Eliphaz says that suffering does not spring forth out of the ground, but rather comes as a result of a person’s sins. Since no one is free of sin, every person is born to tribulations (verse 7). Even Iyov’s location in the Land of Israel cannot free him from the taint of sin. Eliphaz reminds Iyov that suffering is part of the human condition, intrinsic in being an adam (אדם), ‘a person,’ and not something which comes on its own out of the adama (אדמה), ‘earth.’ Only those who disconnect from their humanity, therefore, can escape affliction.
Source: Israel in the News
