I have heard many such things: the things Job refers to are the previous speeches of all three friends, not just the last speech of Eliphaz. In the next line he includes them all in his condemnation.

Miserable comforters are you all: miserable comforters is literally “comforters of trouble.” Job picks up from Eliphaz’s words in 15.35 “They conceive mischief,” where “mischief” translates the same word rendered miserable here. These are comforters who increase trouble instead of removing it. The same term is used in 3.10; 4.8. Job’s friends came expressly to comfort him, to relieve his suffering (2.11), but their ministry to Job is less than helpful. In some languages this line may be rendered, for example, “You (plural) do not relieve my sufferings; you (plural) make me miserable instead of helping me,” “You (plural) do not help me; you make me suffer still more,” or “Instead of making me feel better, you (plural) make me feel worse.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .