Chapter XXX
Ver. 1-31. 1. younger—Not the tliree friends (ch. 15. 10;
32. 4, 6, 7). A general description : 1-8, the lowness of the persons who derided him; 9-15, the derision itself. Formerly old men rose to me (ch. 29. 8). Now not only my
{i.e., with a view to my) destruction. Image, as in ch.
19.12, from a besieging army tlnowing up a way of approach for itself to a city. 13. Image of an assailed fortress continued. They tear up the path by which succour might reach me. set forward—(Zechariah 1. 15.) they have no lielper—Arabic proverb for contemptible persons. Yet even sucli afflict J0I5. 14. waters—(So 2 Samuel 5. 20.) But it is better to retain the image of v. 12, 13. "They came (upon me) as through a wide breach," viz., made by the besiegers in the wall of a fortress (Isaiah .30. 13), [Maurer.] in the desolation-" Amidst tlie crash" of falling masonry, or "with a shout like the crash" of, &c. 15. they — Terrors, soul— Rather, my dignity. [Umbreit.] welfare— Prosperity, cloud—(Ch. 7.9; Isaiah
juniors, who are bound to reverence me (Leviticus 19.32), but even the mean and base-born actually deride me ; opposed to, "smiled upon" (ch. 29.24). This goes further than even the " mockery" of Job by relations and friends
(ch. 12.4; 16.10,20; 17.2,0; 19.22). Orientals feel keenly any indignity sliown by the young. Job speaks as a rich Arabian emir, proud of his descent, dogs—Regarded with disgust in the East as unclean (1 Samuel 17. 43 ; Proverbs 21). 11). They are not allowed to enter a house, but run about wild in the open air, living on ollal and chance morsels (Psalm 59.14,15). Here again we are reminded of Jesus Christ (Psalm 22. 16). "Their fathers, my coevals, were so mean and famished that I would not have associated them Willi (not to say, set them over) my dogs in guarding my flock." !J. If their fathers could be of no
44.22). 16-SJ3. Job's outward calamities affect his mind, poured out—In irrepressible complaints (Psalm 42.4; Joshua 7.5). 17. In the Hebrew, night is poetically personified, as ch. 3.3: "night pierceth my bones (so that they fall) from me" (not as English Version, "in me;" see
profit to me, much less the sons, who are feebler than their sires; and in whose case the hope of attaining old age
V. 30). sinews—So the Arabic, veins, akin to the Hebrew; r&theY, gnawers, as in v. 3 (note), viz., my gnawing pains never cease. ElTects of elephantiasis. 18. of my disease —Rather, "of God" (ch. 2:3.6). garment changed—From a robe of honour to one of mourning, literally (ch. 2.8; John 3. 6) and metaphorically. [Umbreit.] Or rather, as SCHUTTENS, following up V. 17, My oitter garment is changed into affliction; i.e., affliction has become my outer garment, it also bludeth me fast round (my throat) as the collar of the inner coat; i.e., it is both my inner and outer garment. Observe the distinction between the inner and outer garments. The latter refers to his afflictions /ror/i wirtowi {v. 1-13); the former his personal afflictions {v. 14-2;j). Umbreit makes "God" subject to "bindeth," as in v. 19. 19. God is poetically said to do that which the mourner had done to himself (ch. 2. 8). With lying in the ashes he had become, like them, in dirty colour. aO. stand up—The reverential attitude of a .suppliant before a king (1 Kings 8. 14; Luke 18. 11-13). notSupplied from the first clause. But the intervening affirmative " stand" makes this ellipsis unliliely. Rather, as ch. 16.9 (not only dost thou refuse aid to me "standing" as a suppliant, but), thou dost regard me with a frown; eye me sternly. 23. llftest ... to wind—As a "leaf" or "stubble" (ch. 13.25). The moving pillars of .sand, raised by the wind to the clouds, as described by travellers, would happily depict Job's agitated spirit. If it be to them that he alludes, dissolvest . . . substanceThe marginal Hebrew reading (Keri), "my wealth," or else "wisdom," t. e., sense and spirit, or " my hope of deUver-
is utterly gone, so puny are they (ch. 5.26). [Mauker.] Even if they had "strength of hands," that could be now of no use to me, as all I want in my present affliction is sympathy. 3. solitary—Z-(<., /icti d as a rock ; so translate,
ratlier, dried up, emaciated with hunger. Job describes the rudest race of Bedouins of the desert. [Umbreit.] fleeing-So LXX. Better, as Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate, "gnawers of the wilderness." What they gnaw follows In V. 4. in former time Lit., the "yesternight of desolation and waste" (the most utter desolation ; Ezekiel 0. 14);
i. e., those deserts frightful as night to man, and even there from lime immemorial. I think both ideas are in tlie words darkness [Geseniu.s] and antiquity [UsiBREtT]. (Isaiah 30.
