Albert Barnes Commentary Job 5:4

"His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them:" — Job 5:4 (ASV)

His children are far from safety - That is, this soon becomes apparent when they are cut off or subjected to calamity. Eliphaz's objective is to state the result of his own observation and to show how calamity overtook the wicked, even though they prospered for a time. He begins with what a man would feel most—the calamity that comes upon his children—and says that God would punish him in them.

Every word of this would go to Job's heart, for he could not help but feel it was aimed at him. The intention was to prove that the calamities that had come upon his children were proof of his own wickedness and of divine displeasure.

It is remarkable that Job listens to this with the utmost patience. There is no interruption of the speaker, no breaking in upon his friend's argument, and no mark of uneasiness. The politeness of that ancient culture required that a speaker be heard attentively through whatever he might say.

(See the Introduction, Section 7.) Therefore, as cutting and severe as this line of remark must have been, the sufferer sat meekly, heard it all, and waited for the appropriate time when an answer might be returned.

And they are crushed in the gate - In ancient times, the gate of a city was the main gathering place, where public business was usually transacted and courts of justice were held (Deuteronomy 21:19; Deuteronomy 25:6–7; Ruth 4:1 and following; Psalms 127:5; Proverbs 22:22). The Greeks also held their courts in some public place of business.

Thus, the forum, ἀγορά (agora)—was also a place for fairs. (See Jahn’s Archaeology, section 247.) Some suppose the meaning here is that they were oppressed and trodden down by the crowd in the gate.

But the more probable meaning is that they found no one to advocate their cause; that they were subject to oppression and injustice in judicial decisions; and that when their parent was dead, no one would stand up to vindicate them out of respect for his memory. The idea is that though there might be temporary prosperity, it would not be long before heavy calamities would come upon the children of the wicked.