imagery of fear and insecurity makes this a memorable passage. It gives the group a concrete picture to discuss when considering how Eliphaz describes the wicked.
Job 15:31-33
31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; for emptiness shall be his reward. 32 It shall be accomplished before his time. His branch shall not be green. 33 He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive tree.
(WEB)
These verses show the consequence of trusting in emptiness, a theme that ties back to the opening accusation. Reading them helps the group see the chapter’s pattern of cause and effect.
Job 15:34-35
34 For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery. 35 They conceive mischief, and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
(WEB)
This closing passage sums up Eliphaz’s final judgment on the godless. Ending the reading here gives the group a clear point of departure for their discussion.
Memory Verse for Job 15
Job 15:11
Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
(WEB)
This verse names God’s comfort as gentle and good, which is a helpful truth to hold onto. Memorize it as a reminder that God’s word is meant to console, even when people speak in harsh ways.
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come before you as people who sometimes speak too quickly and judge too easily. Teach us to weigh our words, to listen before we answer, and to speak with honesty and care. Keep us from empty talk that does no good, and from a heart that presumes to know the minds of others. Where we are afraid, meet us with your steady presence, and where we are proud, bring us low before you. Let our speech build up those who are hurting, and let our hearts rest in your faithful and gentle comfort. Amen.
