Job's comforters

Cultural  

1. Three friends of Job who visited him in his affliction and offered him a way of making sense of his troubles: namely, that he was getting what he deserved. Job's friends maintained that misfortunes were sent by God as punishments for sin, and thus despite Job's apparent goodness, he must really be a terrible sinner. Job persistently disputed them, saying that God is supreme and mysterious — that God can send misfortunes to both good and wicked people and may not be second-guessed.

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A “Job's comforter” is someone who apparently offers consolation to another person but actually makes the other person feel worse.

Example Sentences

Put up with her husband’s temper, put up with the critical and institutional disregard; put up, too, with Job’s comforters who could not accept that she wanted to be both Mrs. Pollock and a great artist.

From New York Times

Flurry, clad in glistening yellow oilskins, met me in the yard, wearing an expression of ill-concealed exultation worthy of Job's comforters at their brightest.

From Project Gutenberg

"Job's comforters" would have proven a dead failure in comparison with that effort.

From Project Gutenberg

But there are people in this world, who delight to go abroad with the tidings of tribulation on their tongue, and whose chief pleasure is to act the part of Job's comforters, or, I might say, of his messengers.

From Project Gutenberg

After a night of extreme wretchedness and misery, I next morning summoned around me a host of my medical acquaintances; but these, alas! were but Job’s comforters, for they one and all assured me, that should erysipelas supervene, p. 150death would be the certain result. 

From Project Gutenberg