In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light.
Job is answering friends who insist that God always punishes evil here and now. He points to the thief who digs through a house after dark, then shuts himself in when the sun comes up. Why does such a man go unpunished, and what does his love of the night say about him?
The argument Job is making
Job lists wrongs that everyone around him could see, then asks how his friend Eliphaz explains them:
Samuel RidoutThe poor are robbed of their very clothes. They go hungry while they work among the sheaves. At the oil press and in the vineyard they are kept from sharing. The oppressed groan in the city — and God takes no notice of it! It is an awful picture of facts only too well known to them — and to us. How can Eliphaz make such facts fit his theory that evil is always punished in this life?
Houses that could be dug through
Digging through a wall was literal work, and the building materials explain how:
Morrish Bible DictionaryMost houses were built of stone, since stone was plentiful and wood was harder to find. Temporary houses and those for the poor were often built of mud. A thief could easily dig through mud, and such houses soon fell into a heap of rubbish if left alone. Job 4:19; Job 15:28; Job 24:16; Matthew 24:43.
Evil that is planned, not stumbled into
One writer notes that the adulterer picks his house in daylight, and draws a blunt line to our own streets:
Leslie M. GrantThe adulterer waits until it is dark enough that no one will recognise him. Then in the dark he breaks into a house which he marked in the daytime… Has society changed since Job's time? Not at all! There are still such crimes committed every day. People keep on demanding more laws to combat such things, but laws do not change men's rebellious hearts. They need to be saved by the grace of God.
The same writer marks two levels of sin here:
Leslie M. GrantThis is not only sin moved by greed, but sin moved by bold defiance of God. There was, and is, light that can be a great blessing to those who value it. But many choose darkness rather than light. They are not just giving in to their weaknesses. They are choosing the ways of wilful evil on purpose.
Why they "do not know the light"
One writer ties their choice of the night to what the light would show:
Samuel RidoutHere are men who hate the light, because their deeds are evil. They choose the night for their "unfruitful works of darkness"… "By day they shut themselves up" (v. 16). And, how solemn, "they do not know the light" — the light shows up their shame and sin.
Another writer traces the hatred back a step, to the deeds themselves:
Hamilton SmithThe evil deeds that men do lead them to hate the light that exposes their deeds and disturbs their conscience. An uneasy conscience makes the light unbearable. The one who puts the truth into practice will not fear the light.
Two forms of human evil, one shared fear
One writer sums up this kind of evil in two words, and names the fear behind it:
William KellyViolence and corruption are the two great characteristics of human evil… They cannot bear to be known, what they are and what they seek.
Why the reckoning is delayed
Job's deeper complaint is that nothing happens to these men. The same writer answers the question Job could not:
William KellyThere are these times of evil. God is a moral governor, and He takes notice of all evil — yes, even people's words, since words reveal the secrets of the heart. So how is it that He allows evil to pass as He does, and that there is no day of retribution now? Well, we can answer that perfectly. It is all reserved for Christ… And therefore it is reserved for the Lord Jesus to execute judgment.
Ridout notes another rendering of the next line: deep night feels to such men like daybreak. They are at home in the night — it is their day.
Summary
- Darkness chosen. The night is not their misfortune but their choice. These are not weak men caught out, but men set on wilful evil.
- Darkness planned. The man marks the house in daylight and enters after dark. New laws never change the heart behind that plan.
- Darkness exposed. They "do not know the light" — it would show up their shame and sin. An uneasy conscience makes light unbearable.
- Darkness shared. Violence and corruption are the two great marks of human evil, and both share one fear: they cannot bear to be known.
- Darkness answered. No day of retribution comes now, because God has reserved all judgment for Christ. The delay Job could not explain is an appointment, not an oversight.