איוב, פרק ט״ו, פסוק ז׳

Faced with absolute confidence and a dismissive attitude toward others, a friend might resort to deep sarcasm to challenge the source of such supposed wisdom. Eliphaz confronts Job with a biting question, expressing profound astonishment at his refusal to listen [רש״י]. He sarcastically asks whether Job was the very first human being ever born into the world [רמב״ן, ביאור שטיינזלץ, תקות אנוש], or perhaps formed without a father and a mother, just like the original man [רמב״ן]. Because Job is obviously not the first person on earth, his attitude is baffling. He completely ignores the vast knowledge and life experience that humanity has accumulated over time. Instead of drawing on the rich wisdom passed down through previous generations, he looks down on his friends simply because some of them are younger than he is [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The confrontation then deepens, moving from human history to the dawn of creation itself. Eliphaz asks if Job was brought into existence before the mountains were formed [מצודת ציון]. This concept of being brought forth specifically evokes the hidden stages of formation and pregnancy that occur just before birth, drawing on the imagery of labor pains [מלבי״ם].

There are several ways to understand this idea of existing before the physical world. The primary approach among commentators is that Eliphaz is challenging Job's claim to ultimate understanding. If Job was formed before the earth existed, perhaps he truly knows the deep secrets of God, understands the Creator's original intentions for the world, and grasps exactly how God supervises His creation [רמב״ן, תקות אנוש]. Another perspective views this as a direct criticism of Job's bitter complaints about human existence. Job speaks as though he is standing at the dawn of time, right before the mountains are made, trying to argue against the very way God designed human life [מלבי״ם]. Taking the concept into a higher spiritual realm, some explain that existing before the physical earth implies coming before the ministering angels. According to this view, Eliphaz is asking Job if he considers himself greater than the angels, or if he views himself as equal to the Torah itself, which tradition states was created before the physical world [אלשיך].