Commentaire sur Job 11:1

The first two companions [Eliphaz and Bildad] had both accepted Job's assertion that if God watches over human affairs no righteous person would ever perish. They had only challenged, each in his own way, his assertion that a truly righteous person had actually perished. However, now comes Zophar and he totally rejects the major premise of the syllogism, arguing that in his opinion, it is conceivable that even though God governs, a righteous person may nevertheless suffer, for no injustice is necessarily implied even if a righteous man perishes in his righteousness (Ecclesiastes 7:15). This approach is based on what has been demonstrated by philosophical research, namely, that the perception of things has two aspects (Zechariah 13:8):

1. The perception of things as they are in themselves;