Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
Salnn. Futtlur Tempts Jab. JOB II, III. Job Reproves las IVife.
Rather, o«/,i/ ."tp'ire. Satan shows his ingenuity in inllicting pain, and also his kiiowled.ge of wl)at man s l)o<ly can bearwitliout vital injury. 7. sore boils—Malignant boils. Rather, as it is singular in the Ifcbrcw, a biirniiin sore. Job was covered with one imivcrsat inflammation. The use of the potsherd agrees with this view. It was that form of leprosy called black (to distinguish it from the white), or elephantiasis, because the feet swell like those of the elephant. The Arabic j«f//tam (Deuteronomy 'iS. S.)), where sore butch is rather the blaxk bnruini; boil (Isaiah 1. 6). 8. a potslicril—Not a piece of a broken earthen vessel, l)Ut an instrument made for scratching (the root of the Ilebreui word is scrcdch): the sore was too disgusting to touch. " To trol over such dpstructivc asentK. 17. ClinliU-ans—Not merely robbers as (lie Sabiaiis; but cxptrienccil in war, as is implied by "tliey -iH in arraii tiiree l)!in(ls" (Ilabiilikuk ]. (i-R). Rawi.in.son ilislin-^ulslie.s tliree periods: I. Wlieu tlieir seat ol' empire \va Niii tliesoutii, towanis tlie confluence of the Tigris ami Euplirates. Tiie Clialilean period, frori 2;>l)() b. c. to Vm H. f. In this period wiu^'Clie-
Uorliioiner (Genesis 14.), the Kudur of Hur or Ur of fhe
C'liaklees, in the Assyrian inscriptions, and the conqueror
Of Syria. 2. From 15(10 t<) filii u. c, the Assyrian period.
S. From 645 tooAS k. c. (when Cyrus tlie Persian toolt I5al)ylon), tlie Babylonian period. Clnildees in Hebrew—da.?- dim. Tliey were akin, perluip.s, to the lleltrews, as Abraham's sojourn in Ur, and the name C/«'«frf, a nephew of Abraluun, imply. The three l)aiias were probably in order sit in the ashes"' marks the deepest mourning (Jonah 3. fi); also humility, as if tht; mourner were nothing but dust and ashes; so .Vbraham (Genesis 18. 27). to .iLtack tlie thn e separate thousancis of Job's camels (l'. 3). 19. wiiMi from the \vll<leriicss— .South c)f ,Jol)'s
!)-13. Job RivPitovEs His Wife. 9. em-se Gofl-Rjither renounce God. Note 1. 5. [UiiUKKiT.] However, it was usual among the heathens, when disappointed in tlieir prayers aecompanied witli offerings to their gods, to reproach and curse them, and die—i. e., take thy farewell of God and so die. For no good is to be got out of religion, either here or hertalter; or, at least, not In this life. house. The tornado came the more violently over the desert ius being uninterrupted (Isaiah '21. 1 ; Ilosea l:i 1')). tlie young mt-M— Itiither, //«- !/<.>"iu; ptxiiilr ; including the daughters (so in ItiiM: '2.21). ao. .T«I> ai-ost-—Not neees BavWy J'rom sUliiif/. Inward excilemenl is implied, and the 6esm«ui,v to do anyl liing. He had lieard tlie other messages calmly, but on hearing of the death of his children, [Gii.L.] Nothing makes the ungodly so angry as to .see the godly under trial not angry. 10. tbc foollsli women —Sin and full)/ nvf allied in Scripture (1 Samuel 2.5.2.'); 2 Samuel 13. 13; P.salm 14. 1). receive evil—Boar willingly (Lamentations 3. 3d). 11. Elipliaz—The view of RawlinSON tliat "the names of Job's three friends represent the Chaldean times, about 700 b. c," cannot be accepted. Eliphy.z is an Idumeau name, Esau's eldest son (Genesis 36.
Uicii he arose; or, as Eichokn' translate,s he slarl.cd up (2 Bamuel Vi. 31). The rending of the mantle was the conventional mark of deep grief (Genesis 37. 34). Orientals wear a tunic or s'nirl, and loose pantaloons; and over these a flowing mantle (especially great persons and women). Shiiving the head was also usual in grief (Jeremiah i\. 5; Mieah 1. IB). 21. nn Ucd—(1 Timotliy 6. 7). "Mother's womi)" is poetically the earth, the universal mother (Keelesiasfes .">. io; 1'2. 7; I'salm 13;i. loi. Job herein
4); and Teinan, son of Eliphaz (lo.), called "duke." EuSEEius places Teman in .\rabia Petraia (but see note 6. 19).
Teman meanfi at t!ie right hand ; and then the south, viz., part of Iduiuea; capital of Edom (Atnos 1. 12). Hebrew geographers faced the east, not the north as we do; lience with theiii tfie right hand was the south. Temanites were famed for wisdom (Jeremiah 49.7). Bakuch mentions them as "authors of fables (viz., proverbs embodying the results of observation), and searchers out of understanding." Bildad tile SlxiiUite—Shuah (a pit), son of Abraham and Keturah (Genesis 25. 2). Ptolemy mentions the region Syccea, in Arabia Deserta, east of Batanea. Zopliar realizes God's assertion (e. 8) against Satan's ((,•. 11). Instead of ciimhuj, he LU.inex the name of JiiiioVAH (the Hebrew). The name of .lehovah, is Jehovah himxclj, as manifested to us In His attributes (Isaiah 9. 6). -Z-Z. nor ciiargcd God foolishly—Rather, aUoirid}iim.vlf to commit no folly ayainitt God. [Umbiieit.] Chapter 2. 10 proves that this is the meaning. Not :i.s marg. aUribiited no folly to God. Hasty words against God, though natural in the bitterness of grief, are folly; lit., an irunpid, unsavoury thing (ch. 0.6; Jereniiali 2^.13, margin). /•^oUy in Scriplure is continually equivalent to wickedness. For when man sins, it is himself, not Goil, whom he injures (Proverbs 8. 3G). We are to submit to trials, not because we see the reasons for them, nor yet as tliough they were matters of chance, but because God wHIji tiiem, and has a riglit to send them, and has His own good reasons in sending them. tlie Naamatliite—Not of the Naamans in Judah (Joshua
15.41), which was too distant; but some region in Arabia Deserta. Fretemus says there was a Naainath iu Uz. 13. toward lieaveu — They threw violently ashes upwards, that the.y might fall on their heads and cover them. The deepest mourning (Joshua 7.6; Acts 22.23). 13. seven days . . . nlglits—They did not remain in the one posture and without food, &c., all this time, but for the most of this period daily and nightly. Sitting on the earth marked mourning (Lamentations 2. 10). Seven days was the usual length of it (Genesis .50. 10; 1 Samuel 31. 13) This SI.ence may have Ijeen due Po a rising suspicion o! evil in Job; t>ut chiefly because it is only ordinary griefs
CHAPTER II.
Ver. 1-8. Satan FuuTHEK TEMPI'S Job. 1. a clay—Appointed for the angels giving an account of their ministry to God. The words to present himself before the Lord occur here, though not in 1. G, as Satan has now a special report to make as to Job. 3. Integrity lit., completeness; so " i»rfect," another foi m of the same Heb. word, ch. II. move«bit . . . ngalnjit—So 1 Samuel 26.10; cf. 1 Chronicles 21. 1 with 2 Sanmel 24. 1. 4. Skin for skin— tliat find vent in language; extraordinary griefs are too great for utterance.
CHAPTER III. THE POEM OK DEBATE IT.SELF, 2.-42. 6; FIRST SEKIE.S IN IT, proverb. .Supply, //e jyi// j/?i;e. The skin is figurative for any outward rjood. Nothing outward is so dear that a man will not exchange it for some other outward good ; but (not yea) life, the inward good, cannot be replaced; a man will sacrifice everytliing else for its sake. Satan sneers bitterly at man's egotism, and says, .lob bears the loss of property and children, because these are mere outward and erch(//i)oeable goods, but he will give up all things, even his religion, in order to save his life, if you touch his bones and flesh. Skin and life are in antithesis. [UmBEEiT.] The martyrs prove Satan's sneer false. RosenMOLLEK explains it not so well. A man willingly gives up another's Rxxi (life) for /hjs own. skin (life). SoJob miglit bear the loss of his children, &c., with equanimity, so long as he remained unhurt himself; but when touched In his own person, he would renounce God. Thus the flrst " skin" means the other's skin, i. e., body ; tlie second "skin," one's own, as in Exodus 21.23. «. but gave
3. -14. ; JOB FIRST .3.
Ver. 1-19. Job Curses the Day of His Birth, and Wishes for Death. 1. opened lils mouth—The Orientals speak seldom, and then sentcntiousl.y. Hence this fori Tiula expressing delibei-atioii and gravity (Psalm 78.2). Formally began, cursed Ills day—The strict7/e6veu; word for cursing; not the same as in ch. 1.5. Job cursed his birth -day, but not his God. 2. spake HebreiJ>,a7i.sivered, i. e., not to any actual question that preceded, but to the question virtually involved in the case. His outburst Is singularly wild and bold (Jeremiali 20. 14). To desire to •lie so as to be free from sin is a mark of grace ; to desire to die so as to escape troubles is a mark of corruption. He was ill-fitted to die who was so unwilling to live. But his trials were greater, and his light less, than ours. 3. the night In which—Ilather " the night which said," 311