33, Margin.) 4. mallows—Ilather, salt-ioorl, which grows In deserts and is eaten as a salad by the poor. [Maurer.] by the buslies—Among the bushes, juniper—Rather, a kind of broom. SparHum junceum [LlNN^us], still called In Arabia, as In the Hebrew of Job, relem, of which the bitter roots are eaten by the poor. 5. tliey cried i. e., a cry Is raised, &c. Expressing the contempt felt for this race by civilized and well-born Arabs. When these wild vagabonds make an incursion on villages, they are driven away, as thieves would be. 6. They are forced " to dwell."
clIiTs of valleys—Rather, "In the gloomy {lit., gloom of) valleys," or warfj/*. To dwell in valleys is, in the East, a mark of wretchedness. The troglodytes, in parts of Arabia, lived In such dwellings as caves, &c. 7. brayed —Like the wild ass (ch. 0.5 for food). The Inarticulate tones of this uncivilized rabble are but little above those of the beast of the field, gathered together—Rather,
Jot's Solemii Protestation of JOB XXXI. his Integrity in Several Duties.
24.4). 8, Apodosls to V. 5 and 7; the curses which he Imprecates on himself, if he had done these things (Leviticus '26.16; Amos 9.14; Psalm 128.2). ofTsprlng—Rather, what I plant, my harvests. 9-13. Job asserts his innocence of adultery, deceived-hath let itself be seduced (Proverbs 7.8, Ac. ; Genesis 39. 7-12). laid wait—until the husband went out. 10. grind—turn the handmill. Be the most abject slave and concubine (Isaiah 47.2; 2 Samuel
ance." But the text (Chetib) is better: Thon dissolvest me (with fear, Exodus 15.15) in the crash (of the whirlwind ; as V. 14, note). [Maurer.] Umbreit translates as a verb, "Thou terrifiest me." 33. This shows ch. 19.2.5 cannot be restricted to Job's hope of a. temporal deliverance, deatli—as in ch. 28.22, the realm of the dead ^I^ebrews 9.27; Genesis 3.19). 24. Expressing Job's faith as
to the state after death. Though one must go to tlie
grave, yet He will no more afflict in the ruin of the body
12. 11). 11. In the earliest times punislied with deatli (Genesis 38. 24). So in later times (Deuteronomy 22. 22). Heretofore he had spoken only of sins against conscience
(so Hebreiv for grave) there, if one lias cried to Hini wlien being destroyed. The "stretching of His hand"
now, one against the community, needing the cognizance of the judge. 13. (Proverbs 6. '27-:i5; 8. 6--23, 26, 27.) No crime more provokes God to send destruction as a consuming fire, none so desolates the soul. 13-33. Job atlirms his freedom from unfairness towards his servants, from harshness and oppression towards the needy, despise the cause—retused to do them justice. 14, 15. Parenthet-
to punisii after death answers antithetically to the raising "the cry" of prayer in the second clause. Maurer gives another traiislation whicli accords witli the scope
of V. 24-31; if it be natural for one in affliction to aslc
aid, why should it be considered (by the friends) wrong in ray case? "Nevertheless does not a man in ruin
stretch out his hand" (imploring help, r. 20; Lamenta-
