Eliphaz

1. Oldest son of Esau and his wife Adah (Gn 36:4–16; 1 Chr 1:35–36). He was the ancestor of a number of Edomite clans.

2. One of Job’s friends, called the Temanite (see Jer 49:7). Teman was traditionally associated with wisdom; hence Eliphaz’s speech depicts the orthodox view of sin and punishment. His three addresses (Jb 4, 15, 22) failed to grapple with the essence of Job’s problem because he assumed previous major sin in Job’s life.

See also Job, Book of.