איוב, פרק כ״ב, פסוק ט״ו

In a piercing rebuke, Eliphaz challenges Job's fundamental worldview and faith. He poses a sharp question, asking whether Job intends to adopt the corrupt, heretical beliefs of the ancients or if he truly grasps the rules of divine providence and nature.

The primary approach among commentators is that Eliphaz is warning Job against following an ancient, misguided path walked by wicked men since the dawn of history. By asking if Job will keep this path, Eliphaz is questioning whether Job will harbor these beliefs in his heart and adopt them as his own [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ, מצודת ציון, רמב״ן]. These ancient sinners are specifically identified as the generation of the Flood [מצודת דוד].

The corrupt views of these early wrongdoers are understood in a few ways. Some explain that these individuals completely denied God's active involvement in the world, believing there was no ultimate justice and no divine judge. Ultimately, they were wiped out, and their flawed belief system collapsed with them [תקות אנוש, אלשיך]. Others suggest this refers to those who claimed the universe had simply existed forever in its current state, denying that it was formed by a Creator [אבן עזרא].

A completely different perspective takes the discussion in a philosophical direction regarding the laws of the universe. In this view, the ancient path does not refer to human morality, but rather to the permanent laws of nature, much like the fixed orbits of the stars. The idea of keeping this path is understood as nature waiting, stopping, or changing its direction. Therefore, Eliphaz is asking Job if he actually expects the fixed laws of nature to pause or alter their natural course just to accommodate the actions of wicked men. The clear, implied answer is no. The established order of creation simply continues on its permanent track, entirely unchanged and uninfluenced by human misbehavior [מלבי״ם, רמב״ן].