ical; thj reason why Job did not despise the cause of his servants. Translate, Wliat then (liad I done so) could I have done, wlien God arose (to call me to account); and wlien He visited (came to inquire), what could I have answered Him? 15. Slaveholders try to defend themselves by maintaining the original inferiority of the slave. But Malaclii 2.10; Acts 17. '26; Ephesians 6.9, make the common origin of masters and servants the argument lor brotherly love being shown by the former to the latter. 10. fail—in the vain expectation of relief (ch. 11.20). 17. Arabian rules of hospitality require the stranger to l)e helped first, and to the best. 18. Parenthetical: asserting that he did the contrary to the things in i'. IG, 17. he—the orphan, guided her—viz., the widow, by advice and protection. On this and " a father" see ch. '29. 16. 19. perish — (. e., ready to perish (ch. 29. 13). 20. loins—the parts of the body benefited by Job are poetically described as thanking liirn ; the loins before naked, when clad by me, wished me every blessing. 31. "When (i.e., liecause) I saw" that I might calculate on the "help" of a iiowenul party in the court of justice—("gate"), if I should bo sam« moned by the injured fatherless. 33. Apodosis to vs. 13,
tions 1. 17)? If one be in his calamity (destruction) is there not Mierefore a "cry" (for aid)? Thus in the parallelism "cry" answers to " stretch—liand ;" "in his calam-
ity," to "in ruin." Tlie negative of the first clause, is to be supplied in the second, as in y. 25 (ch. 28. 17). 2r>. Jlay
I not be allowed to complain of my calamity, and beg re-
lief, seeing that I myself sympathized with those "in trouble" (lit., hard of day ; those who had a hard time of
it). I may be allowed to crave help, seeing that, "wlien I looked for good (on account of niy piety and
charity), yet evil," &c. light—(ch. 22. 28). '-JT. bowelsRegarded as the seat of deep feeling (Isaiah Ki. IP. boiletl —Violently heated and agitated, preventedOld English
for uneriii'ctedl)/ came upon me, surprised me. 38. iiiotirnIng—Rather, I move about blackened, tliough not by the sun; i. e., whereas many are blackened by the sun, I am, by the he.at of God's wrath (so "boiled," r. 27); the elephantiasis covering me with blackness of rskin (i'. 30), as with the garb of mourning (Jeremiah 14.2). This striking enigmatic form of Hebreiv expression occurs, Isaiah 2i). 9. stood up—As an innocent man crying for justice in an assembled court (u. 20). 39. dragons . . . owls-Rather,
jackalH, ostriches, both of which utter dismal screanis (Jlicah 1.8); in which respect, as also in their living amidst solitudes, the emblem of desolation, Job is their brother and companion, i. p., resembles them. " Dragon," Hel/reu; Tannim, usually means the crocodile; so perhaps here, its open Jaws lifted towards heaven, and its noise making it .seem as if it mourned over its fate [liocHART.] 30. upon nic— Ratlier, as In 17 (Note), my skin is black (and tails away) from me. uiy bones—(ch. 19.20; I'salm
16, 17, 19, 20, 21. If I had done those crimes, I should have made a bad u.se of my influence {mi/ arm, figurat iveiy , v. 21): therefore, if I have done them let my arm (literally) suf-
fer. Job alludes to Eliiihaz's charge (ch. 22. 9). The Hist "arm" is rather Die shoulder. The second "arm" is the fore arm. from thv bone Lit., a reed: hence the upper arm, above the elbow. 33. For—t. e., the reason why Job guaixled against such sins. Fear of God, though he could escape man's Judgment (Genesis 39.9). Umhkeit moie spiritedly tr/insl<itcs. Yea, destruction and terror from God might have befallen me (had I done so): mere fear not being the motive, highness—majestic might, endure— I could have availed nothing agiiinst it. )44, 35. Job asserts his freedom from trust in money (1 Timothy
102. 5). 31. organ — Rather, pipe (cli. 21. 12 1; " My is turned into the voice of weeping" (I^amentations 5. 15). These instrumentsare properly appropriated lojuu (Tsaiali
30. 29, 32), which makes their use now in sorrow the sadder by contrast.